Young adults who have their sights set on becoming a professional athlete understand that certain sacrifices need to be made to attain and maintain career status in their respective sport. They avoid or carefully moderate consumption of certain beverages, foods, substances, and medications so as to not compromise their performance on the court, track, field, and arena. They also sacrifice involvement in various activities because of the toll they may take on the body and mind. A few too many late nights out with friends is a given, but even strenuous recreation (not related to their sport) is avoided as it may contribute to injury and/or mental burnout.
Ultimately, a career athlete’s way of living comes with many benefits, but it requires self-restraint and temperance in certain areas. This can be a challenge when those in their social and/or familial circle are actively engaged in activities that look like a lot of fun to someone who who is innately a competitive thrill seeker. One such activity that 75% of college-aged Americans are actively involved in, is gambling. As as aspiring athlete who is taking an inventory of current and future lifestyle choices you have come online to inquire; “Should I stay away from gambling” altogether? Or, can you join the majority of your peers without jeopardizing your ambition? While few things in life are absolutes, there is a case to be made for abstinence for those who are serious about becoming a career – possibly elite – athlete. Please keep reading.
A Case for Why Aspiring Career Athletes Should Avoid All Forms of Gambling
A Single Policy Violation Can End Your Career
Depending where you are in your journey as an aspiring athlete, there may already be policies in place regarding involvement in gambling. As a young athlete progresses from level to level, the rules against gambling generally get stricter, as do the punitive measures taken against policy violations. In a growing number of cases, these violations lead to suspensions or worse, which can instantly put an end to career aspirations in competitive athletics. This trend has increased since the 2018 removal of the federal ban on sports betting, as a notable proportion of the American population have made it a new favorite pastime. A complete list of professional athletes suspended or banned for policy violations is found below:
ESPN has provided an accounting of sports league and organization policies regarding athlete gambling, which all aspiring athletes should reference, even though the landscape is evolving to become more inflexible. But even if there are loopholes (and there are) that pave the way to some form of gambling, we encourage you to consider if it’s worth the risk of destroying a career on a policy violation alone.
A Target of Organized Criminals
Recent news of NBA stars and alleged members of “the mafia” being among the dozens arrested in an illegal gambling crackdown have thrust this deterring factor to light. Organized criminals have been exploiting athlete vulnerabilities (more on these vulnerabilities below) to gambling for decades. They leverage athlete debt, or proof of their gambling policy violations, to fix games and reap millions of dollars in the process. View more on how it works in a recent article about How Match Fixers Exploit Athletes.
Rest assured that if you attain elite status in a sport that people are betting on, and you gamble, organized criminals will be ready to exploit your behavior to their gain. This ups the stakes of being an athlete gambler even higher, with potentially dire consequences.
Higher Odds of Developing a Gambling Problem
A wide body of research confirms that due to distinct personality traits (i.e. competitiveness, thrill-seeking and risk-taking behavior) elite athletes have higher odds of developing a gambling problem when compared to the general population. Further research confirms that collegiate and career athletes have greater prevalence rates of mental health conditions (including chronic stress and anxiety) which are comorbid with problem gambling. Other factors that tie into the athlete / gambling problem equation include age, genetics, gender, peer pressure, and exposure. View more on athlete vulnerabilities to problematic gambling behavior.
As an aspiring athlete who has arrived at this article after searching “Should I stay away from gambling?”, this facet alone presents a strong case for temperance.
Gambling Behavior Hampers Athletic Performance
While all signs and symptoms of problem gambling can negatively impact athletic performance in some manner, there are those that can do so quite directly. These include the following:
- Loss of concentration and focus in practice and during “game time” because the mind is more focused on gambling.
- Inability to perform at one’s best because of the insomnia and/or poor quality sleep that is often associated with problem gambling behavior.
- Inability to perform at one’s best because of unhealthy weight gain or unhealthy weight loss associated with problem gambling behavior.
- Inability to perform at one’s best because of muscle tension and chronic pain associated with problem gambling behavior.
- Inability to get along with coaches, trainers, and teammates because of the anger, irritability, and mood swings associated with gambling behavior.
Can Limit Marketability + Endorsements
Elite college (via new NIL deals), professional athletes, and Olympians alike earn income from a variety of sponsorship opportunities. A number of brands invest in them because they serve as great role models for their target demographics. But when an athlete attaches themselves to a lifestyle that involves gambling, they may limit their marketability and income earning potential as a result. This is because despite nationwide adoption, gambling is considered damaging to a celebrity (elite athlete included) image due to the associations with addiction, financial ruin, and moral concerns. And if gambling behavior becomes tied to anything else such as policy violations, organized crime, and bad behavior, marketability and endorsement income potential can fall even further.
Are you an aspiring professional athlete? Keep your eyes on the prize and don’t put your future success at risk. If you already exhibit problem gambling behavior, connect to Kindbridge to correct your course.
Let’s Talk About Your Gambling Behavior
CALL +1 (877) 426-4258
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Email help@kindbridge.com
What if you don’t have an issue with gambling and are able to abstain through self-restraint? Counseling will still greatly benefit you in other aspects of your journey in competitive athletics. View more on our athlete counseling service for enhanced performance by tapping the banner below:
