The NFL has come a long way, baby.
At a time when the league office continues to regard sports wagering like a Kryptonite-infused pile of dog droppings that somehow landed on the kitchen table (actually, now that my dog is big enough to get on the kitchen table, the “somehow” has been answered), the Miami Dolphins are urging Floridians to vote on their ability to bet on football.
“Protect your rights and vote no on amendment 3,” the Dolphins have declared in a tweet. “A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling paved the way for states to legalize sports betting. As it stands today, Florida could legalize sports betting tomorrow. If Amendment 3 passes, it would effectively block any chance for legal sports betting in Florida. Protect your right to legally bet on sports and vote NO on 3.”
So, basically, the Dolphins are lobbying voters in Florida to vote in a way that will make it more likely that those voters eventually will be able to bet on football. At a time when the NFL’s official position continues to be that wagering on football poses a significant threat to the integrity of the game, to the point where the NFL spent plenty of money (probably hundreds of thousands of dollars) to fight the lawsuit that eventually paved the way for nationwide sports wagering.
If you’re confused, you should be. The league office wants to resist and avoid wagering. The teams want to embrace it, because they know that they can make plenty of money from it, actual or perceived threats to the integrity of the sport be damned.