The Easy Way Out

We unfortunately live in a world where people are always looking for the easy way out. More and more stories come out on a daily basis about wannabe scam artists. Whether it be on Wall Street with insider trading (think Dow Jones), on NBC's To Catch a Criminal, or in the world of sports.

Not only have sports fans had to endure stories about steroids, corked bats, dog fighting, and the Cincinnati Bengals. We have had to deal with more and more cases of match fixing. Tennis, college football, and pro basketball have been surrounded by betting scandals. What makes it even more frustrating is the fact that no sports governing body has acknowledged that sports gambling is a profitable business venture. We are coming to a point in the current sports landscape that requires more attention to gambling, and the counterparts involved.

With this in mind, it is refreshing to see that FIFA will be taking note of betting patterns during its upcoming world cup qualifying. Soccer has not been exempt from betting scandal in the past few years. Italy was rocked with news last year of match fixing in its own Serie A. According to the Associated Press, the soccer commission will be setting up a third party consultant, Early Warning System, to investigate suspicious betting patterns.

Although the timing suggests they have learned from the NBA's misfortunes, it is a sign that at least someone has caught on. It is nice to have Vegas as a reliable partner, but governing parties may want to actively protect the sanctity of its sport on their own.