MLB: 78 percent of the 133 players The Athletic anonymously surveyed said legalized sports betting has changed how fans treat them or their teammates. Pitchers Liam Hendricks and Lance McCullers Jr. said they and their families were targeted with death threats.
“I’ve received (something) as simple as a Venmo request with a threat on it that says, ‘You owe me $9,000 because you blew the game – I need you to send me that money or I’m going to find your family,’” one veteran pitcher said. “That’s too far. We’ve communicated as players to MLB security that we need to get a handle on this before it gets out of control. I don’t want to say this, but something bad is going to happen and it’s going to be like, ‘We told you so.”
“It’s insane,” said one National League position player. “Nowadays it’s ‘f— you, f— your family.’ S—, it’s a bad day, I’m sorry. It’s not like I called you and said, ‘Bet on me today.’ You’re making the fans expect us to go 4-for-4 every day.”
NBA: Multiple NBA stars have been outspoken about fans’ messages that “crossed the line.” New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson recently said he’s been sent “some pretty messed up sh–. The worst things you’re thinking of, it’s worse than that.”
In The Athletic’s Anonymous NBA Player Poll this year, roughly one-third of the league — 150 of the 158 players polled — shared their opinions about sports gambling with our writers.
“I get 10 messages, DMs (direct messages) a game, (saying), ‘F— you, I’m gonna f— your family up,” one player said.
“I personally hate gambling. Hate everyone talking about parlays this, parlays that. I hate getting DMs in my Instagram talking about, ‘You f—– up my parlay.’ I hate people sending me threats because I messed up their parlay,” another said.
“Terrible. Hate them. Every game, no matter if it’s a good game or bad game, you’ve got motherf—— sending death threats, saying racist s—. Every game. I guarantee you, if I check right now, I’ll probably have something from this game. Every game. Everywhere. DMs, Twitter. People be tripping, bro,” a player said. “I hope it doesn’t happen, but it’s going to come to a point where players are going to be targeted because people have lost so much money on them. That’s what I think. But hopefully I’m wrong.”
