The head of the National Football League Players Association, the union representing professional football players in the U.S., said players must be part of any discussion of fees for information used in sports betting, because the privacy of athletes is affected by the tracking of valuable information on player injuries, impending contracts or other factors that could affect their performance on the field—and wagers on their teams.
“There are serious consequences, particularly for the athletes,” NFL Players Association Business and Legal Affairs VP Casey Schwab told David Purdum of ESPN.com. “Because of those consequences, the athlete’s voice must be heard, particularly as we contemplate sports betting in the country.”
Schwab noted that bettors can profit on information about athletes’ health and contract plans, and should be compensated in some way. “That information—what our athletes are doing, where they’re going—has a price tag on it,” Schwab said. “And as more money goes into sports betting, that price tag goes up.”
Schwab made the comments during the summer meeting in Cleveland of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States. He joined other union leaders representing players of Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League in discussing sports betting at the meeting.
Veteran free-agent offensive lineman Eric Winston, three-term president of the NFLPA, said noted the “dehumanization of athletes” into statistical information that accompanies sports betting, in a video presentation at the conference.
Many pundits quickly assailed the union’s contention of “serious consequences” resulting from sports betting.
“Wagering on games and specific player events has long existed in the form illegal wagering (a humongous market that will continue to exist),” regular fantasy sports and daily fantasy sports,” opined SportsHandle.com. “With a legal sports wagering expansion, it’s business as usual for the players. They will not be required to do anything differently. (Union leaders) want a piece of the pie—and naturally they would; business is business—but their argument is a Hail Mary, and Aaron Rodgers isn’t at quarterback.”
