Category Archives: Major Sports

The Northern Trust odds: PGA Tour playoffs begin

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Even though there has been just one Grand Slam tournament played this PGA Tour season due to the coronavirus shutdown, and the U.S. Open is set for September and the Masters in November, the Tour’s 2019-20 “regular season” has officially concluded – those latter two majors will be part of the 2020-21 wraparound campaign.

The three-event FedExCup playoffs begin this week with The Northern Trust at TPC Boston. The Top 125 in points following last week’s Wyndham Championship qualified for the playoffs. The Top 70 after this tournament will move on to next week’s BMW Championship outside Chicago.

While The Northern Trust has been a part of the playoffs since their debut in 2007, this is the first time TPC Boston will host. It previously hosted the Deutsche Bank Championship/Dell Technologies Championship, but the PGA Tour cut down the FedExCup playoffs after 2018 from four to three and eliminated the Dell Technologies event. TPC Boston thus joined Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey as a rotating host for this tournament. TPC Boston is a par 71 at 7,342 yards.

NBA slips in Bodog wagers this weekend as MLB and NHL move up

This past weekend saw sportsbooks have a lot of action to offer. It also marked the transition of the regular season to the postseason for the NBA, with only one seeding game played on Saturday, which is probably why there wasn’t a lot of interest in the basketball league on Bodog. The NBA dropped in the rankings of the most bet leagues on the global sportsbook this weekend, giving up space to both MLB and the NHL, which continue to provide some exceptional entertainment.

Last Friday saw the end of the NBA’s regular season, with the Eastern Conference teams already set for the playoffs. There was only one question remaining – who would be the eighth seed in the West. That spot was determined on Saturday when the Portland Trail Blazers edged out the Memphis Grizzlies, eliminating them from playoff contention. Without any addition games on the weekend calendar, NBA action only accounted for 15.25% of the wagers. Now that the postseason is officially underway, as of yesterday, this will certainly change, and basketball will rebound to the top of the list. 

MLB took first in the top-ten list on Bodog, capturing 34.17% of the bets. It was, by far, the most popular target for sports gamblers, with the second-place NHL only seeing 17.14% of the wagers. Also getting a piece of bettors’ money was the UEFA Champions League, with 5.71%, PGA’s Wyndham Championship (4.21%) and the WNBA, with 2.93%. Table tennis, which helped sportsbooks survive the coronavirus pandemic, still manages to stay in the upper rankings, and saw 2.67% of the action. 

While MLB, as a whole, saw most of the action, the Trail Blazers-Grizzlies game was the favorite among sports gamblers, accounting for 18.08% of the bets. Several NBA games brought the regular season to a close on Friday helped contribute to NBA’s share of the action, with three additional games capturing a little more than 20% of Bodog’s top ten events. 

United stunned by Sevilla and Shakhtar shackled by Inter in Europa League semi-finals

Two great games in the Europa League saw Sevilla and Inter Milan advance to the final after dumping Manchester United and Shakhtar Donetsk out of the tournament in two fascinating ties.

Let’s take a look at both semi-finals before we predict who might eventually lift the trophy this Friday night.

Manchester United 1-2 Sevilla

Two of European football’s most successful sides met in Germany as Sevilla came from behind to beat Manchester United in their third unsuccessful semi-final of the 2019/20 season.

The Washington Football Team gives the NFL its first black president

After almost 100 years to the day, the NFL finally has its first black team president. The Washington Football Team, previously known as the Washington Redskins, have tapped Jason Wright to head up its operations, hoping to usher in a new era of success for the team, as well as for NFL. It “only” took major civil unrest and an embarrassing sexual misconduct story to pave the way for change. 

The 38-year-old Wright is a former NFL running back who played for several teams during his six years in the league. When he left the NFL, he returned to school, graduating with a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. From there, he would become a partner of McKinsey & Company, a business management consulting firm, before being asked to join the Washington team as its president. 

