Ugly Rumors

Heard some very ugly rumors of death threats to Zeke and Harris after their missed FTs against Houston. Please be kind and do not gamble!!!!
PS. I am assuming that the idiots who made the death threats may have a gambling problem and lost money. Or, at least, have an anger management problem.

If true, disgusting and horrible!

I have heard from someone in the know that Zeke's rumor is probably correct and he completely closed down all his internet presence.

Really is truly sad that someone would do that. Obviously they anyone who would do that has some issues. I hope the they can catch the person responsible. I also hope the players can go back to trying to live their best life and not have to deal with that kind of crazy crap. Some people want to treat these guys like pros because on NIL but the are still very young adults and they work harder than most fans realize. That is really sad that someone thinks they have the right to do that.

I agree- suspect gambling at root cause. Here’s an excerpt from an online site:

“ …and younger and middle-aged individuals are more susceptible to developing compulsive gambling behaviors.

Both gambling and drug addiction exploit the brain’s reward system, resulting in cycles of addiction. Gambling addiction stimulates the brain’s reward system in a way that is similar to the effects of drugs or alcohol. The ventral striatum, a critical area for processing rewards and emotions, becomes less active in individuals with gambling disorders. The sensation of pleasure from dopamine released during gambling wins contributes to the addiction.
Over time, individuals develop a tolerance to the dopamine released during pathological gambling, necessitating higher risks for the same level of pleasure. This could potentially lead to withdrawal symptoms when not gambling. Furthermore, problematic gambling behavior often comes with dysfunctional activity in the prefrontal cortex, impairing the ability to make decisions between immediate and long-term rewards (and perhaps consequences).”

Many people can dabble in gambling or avoid it altogether but a large portion of the population cannot- who do you think the Mega Syndicates are targeting with their product! The money has to be MASSIVE to buy politicians (old school), to buy state and local governments (new school- ah, the tax revenue! It’ll send your kids to school- just don’t let them take courses in statistics and probability!!) and, ironically, to buy the very sports leagues and organizations whose essence will be forever tainted by gaming involvement. Look at what’s going on in the NBA just this week (WSJ Jan 30).
Just like drugs and alcohol, gambling has the real potential to ruin peoples lives and players like Zeke and DH will increasingly be collateral damage. How are the book houses any better than narcos? To in anyway advance the promotion of this activity to the most susceptible group, young men, is morally abhorrent.

I agree- suspect gambling at root cause. Here’s an excerpt from an online site:

“ …and younger and middle-aged individuals are more susceptible to developing compulsive gambling behaviors.

Both gambling and drug addiction exploit the brain’s reward system, resulting in cycles of addiction. Gambling addiction stimulates the brain’s reward system in a way that is similar to the effects of drugs or alcohol. The ventral striatum, a critical area for processing rewards and emotions, becomes less active in individuals with gambling disorders. The sensation of pleasure from dopamine released during gambling wins contributes to the addiction.
Over time, individuals develop a tolerance to the dopamine released during pathological gambling, necessitating higher risks for the same level of pleasure. This could potentially lead to withdrawal symptoms when not gambling. Furthermore, problematic gambling behavior often comes with dysfunctional activity in the prefrontal cortex, impairing the ability to make decisions between immediate and long-term rewards (and perhaps consequences).”

Many people can dabble in gambling or avoid it altogether but a large portion of the population cannot- who do you think the Mega Syndicates are targeting with their product! The money has to be MASSIVE to buy politicians (old school), to buy state and local governments (new school- ah, the tax revenue! It’ll send your kids to school- just don’t let them take courses in statistics and probability!!) and, ironically, to buy the very sports leagues and organizations whose essence will be forever tainted by gaming involvement. Look at what’s going on in the NBA just this week (WSJ Jan 30).
Just like drugs and alcohol, gambling has the real potential to ruin peoples lives and players like Zeke and DH will increasingly be collateral damage. How are the book houses any better than narcos? To in anyway advance the promotion of this activity to the most susceptible group, young men, is morally abhorrent.

Sorry about double post. Meant to send this from WSJ story:
“Investigators have been exploring a connection between the gambling ring and potential point-shaving in college basketball as well. Temple University drew scrutiny last year after U.S. Integrity flagged unusual betting line movement and wagers on the Owls’ March 7 contest against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The NCAA is also looking into the Temple matter.”

Heard an expert say that with gambling being legalized, that this will unleash an addiction epidemic that will put things like opiates to shame.

Now that these kids are getting paid, in my mind, they're much less "student athelete" than pros. I think you could go down the KU roster and you'd still find some people who love KU, but you'd also find those who look at it as a resume ehnancer which is unfortunate. So I don't have any issue with criticizing these highly paid pros on social media or places like this, and frankly, I don't think I cross any lines (call me out if I do). But that's just part of putting yourself out for public scruitiny. Hell, I play in a bar band with some friends, and if some drunk bar patron thinks we suck and disses us on social media, it is what it is.

But to personally contact a player (pro, college or any level)? No. 100% not allowed. If you blew your mortgage payment on a bad bet, an athelete missing a free throw or commiting an ill-timed turnover isn't the cause of your problems. At the same time, the broad legalizatoin of sports betting has made the probability of atheletes fixing games go up.

Bottom line, I'm much less enthusiastic about college sports, and even KU these days, than I used to be. The illusion of the "student athelete" is getting harder and harder to believe.