Daily Fantasy Sports: Joes vs. Pros
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN2)
It’s hard to miss the ads, especially on a football Sunday. With enticements to win tens of thousands or even a million dollars, daily fantasy sports is a growing, multi-billion dollar industry. But, it’s now under scrutiny after the recent allegations that an employee of one of the largest daily fantasy sports companies won big at a rival company using “insider information.” The incident has raised questions about who really wins the big money. As Mark Fainaru-Wada reports, the odds don’t favor the average fantasy sports player.
“As someone from a gambling background, you know, you go to the craps table, the house has a one percent edge, right? We’re talking about 30 percent edges right now.” – Ed Miller, professional poker player
“A lot of people view it as something entertaining. When you go to the movies, you don’t say, ‘Hey, I lost $20.’ You say, ‘I paid $20 to go see a film I enjoyed and maybe get a popcorn and a Coke.” – Jason Robins, DraftKings CEO
“We did a survey to our players and we asked them ‘Have you started consuming more sports content – watching more sports – since you began playing on Draft Kings?’ And, over 80 percent said yes.” – Robins
How They Do In Oxford
Photo credit: Daymon Gardner
ESPN the Magazine (NBA Preview issue, on newsstands Friday)
Seven weeks in Mississippi in search of the allure of football, the stains of the Confederacy and the meaning of honorable change. A first-person essay by author Kiese Laymon, associate professor of English and Africana studies at Vassar College.
“We didn’t know the names of the white schools in our state, or the names of any players who played for or against those teams other than Herschel Walker. Honestly, we didn’t even know that some of those white schools had histories of refusing to recruit black student-athletes or play colleges and universities that did. We assumed so many legendary NFL players came from the SWAC because it had the greatest football tradition in our region.” – Kiese Laymon
“I believe symbols have lasting power to immortalize human stories. But justice, equity, structural change and truth should be the values on which undoing racism is founded. If not, the victory of bringing down the flag will remain an empty gesture rooted in white supremacy, coupled with white savior complexes. A principled and sustainable paradigm shift and nothing less is what we deserve.” — Noel Didla, English professor, Jackson (MS) State University
The Sports Reporters
Sunday, 9:30 a.m., ESPN2; 10:30 a.m., ESPNEWS
This week’s Panel*
John Saunders (host)
Mike Lupica
Manish Mehta
Tom Waddle
(subject to change)
Outside the Lines Honored for Tillman Story
ESPN Outside the Lines reporter Mike Fish (left) and producer Willie Weinbaum recently traveled to the Army Navy Club in Washington, D.C., to receive the Military Reporters & Editors domestic large broadcast category award. The OTL piece “Friend Who Fired” included an interview with two of the platoon mates of former Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman, killed by friendly fire 11 years ago while serving in Afghanistan. MRE president Amy McCullough (center) presented the award. Reporter John Barr, also part of the team that created the piece, did not attend the ceremony.
As Seen on ESPN Front Row:
E:60 Features Inspiring Story of Travis Roy: https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2015/10/tonights-e60-features-the-inspiring-story-of-travis-roy/
Dispelling ratings myths with Artie Bulgrin: https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2015/10/dispelling-ratings-myths-with-artie-bulgrin/
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