Wright said in a statement about his appointment, “This team, at this time, is an ideal opportunity for me. The transformation of the Washington Football Team is happening across all aspects of the organization – from football to operations to branding to culture – and will make us a truly modern and aspirational franchise.”

The team’s new president replaces Bruce Allen, who led the organization for around ten years before being fired last December. Wright will handle the business side of the house, while Ron Rivera, hired as the team’s head coach last December, will handle the football operations. Rivera has been a supporter of diversity in the workplace, and hired Jennifer King as the NFL’s first female full-time coaching intern earlier this year. 

Bucks, Thunder favorites on Tuesday NBA playoff odds

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The one great thing about the NBA playing its postseason in the Orlando bubble? In the early rounds of the playoffs, there will be multiple games per day spread out time-wise. It will almost feel daily like the first two days of the NCAA Tournament for basketball fans and bettors.

There are four games Tuesday, with the first tip at 1:30 p.m. ET with the Eastern Conference top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks beginning their quest for a second NBA title in franchise history as they “host” the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic. Clearly, home-court advantage means nothing in the bubble, but the home team gets to wear its home uniforms and the digital surroundings around the court will make it feel like that club (somewhat) is playing at home.

The Bucks are incredibly fortunate they will have superstar and likely repeat NBA MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo for this game. The Greek Freak probably deserved a multiple-game suspension for headbutting the Wizards’ Moe Wagner last Tuesday. Had it been seldom-used teammate and brother Thanasis doing the headbutting, he would have gotten at least two games, but Giannis got just the one so he will be on the court Tuesday.

The NBA funded a coronavirus test project, and the results look good

This has been the year of the NBA. The basketball league has made a couple of firsts that will forever become a part of any playbook, and the hits keep on coming. The NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida has proven to be a highly successful alternative if another global pandemic comes along, although it hopefully won’t be necessary, and the league was behind a major study on a potential coronavirus test that could now have worldwide implications. Led by scientists at Yale University, a saliva-based COVID-19 test involving the NBA has just received approval by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).

The test, SalivaDirect, was administered to players and staffers on various NBA teams after being approved by the league and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), with both the NBA and the NBPA also assisting with funding. Currently, a nasal swab has been the most accepted form of COVID-19 test, but it’s costly and results can take days to be received. SalivaDirect is said to be just as accurate, doesn’t require any additional components and can be read considerably sooner.

Explains Chantal Vogels, a Yale postdoctoral fellow, who led the laboratory development and validation along with adjunct assistant clinical professor Doug Brackney, “This is a huge step forward to make testing more accessible. This started off as an idea in our lab soon after we found saliva to be a promising sample type of the detection of SARS-CoV-2, and now it has the potential to be used on a large scale to help protect public health. We are delighted to make this contribution to the fight against coronavirus.”

Because the test doesn’t depend on any proprietary technology, it becomes substantially easier to use. In addition, Yale, unlike the pharmaceutical companies, doesn’t plan on using SalivaDirect as a money-maker. Instead, it will make the protocols available to diagnostic laboratories so that these can help facilitate widespread testing. These labs, however, could (and definitely will) charge for the tests, with estimated costs coming in at around $10 each.

The NBA is closer to crowning a winner as playoff brackets set

The NBA Bubble at Disney World in Orland, Florida has been everything basketball fans could have hoped for. There have been some exciting underdog wins, a few instances of players butting heads – literally – and athletes escaping to score some hot wings. As the regular season draws to a close, the playoff bracket is now set, and fans can look forward to a lot of the same hot action when the postseason begins next Monday. 

Before the postseason run to the championship can get going, there will first be a play-in tournament held for the Western Conference, which will see the Portland Trail Blazers (currently in eighth place) taking on the Memphis Grizzlies (ninth place). Because they’re only four games apart, this will be used to determine the eighth seed for the playoffs, which the Blazers can take if they win the first game on the play-in tournament. If, on the other hand, the Grizzlies take Game 1, they can end up in eighth if they then take the second game. This year, seeding isn’t as important as it has been in other seasons. There is no true “home court” advantage since everyone’s in the bubble.

