Liverpool's Suarez makes a bad situation worse

Soccer Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City's continued rise to prominence, Chelsea's sudden decline and Tottenham's blistering form have each been major storylines in the 2011-12 English Premier League season.

Yet racism has emerged as the hot-button issue in England these days, with Liverpool's Luis Suarez pouring more gasoline on the already smoldering fire over the weekend.

Already this season, Chelsea captain John Terry has been accused of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, a charge that Terry will stand trial for in July and one that has had a major impact on the sport in England.

Not only did the FA cancel the pre-match handshake between Chelsea and QPR when the two clubs met in the FA Cup in January, but it also saw fit to strip Terry of his England captaincy.

The decision angered former England manager Fabio Capello, who handed in his resignation earlier this week.

So it was only fitting that Suarez - who recently returned from an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra during a match in October - decided to further fan the flames by refusing to shake the hand of the United defender prior to Saturday's match between the two rivals.

It's hard to remember a time when the pre-match pleasantries have come so into focus the way they have this season.

But by snubbing Evra prior to the game, Suarez threatened to turn an already tense situation into a chaotic one.

Had he simply extended his hand to Evra and moved on, both sides could have done their best to bury the hatchet.

Yet the actions of the Uruguayan have now stirred up strong emotions on both sides which could have been easily avoided.

"I couldn't believe it [Suarez refusing to shake Evra's hand]. He's a disgrace to Liverpool football club. He shouldn't be allowed to play for Liverpool again," United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said of Suarez following his team's 2-1 win.

The reaction might be a bit overblown, but the simple fact is that Suarez is behaving as though he is the victim, not the other way around.

Simple name-calling between opposing players on the field is one thing, but racial abuse is something that no player should have to put up with.

Had Suarez admitted he was wrong and attempted to move past the incident we would be talking more about the two goals that Wayne Rooney scored in an important win Saturday instead of something that took place prior to kickoff.

But Suarez doesn't seem ready to let go of the ordeal, seemingly placing blame for it at the feet of Evra, who apparently shouldn't have made a big deal about it.

The actions of the Liverpool striker not only reflect poorly on the club, but also put his coaches and teammates in the awkward position of trying to defend him while at the same time doing their best not to condone his actions.

Some may say that it was only a handshake and that too much is being made about it. Yet had Suarez simply done the right thing, it would be much easier to move on.

Racism has already stolen too many headlines this season. It's a shame Suarez allowed it to claim a few more.

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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