Cheating the Spread in College Sports

Many people ask if college sports are fixed as well. If you can gamble on it, you better believe it. There have been multiple point shaving scandals over the years in NCAA sports especially in basketball and football. With the amount of money college programs bring in these days and the corresponding television contracts these schools sign they have every incentive to win, create story lines and bring in high ratings. This is often done through point shaving, ridiculous officiating and more. On the other side of the ball, the athletes themselves are often tempted by bookies and others to point shave to earn a little money on the side or pay off debts since they do not get paid to play. A book called Cheating the Spread: Gamblers, Point Shavers, and Game Fixers in College Football and Basketball by Albert Figone touches on the shady side of college sports and the infamous fix. Pick up a copy and let us know what you think the next time you see a star college player mysteriously start missing easy shots or field goals.

Luck of the Irish?

Love them or hate them, the Fighting Irish are headed to the BCS National Championship football game on January 7, 2013. For those who watched most of their games this year you might recall a close game against Stanford and a mythical comeback against Pitt. I recall watching some ridiculous calls by the officials at these two games but the guys at "The Fix Is In" lay it out perfectly. Click here to see the luck of the Irish or the fix. What do you think?

College Basketball Officiating at its Best

At a Big East second round game on March 9th three officials missed two crucial last second calls and basically didn't officiate until the end of the game between St. John's and Rutgers.  St. John's won the game 65-63 and did not cover the spread regardless but who knows maybe there was some kind of moneyline action being protected.  With 1.7 seconds left a St. John's player traveled and stepped out of bounds neither of which was called by the officials ending the game.  The NCAA men's basketball national coordinator even stated that Rutgers should have had one more possession.  The three officials did sit out the remainder of the tournament.

Fix From The Past - 1972 Olympic Gold Medal Basketball Game

The 1972 Olympic gold medal basketball game was marred by controversy.  Team USA won the game twice, the other team stepped over the inbound line on the third finish and the US still lost the game.  One of the most controversial basketball games in history especially during the cold war years with the USSR.  Watch this ESPN Classic video and judge for yourself.