Once that series is decided, the winner will take on the LA Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The Oklahoma City Thunder are going up against the Houston Rockets, the LA Clippers take on the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets will battle the Utah Jazz, finishing out the conference semifinalists.

In the East, the layout for the first round of the playoff bracket is already set and no play-in game is needed. The Milwaukee Bucks, who lead the conference, will go up against the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat meet the Indiana Pacers, the Toronto Raptors will face the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics will take on the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Covers Predicts That Sports Betting Won’t Go Bust If College Football Is Canceled

As COVID-19 continues to reshape upcoming seasons for professional and collegiate sports, Covers asks the burning question, what will the impact be on sports betting if the 2020 college football season is canceled?

Covers’ Senior Writer Patrick Everson spoke with Executive Vice President of Race and Sports at the Superbook at Westgate, Jay Kornegay, the American Gaming Association’s Casey Clark, and gambling industry strategist Chris Grove, about the potential effects of a canceled or delayed college football season on sportsbooks across the country.

“I’m not sure any of us really knows how that will impact us,” Kornegay said, speaking to the sportsbook industry as a whole. “If it’s completely canceled, it’s certainly going to be a punch to the gut. However, it’s not as bad as some might think, as long as we still have the NFL. Last year, 65 percent of our total football handle was NFL.”

Some NCAA football betting statistics include:

  • Although sportsbooks don’t separate NFL versus NCAA football in terms of total handle (bets placed) on football, estimates are approximately 35% of total handle in Nevada came from NCAAF football in 2019.
  • Based on total handle on football in Nevada sportsbooks in 2019, approximately $650 million was bet on NCAAF football.
  • New Jersey took in $939 million in football handle in 2019 and given that same 35% estimate for college football action, over $328 million was bet on NCAA football in 2019 in New Jersey.
  • The best NCAAF football bets in 2019 were Kentucky and Navy, both went 10-3 Against the Spread.

Could the college football season be postponed to the spring? Many in the media and the sports betting space are speculating that a spring college football season would provide a huge boost on the wagering front. Among the main reasons for such speculation is that NCAA football wouldn’t be competing with the NFL every week.

The NFL has a new broadcasting home launching in Europe

Fans of American football living in parts of Europe have something to look forward to this season. Watching NFL games live can be difficult due to lack of broadcasting options, as well as time zone differences. At least one of these is controllable and is about to change. Fans in the UK and Ireland will now have much easier access to games each week, thanks to a new agreement reached between the league and major European TV broadcaster Sky. An entire channel dedicated to nothing but the NFL is about to be launched ahead of the upcoming season.

Sports Business reports that the deal will run from the upcoming season, set to get underway on September 10, through the 2024-25 season. Sky Sports NFL will provide coverage of at least five games a week, as well as some Sunday games, all playoff contests, the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl. There will also be additional programming thrown in to cover the gaps when live games aren’t being aired. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says in a statement, “This new five-year agreement and the launch of a dedicated Sky Sports NFL channel will undoubtedly continue our rapid growth in the UK and Ireland. We are excited that our expanded partnership with Sky will provide even more NFL content to our millions of UK and Irish fans.”

The NFL and Sky have had a working relationship in place for the past 25 years, but this is the first time the league is getting a dedicated channel on the network. It will give NFL greater exposure across the UK and Ireland, where it has held one or two games annually for the past several years. This upcoming season would have included four games if it hadn’t been for the COVID-19 debacle. England has consistently been seen as a worthwhile springboard for further league expansion into Europe. 

Trump Mt. Rushmore Odds: Martin Luther King Jr. a much better bet

President Donald Trump, never one to be shy from spreading his brand, has reportedly inquired if he could get his mug up on Mount Rushmore. Although the White House has denied the story, it denies plenty of things about Trump that end up being true. So could he actually get his face on the monument, and what are the odds that other historic figures get up there as well? BetOnline.ag has all the action to help us figure out the answers.

