In the past decade, sports legislation has changed to mirror the legislation of America.
Sports organizations have seemingly come together and conceded the battle on the recreational use of marijuana for professional athletes. The MLB was ahead of the curve in 2019 when it removed marijuana from the banned substance list. The last major organization waiting to remove marijuana from the banned substance list is the NCAA because, federally, marijuana is not legalized in America. The MORE Act of 2019 passed federally to decriminalize marijuana. This bill would minimize or entirely remove penalties from individuals who manufacture, produce, or possess marijuana.
In the instance of marijuana, sports legislation coincided with the timeline of passing the MORE Act in 2019.
Players such as Le’Veon Bell, LeGarrette Blount, and Josh Gordon lost years of their athletic prime due to suspensions stemming from marijuana usage.
In the past decade, companies such as DraftKings and FanDuel have carved out a new market, daily sports fantasy. Daily Fantasy is a sweepstakes rather than sports betting, which is legal in all states in America. However, in recent years, these companies have opened a sportsbook to handle sports betting.
Over the past three years, leagues have become sponsored by online sportsbooks. This is something to be explored as sports betting has become legalized, and now the companies that these bets are funneled through are sponsoring the leagues and events through which their income is channeled.
Another critical aspect of sports betting is that of players. The individuals on whom these bets are placed are receiving more forgiving sentences than in years past. Is this a precedent that sports betting can become normalized in a specific capacity for athletes down the road? I propose this question because Pete Rose, a Hall of Fame baseball player, received a lifetime ban for sports betting; however, two years ago, Pro Bowl Wide Receiver accrued a one-year suspension from the NFL for a bet he placed on NFL games.
When writing this story, news broke about Patriots Wide Receiver Ksyshon Boutte being arrested for illegal gambling charges and computer fraud. He is alleged to have posted over 8900 bets while enrolled at LSU. This story is still coming out; however, it shows the presence and normalization of gambling in America and the scrutiny that athletes are under.
