There are some well-known names that you can always rely on when it comes to getting the inside story on sports events or popular topics. Some of the brightest minds in sports research put in countless hours each week to come up with stats, projections, and odds as they pertain to major sporting events. While there is no question that a lot of brilliant people work at places like ESPN and the MLB, it’s not always easy for the average Joe or Jane to figure out who exactly wrote what or in some cases edited a piece (although that too is part of the fun). For those of you who love to follow the money and all things betting related, we thought it would be fun to look into the origins of some of the most heavily used betting markets in the world. Let’s take a look at who wrote the Oped Betting Markets.
Joe Montana
Joe Montana is, without a doubt, the most popular personification of the sports betting world. He’s been the face of the NCAA college football betting for so long that it’s almost hard to believe that he was once a baseball player (although he did play in the majors back in the day). During his playing career, Montana averaged 40 yards per completion with 11 touchdowns to 16 interceptions. He finished with a career average of 30.0 yards per completion and 7.3 touchdowns to 4.7 interceptions. Those are some seriously impressive numbers and it’s not a surprise that he’s been so successful in the sports betting world. In the 1980s, Montana started a sports betting agency that operated in Nevada and was one of the first companies to provide handicapping services to the public. It is now known as The Montana Corp. and they continue to be one of the biggest and most popular agencies in the country. Many books have been written about Joe Montana and you can bet that if you ask someone on the street to name a famous Montana, they will probably say “I know he’s a famous football player, but what exactly does he do?” The answer is that Montana does a little bit of everything when it comes to sports betting. He’s probably the #1 go-to guy for expert handicapping and even the occasional public spin when a big event happens and there’s a need for someone to put a spin on things.
Brett Favre
Favre was the second most popular personification of the sports betting world behind Joe Montana. He’s been playing professional football since he was 17 years old and even then he was already known for his amazing arm. In his playing days, Favre was known for having one of the strongest arms in the game and he definitely did not disappoint in the bookmaking world. At various points in his career, Favre was an astounding 40-2 odds-on favorite to win the NFL MVP award. In fact, he won that award back-to-back in 1997 and 1998. Since then, he’s been somewhat of a steady presence in the MVP vote, but he’s never come close to winning the award (or even coming close to competing at all). The most amazing part about Favre is that he’s been around for so long and yet he’s still popular today. It’s almost as though he’s become an American institution and it’s not hard to see why. He was a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers for over 20 years and now he’s the coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Between the two teams, he has over 300 wins as a player. Favre will certainly be missed in Green Bay, but the fans still have him to thank for the memories. It almost seems as though he’s been on the winning side of every hand he’s been dealt and that certainly can’t be said for a lot of people in sports (especially those that play against him).
Steve Young
There are a lot of great things that you can say about Steve Young. He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but he’s also one of the most popular NFL players of all time. He led the Oakland Raiders to 10 straight playoff appearances and back-to-back Super Bowl victories. He’s an American football pioneer. Not only was he the first quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in a playoff game, but he was also the first to rush for over 20 yards in a Super Bowl. He’s been a staple of the HBO show, “Maximum Exposure,” for the past decade and he’s frequently contributed to ESPN’s football content. Young won two MVP awards and two Super Bowls. Despite all of his accolades, Young is still considered a bit of a black sheep in the NFL because he wanted to be a player-coach. He actually tried out for the Philadelphia Eagles back in 1983, but they didn’t have a vacancy at the time and he ended up playing for the Raiders. In 2006, he led the Oakland Raiders to another Super Bowl victory thanks in part to his outstanding performance in that game, which is considered by many to be the greatest Super Bowl comeback ever. If you Google search for “greatest ever Super Bowl comeback,” you’ll find hundreds of blogs and articles featuring footage from that game. It was truly one of the greatest sporting events of all time and it’s still talked about today as one of the memorable games of all time.
Barry Sanders
Sanders is one of the all-time great running backs, but he’s also one of the all-time great controversial figures. He’s been called everything from a coward to a racist to a sexist. The former Detroit Lions running back had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 1989 to 1991 and was the 1989 NFL MVP. He also won the NFL scoring championship in 1989 and was first-team All-Pro in 1990 and 1991. Sanders retired in 1992 after 20 years in the league and since then he’s been a frequent contributor to ESPN, FOX Sports, and various other media platforms. As a member of the Million Dollar Team, Sanders has worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on numerous occasions, including the King–Scholar Awards which were created in honor of the civil rights leader. In 2006, the State of Michigan renamed a portion of their Great Lakes coastline for him. In 2012, he was part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012 and it’s not hard to see why. While he was never known for having the greatest work ethic, Barry Sanders was undoubtedly one of the greatest players of all time. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to injuries. He had a neck injury that subsequently led to complications from dementia. He passed away on July 16, 2016 at the age of 56.
That brings us to the end of our look at the origin of some of the most heavily used betting markets in the world. If you want to get the full story on who exactly wrote what in the opinion section of this article, check out this link. While it’s not always easy to track down the answers to these types of questions, it’s always fun to geek out about the history of sports and the betting world. At the end of the day, maybe the most admirable thing about these particular authors is that they truly have been around the loop and have seen it all. Even now, at age 62, Nate Silver is still coming up with fresh stats and polls that impact the sports world we live in today.