As sports betting continues to grow, NCAA president emphasizes student-athlete safety
NCAA President Charlie Baker delivered a speech titled "The State of College Sports" at the NCAA Convention in Phoenix this week, emphasizing that it is always critical to protect student-athletes from sports betting fraudsters important.
Sports betting is legal in nearly 40 states. While Baker acknowledged that the expansion of regulated sports betting in the United States would be a boon to college sports, the former Massachusetts governor who signed the state's sports betting law said the organization must continue to enforce player protections.
Sports betting is basically everywhere, especially on campus. The damage it's done is real," Baker said. "Any conversation about the team, the game and the health and well-being of teammates is no longer just small talk but currency to some and insider information to others. "
Baker announced that the NCAA is working with the NFL to develop a program to better educate coaches and student-athletes about the challenges posed by sports betting. Baker said he is also in contact with former governors to ensure states have adequate laws in place to protect student-athletes from harassment.
Online abuse takes center stage
Last month, the NCAA hired Signify Group to use the company's Threat Matrix tool to investigate, detect and respond to online abuse and threats against players, coaches and officials. Threat Matrix uses artificial intelligence to monitor social media channels like X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to spot abuse and threats in over 35 languages.
A recent NCAA survey of campus administrators found that 10 percent of Division I respondents said they were aware of student-athletes being harassed online or by someone interested in sports betting.
“Hiring Signify to oversee the NCAA Tournament demonstrates our deep commitment to the safety and well-being of college athletes,” Baker said last month. “This is the first program of its kind in college athletics that focuses on online abuse and threats while empowering social Platforms and law enforcement took action to protect thousands of student-athletes and all tournament participants."
Global Tennis announced a similar partnership with Threat Matrix in December. Because tennis players can single-handedly abandon matches, the tennis association says the sport is rife with fraudulent bettors who try to lure players into fixing matches through online harassment and threats.
Sports Betting Increases Engagement
Overall, Baker said, sports betting is good for the NCAA and the college sports it sanctioned. The NCAA president beamed as he presented metrics on how sports betting can help improve fan engagement.
In 2023, the NCAA gained more than 1 million new followers on its social platforms, generated 4 billion impressions and 263 million interactions. Compared to 2022, these numbers have more than doubled.
Baker highlighted the extraordinary growth of women's sports, particularly women's basketball and volleyball. The president said the NCAA's recent media deal with ESPN is more than three times richer for the NCAA than the same deal it struck with Sports Media Group 14 years ago and will allow the organization to consider establishing revenue sharing for women's basketball Unit team, participate in March Madness.
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Source: www.casino.org
