Thursday, May 16, 2024
This past weekend was Super Bowl Sunday. For those of us who can remember the half-empty stadium for the first Super Bowl, it is hard to comprehend how the game has become a truly global event. The game was viewed on television by over 115 million people in the U.S. alone, making it the most viewed television event of all time. More than 50 million people bet on the Super Bowl, and it is estimated the total value of the wagers was $16 billion.
As a young boy, the neighborhood kids and I would gamble. Oh, we had the usual childhood bets like, “I bet you a nickel you can’t beat me in a race” or “I bet I can hold my breath longer than you can,” but as we got older, we did expand our wagering. When we were about nine or ten, we would get a bunch of poker chips together, divide them evenly amongst us, and “pretend gamble” on a variety of games. Whoever ended up with the most chips was declared the “winner.” We would play blackjack, craps, and roulette. It was a lot of fun, and come to think of it, it was probably a good way to learn arithmetic as we figured the odds on a craps table and the payout on roulette. We guys had a lot of fun, and, as I recall, the competition was very intense.
In the mid ‘60s, there was no internet or cable television. There was no ESPN or internet to learn the outcome of a sporting event. The newspaper was the best source, and it was always at least half a day behind. Sporting events were rarely available for viewing via television, and so when a contest was on, it was something my dad and I would watch together. During the mid ‘60s, the Big 8 basketball schools played their games on Saturday afternoon or evening, and one of the games would be rebroadcast on local television on Sunday.
Watching those games was one of the highlights of the week for a couple of reasons: I loved basketball, and it was cool to simply see major college players perform. Perhaps even more importantly, it was a time when my dad and I could be together and interact. He would ask me which players I liked best and why, talk about the coaches and their strategies, and point things out about the game I did not yet understand. Mom would make us lunch, and we would eat in the living room, which is something we were ordinarily not allowed to do. It was a special time.
Before the start of one game, Dad looked at me and asked if I wanted to bet. As I recall, Kansas was playing Missouri. He asked me which team I liked, and I told him Missouri. He responded by telling me he would take the Kansas team, plus he would give me six points. He explained this meant Kansas not only had to win the game, but they also had to win by more than 6 points. I felt like I was stealing money from my very own father! There was no way Kansas would win, much less win by more than the allotted points.
We watched the game, and it was a good contest with the score rocking back and forth. I was nervous as the game came down to the wire, praying Missouri could hold on, but in the last minute Kansas exploded and blew the game open. When a Kansas player hit a shot with about five seconds left, they went ahead by seven, and I had lost the bet. I was crestfallen and could not believe I had the bet “won” the whole game only to lose in the last few seconds. My dad, in a good-natured way, kidded me about losing the wager and all I could do was take it.
After a couple of minutes of cajoling, Dad told me to go and get the sports page out of the newspaper. I ran and got it, handed it to him, and he showed me the results from the games played the night before. There it was: Kansas beat Missouri by seven points. I did not know the game we had bet on had already been played and Dad knew the result before we wagered!
At first, I thought “what the heck was going on here? Did my own father cheat when he made the bet with me?” I had never, ever, seen my dad do something dishonest or unfair, and I simply could not believe what had happened. I was bumfuzzled!
Before I could speak, Dad looked and me and said, “Son, I know you have been gambling with the neighborhood kids for fun, and that is OK. What I want you to know is there are a thousand different ways to cheat in gambling and in life, so do not ever take another man’s bet. If, out of the clear blue sky, he wants to make a wager with you, he knows something you do not know.”
Pretty sage advice, whether when gambling or in life itself.
Thought for the day: No one has ever bet enough on a winning horse…
Until next time…I will keep ridin’ the storm out!
sam@hcnews.com
