Date: 23.10.2024

by Mateusz Mazur

Don’t Blame the Athletes: The Impact of Sports Betting on Players’ Well-being

Sports betting can evoke intense emotions, ranging from the thrill of victory to the frustration of loss. While these emotions are a natural part of the experience, a concerning trend has emerged where disappointed bettors direct their anger at athletes, blaming them for lost wagers. This article explores the emotional side of sports betting and the need for responsible behavior to protect both players and athletes.

Natural Emotions vs. Problematic Reactions

Sports betting is often accompanied by intense emotions, both positive and negative. However, in the context of responsible gambling, one of the key points to emphasize is the ability to manage negative emotions.

When these emotions escalate and a player struggles to control them, it’s a sign of an unhealthy and problematic approach to sports betting.

If you find yourself unable to cope with the frustration of losing, it may be time to consider taking a break or even stopping sports betting altogether.

Of course, we don’t want to jump to extremes here. It’s natural to feel excitement after winning a bet or disappointment after losing one. The issue arises when we are unable to properly manage these emotions, and they start to affect our gameplay, daily behavior, and relationships with others. Today, we want to address this issue from a different angle.

Unfortunately, a growing problem is the rise of hateful messages sent by frustrated bettors to athletes, blaming them for their lost bets.

In a world where anyone with internet access can reach out to another person online, this is an issue that cannot be ignored. It’s one that athletes and organizations themselves have raised, as they advocate for the mental well-being of athletes.

A Growing Threat to Athletes’ Mental Health

To start, it’s worth reiterating that sports betting should be a form of entertainment that provides healthy emotions and does not negatively impact daily life. When a bettor lashes out at an athlete just because they blame them for a lost bet, it’s a clear indication that sports betting may not be the right form of entertainment for that person.

However, this problem must also be viewed from a broader perspective. Operators and regulators also bear responsibility towards athletes, who are already under immense pressure from regular fans.

Fortunately, the topic of mental health is being discussed more frequently today, and there is growing awareness of the mental burden athletes carry. Criticism from disappointed bettors should not impact the mental well-being of players, but unfortunately, it still does.

In the United States, the NCAA has taken steps to address this issue by continuously advocating for the removal of player-specific bets from operators’ offerings for collegiate athletes. There’s no doubt that young athletes at the start of their careers are particularly vulnerable to the effects of hateful messages.

“I despise the idea that we put these kids in the position where people would expect their individual performance to be more important than the performance of their team,” said NCAA President Charlie Baker.

It’s no surprise that there are proposals aimed at protecting athletes, especially in light of a recent study by Signify on athlete harassment in social media. It found that angry bettors are responsible for 45% of all abuses related to sports competitions.

Athletes Are Not Part of the Betting Equation

As with any issue, the ideal solution lies in addressing the root of the problem. Social responsibility toward athletes should be a more prominent element of sports betting operators’ activities, especially as bets on individual player stats in team sports become more popular.

This trend shifts the focus from the team to individual players, making them potential targets for angry bettors. Protecting athletes should become a more significant part of operators’ responsible gambling policies.

In the end, hateful messages are sent by players themselves, and it’s a testament to the fact that these individuals are not engaging in responsible gambling. Their inability to manage their emotions and directing them toward athletes is clear proof.

This issue is serious enough to be addressed at every responsible gambling panel. It’s important to constantly emphasize that while athletes are in the spotlight, they are part of the sporting competition, not the betting relationship, where only the player and the betting operator are involved.

Don’t blame the athlete for a lost bet, and, just as importantly, recognize when you are losing control of your emotions and feel the need to project them onto someone else. If you notice these behaviors in yourself, take action and use the responsible gambling mechanisms that every sports betting operator offers.