White House officials have reportedly inquired about what the process would be to add a new face to Mt. Rushmore. They’ve since denied these reports, and Trump himself says it’s fake news, but not a bad idea.

This is Fake News by the failing @nytimes & bad ratings @CNN. Never suggested it although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3 1/2 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me! https://t.co/EHrA9yUsAw

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Western races highlight Thursday NBA betting slate

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Thursday marks the penultimate day of the very unusual 2019-20 NBA regular season with seven games on the schedule from the Orlando bubble. Frankly, three of the games are completely meaningless and some starters are going to sit out ahead of the playoffs, which will begin on August 17.

Even in the four games that matter, they only do for one of the teams so it’s hard to know how much the team that has nothing to play for will care in terms of playing key guys. What’s at stake Thursday is which teams will earn spots in the Saturday play-in game for the Western Conference’s final seed. The No. 9 seed will play the No. 8 in that; if the eighth seed wins, it earns the final spot. If the ninth seed wins, it plays the eight again the next day in a winner-take-all for the final spot.

Led by the scorching-hot Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers control their destiny to get into the play-in game as they currently hold the eighth seed. The Blazers face the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, and the Nets have squat to play for as they are locked into the seventh seed in the East.

Champions League quarter final preview

There are four games to be played in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals this weekend, and with two former champions clashing in the quarter-finals, all four ties look mouth-watering for sportsbettors and football fans alike.

Atalanta vs. Paris St. Germain (Wednesday 12th August, 8pm GMT kick-off)

A fascinating first semi-final sees surprise package Atalanta (27/10), who scored 98 goals in Serie A alone this year, take on a Paris St. Germain side (12/11) who have big misses in Verratti, Di Maria and in all likelihood, Kylian Mbappe, who will struggle to be fully fit after his recent injury.

While PSG have some terrific players, they also have a dreadful record in the knockout phase of the Champions League, and Atalanta are absolutely lethal on the break. If the Italians, making their debut in this competition, score first then there could be one of the most memorable games ever played in the legendary competition.

Two of NCAA’s Big Five just canceled all fall sports

The “inevitable” cancelation of college football this fall just got more real. Several conferences had already called off their sports programs because of the coronavirus, and two more were added yesterday. These two, however, are part of the largest group of college sports activity, and their refusal to move forward with their seasons shows how dire the situation has become. The Big Ten and the Pac-12 both announced yesterday that they are canceling football and all other sports, including soccer and volleyball, heading into the final months of the year.

The conferences’ decision didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who follows football, but there was still hope that a last-minute reversal would allow them to have a change of heart. This wouldn’t be the case, and Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement, “The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward. As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.”

Both the Big Ten and the Pac-12 have asserted that they’re not actually canceling sports – they’re only postponing them until the spring. However, this is an unrealistic plan that doesn’t seem to be completely legitimate. It could be simply a way for the conferences to buy some time and save face, but it would be logistically impossible to see college basketball, football, baseball, volleyball and more all at the same time. 

Urban Meyer, an assistant athletics director and Fox Sports analyst, agrees. He asserts, according to 247sports.com, “No chance. You can’t ask a player to play two seasons in a calendar year. When I first heard that, I said that. I don’t see that happening when I hear that. The body, in my very strong opinion, is not made to play two seasons within a calendar year. That’s 2,000 repetitive reps and football’s a physical, tough sport. So I don’t, really don’t, see that happening.”

Deion Sanders departs NFL Network, headed to Barstool Sports

Deion Sanders has spent the past 14 years as a football analyst with the NFL Network. Prior to that, the 53-year-old had spent 14 years as an NFL standout, earning two Super Bowl rings and a number of awards for his on-field talents. Despite his extensive knowledge and fanbase, the NFL Network has decided it can no longer afford to keep Sanders around, and the two are parting ways after being unable to agree on terms for a new contract. Sanders could easily walk away and retire, but that’s not his style. He’s almost certainly going to remain a huge part of sports and, apparently, is on his way to Barstool Sports. 

