What U.S. Sports Need, A Good Gambling Scandal

One sports scandal we're missing in the US lately is a good gambling scandal. I mean, sure, there was Pete Rose, who is still banished by baseball for betting on games, but that was years and years ago. There's definitely not a lack of athletes behaving badly, as the headlines lately are filled with stories such as steroid abuse (A-Rod and who knows how many other players), players accidentally shooting themselves in the leg at night clubs (Plaxico Burress), dog fighting rings (Michael Vick), and drunken vehicular manslaughter episodes (Donte Stallworth).

While Charles Barkely has admitted in recent years to losing millions in Las Vegas casinos, that's about as close as we've gotten to a gambling scandal in professional sports in the US. No high-profile point shaving incidents, no players making big bets for or against their teams, nada, zilch. It's not that we're excited by the possibility, just that it seems odd that it hasn't happened of late, as you'd think mixing athletes and money would lead to all sorts of betting mayhem.