For decades, the world of sports has been rocked by scandal and corruption. Whether it’s match fixing, point shaving, or any number of other sports scandals, people have always come forward to speak out against the ‘wrong’ doing. And while much has changed over the years, the sports world is still not exactly a picture of fairness.
How Is Match Fixing Handed?
One of the more recent and high-profile sports scandals to roil the sports world involved a combination of tennis and football. The details are as follows: A group of tennis players were given odds of 12-1 for a specific match, with the remaining matches settled at 5-1. Each player bet $100 on their own game, with the winner taking the pot. The loser paid the winner his $900 share of the pot. In total, $9,900 was wagered on that one tennis match, with $100 placed on each of the outcomes.
While this may not seem like a large sum, for those who follow tennis it was a significant amount of money at the time. In fact, it was so significant that it made international news. And that’s precisely what happened, as the story went viral and was picked up by the international media.
Why Does Any Of This Matter?
Well, to be perfectly honest, match fixing and shady betting are not exactly the kinds of things that matter to us. At least not at first glance. And that’s precisely what makes this particular sports scandal so significant. Because it involved international media coverage and a significant amount of money, it was bound to make headlines. And when it did, it raised questions about the integrity of the entire sport. Or, more precisely, about the ‘fixed’ outcome of some of the matches. To this day, it remains one of the biggest scandals in the history of tennis.
Thankfully, as with all sports scandals in the past, it was not long before the governing bodies of tennis stepped in to investigate the matter. And while it took a little while for the proper authorities to do their jobs, in this case they eventually banned all of the involved parties from competition.
An Important Lesson For The Upcoming European Elections
This was certainly an important lesson for the upcoming European elections. After all, if the voters of one of the largest countries in Western Europe feel that there is something fundamentally wrong with one of their major sports leagues, how can they have faith in the European Parliament?
In the months leading up to the elections, the issue of fixing and bookies was a significant one. According to the German media, over a quarter of all election ads were related to sports. And it’s not hard to understand why. After years of financial hardship and the rise of far-right politics, millions of Germans are looking for any kind of distraction. They want to be able to forget about their troubles and feel a sense of pride in our country again.
It doesn’t really matter whether the next German chancellor is a member of the far-right or an international banker. What matters is that they will represent an important change for the country. And what better way to change the mood of a people than by captivating their interest in sport?
More Than Meets The Eye
As it turns out, sport is a much more than a game. It is a way of life for many people. And it provides a safe space for those who want to escape from the struggles of everyday living. For decades, professionals have known about the corrupting influence of money and the desire to make a fast buck. And while it is important to keep an eye on the bigger picture, in the midst of a fast-paced sporting event, it is hard for the average person to keep track of all the wrongdoing that may occur. That’s why match fixing and crooked betting are still a significant problem in all parts of sports. Because, in the end, as in life, we are all accountable for our actions.
Money aside, there is always a great degree of passion involved when it comes to sporting events. People bleed red and yellow, black and white, and green and white just to be able to support their favorite teams. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not always about winning and losing, but about the passion that each team member has for the game.
And that’s the key to rooting out corruption. As fans become more aware of what’s going on, and as the number of whistleblowers increases, so does the integrity of our sports. When cheating is brought to light, fans are often quick to point out how wrong it is, and the guilty parties are usually brought to justice. Because deep down, we all want to believe that our favorite teams and athletes are clean, and will play by the rules. Otherwise, what’s the point of supporting them?