Sanders and the NFL Network were unable to reach an agreement regarding how much the player/coach/analyst was worth, forcing Sanders to call it quits. The network had already made it apparent that the Hall Of Famer’s time with the company was coming to an end when it decided to drop his 21st & Prime show last year. That move was made as a way for the network to cut expenses, but the writing was on the wall at that point – no pay increases would be coming. 

While working as an analyst, Sanders was also serving as the offensive coordinator at the school his sons attend, Trinity Christian School, and could have sought a coaching position at any level. He had previously looked to become a coach at Florida State University, his alma mater, and the news of his departure from the NFL Network led to rumors that he could be once again looking for another shot. However, he perhaps has learned to enjoy his time in the booth. 

Barstool Sports announced yesterday that it had managed to rope in Sanders to be part of its growing team. The sports media company includes the program Pardon My Take in its portfolio, and the Apple Podcasts offering confirmed on Twitter that Sanders was on board. It tweeted, unceremoniously, “…HUGE announcement & interview with our new coworker @DeionSanders…” Scoring one of the biggest names in football would have probably been worth a larger celebration. 

Did Biden choosing Kamala Harris help his chances? US election 2020 odds

With a few days to go before the Democratic convention, U.S. Presidential candidate Joe Biden has announced his pick for Vice President: Kamala Harris. The junior Senator from California brings youth and the minority qualifications Biden was looking for, but will she help him in any way to beat President Donald Trump? We have odds from Bodog to give us a clue.

Harris’ pick is the least shocking choice Biden could have made. Going into the decision, Harris was always the favored pick by Bodog at -180 odds. Although she clashes with Biden on the campaign trail, she was a minority woman who wasn’t going to push the party too far left, and that perfectly suited the type of campaign Biden was running. And besides, Politico seemed to know this would be the pick over a week ago.

But does she help Biden’s chances in any way? The conventional political thinking is that you vote for President, not for the Vice President, but all the same the announcement of a choice has been cause for a slight bump in the polls in the past. But polls aren’t always right, and looking at how the odds move is a much better indicator of where people are willing to part with their money over a sure thing.

When we last looked at Biden’s odds on June 23, he was favored to win with -130 odds. Now with the pick having been declared, he’s climbed to -156. In the same timeframe, Trump has fallen from +115 to +135. Considering Trump is the incumbent, that’s a fairly large gap between them and a healthy shift for Biden.

American Cornhole League World Championship Cards Launch TOPPS NOW ACL Series

Samantha Finley, Derrick King

Cards depicting eight singles and doubles American Cornhole League (ACL) World Championship winners issued today on the TOPPS NOW® platform captured an exciting weekend of action and helped launch the partnership between the cardmaker’s partnership with ACL. The cards are available for purchase until Tuesday, August 18, at 1 p.m. ET at https://www.topps.com/cards-collectibles/topps-nowr.html?property=23309. Future TOPPS NOW cards will be produced for other major events sponsored by ACL, which promotes and develops cornhole as a sport for any age and any skill level.

The eight World Championship cards celebrate the following accomplishments:

  • Jamie Graham, Pro Singles World Champion
  • Derrick King / Trey Burchfield, Pro Doubles World Champions
  • Sarah Cassidy, Women’s Singles World Champions
  • Jamie Graham, ACL Man of the Year
  • Maya Cupp, ACL Woman of the Year
  • Cheyenne Renner / Sarah Cassidy, Women’s Doubles World Champions
  • Samantha Finley / Derrick King, Co-Ed Doubles World Champions
  • Ryan Windsor / Isidro Herrera / Brandon Corwin / Devon Harbaugh, Crew Cup World Champions

The World Championship cards follow a set of eight in the TOPPS ACL Pro Invitational Pack featuring the league’s top stars, and special TOPPS NOW cards commemorating last week’s “Grudge Match” between longtime UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce fighter Jorge Masvidal and ACL pro Cody Henderson, as the first available to collectors and fans of the sport.

“The TOPPS NOW platform is a great way to introduce collectors to the personalities that have driven the growth and success of cornhole and the ACL,” said Jeff Heckman, Topps’ Global Director of Ecommerce. “The World Championships gained a lot of attention, and we are pleased that fans have been excited about our first foray into the sport.”

In cornhole, teams alternate tossing 16-ounce bags of corn kernels towards a raised platform with a hole in the far end. The lawn game has grown into an international phenomenon, with ACL having established the rules and regulations to govern the sport, create and manage special events and foster its growth generally.

NRL’s Apollo project crash lands over COVID breaches

Sport to Australians is like a religion, something that’s worshipped every weekend without fail. Americans have had no issues in 2020 to wake-up at 3:00 am watching guys that resemble line-backers crash into each other in football stadiums around Australia.

You may not get the rules but you get its better than second division Belarusian soccer. Aussies walked an inch taller knowing that in the early parts of the pandemic, they were doing their part to keep North Americans entertained. This week a couple of village idiots screwed that up.

Club Statement on Tevita Pangai Jnrhttps://t.co/yM0uqwCLKA pic.twitter.com/cBowxoG2dc

— Brisbane Broncos (@brisbanebroncos) August 9, 2020https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Seven Premier League transfers to remember for your Fantasy Football Team

It won’t be long until you’re hurriedly making that last-minute transfer on your phone 90 seconds before the Gameweek #1 deadline. Yes, Premier League Fantasy Football is going to return, and you’ll need your wits about you to finish higher than you did last time.

It would be easy to make the same sort of mistakes that dogged you last time round, but we’re here to pull your back from the brink and inform your choices with our ruthless blend of industry expertise and desperation to finish higher than that guy from accounts. Hate that guy.

Timo Werner (Chelsea)

It’s impossible to ignore the German’s phenomenal statistics ahead of his arrival in West London. It’s rumoured that virtually every side in the Premier League top four courted him at one time or another, so it’s a massive coup that Frank Lampard will be able to call upon the deadly Werner for goals and assists in 2020/21.

Simpson leads Wyndham Championship betting lines

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

This has been the shortest PGA Tour season in modern history with the coronavirus pandemic canceling several tournaments, and the Tour’s “regular season” concludes already this week at the Wyndham Championship from Greensboro, North Carolina.

The past two weeks on Tour have featured absolutely loaded fields at the World Golf Championships-St. Jude Invitational and PGA Championship. Most top golfers don’t like playing more than a few weeks in a row, and with the FedExCup playoffs starting next week a lot of big names are skipping the Wyndham Championship.

The stars are safely in the playoff field, which will include the Top 125 in FedExCup points after this week. Thus, nearly every player between about 120-175 in points is playing the Wyndham Championship in an attempt to qualify for the three-event playoffs.

Dan Snyder hunting down the whistleblower on the Washington Football Team

A lot of bad news has come out in recent months regarding the Washington Football Team and its majority owner Dan Snyder. Believing this was possibly a setup, Snyder has now gone to court to see if he can prove this was an elaborate scheme to push him out of his ownership position.

The New York Times reports Snyder has filed for discovery in the Federal District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, requesting documents about former employee Mary-Ellen Blair, who was an executive assistance in the front office. The legal reason for the discovery request is to support his defamation case against Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide, an Indian company, who Snyder contends published defamatory rumors about him and the team.

“We are aggressively pursuing Mary-Ellen Blair, a disgruntled former employee who is clearly in the pocket of another and complicit in this scheme to defame Mr. Snyder, in order to ensure that the full weight of the law comes down heavily on all those responsible for these heinous acts,” said Joe Tacopina, a lawyer of Snyder’s.

Snyder contends that Blair started reaching out to former employees as early as May, asking for information that could be used against him. The discovery notes Blair contacted one employee, telling them they could “probably make a lot of money” if they had dirt on Snyder.