NCAA President Mark Emmert has voiced fresh concerns around how sports betting could impact the integrity of college sports in the new post-PASPA era. The NCAA is unequivocally opposed to any participation or involvement in sports betting by athletes, coaches and other related workers.
Quoted by the Associated Press while speaking at the NCAA’s annual convention in Florida, he said: “It’s pretty simple. We have to lead with our values. That’s how we need to make decisions, whether it’s wagering, legal environments, esports, anything else that we do.”
In a missive calling for members to remain true to the association’s core principles, Emmert added: “Sports wagering is going to have a dramatic impact on everything we do in college sports. It’s going to threaten the integrity of college sports in many ways unless we are willing to act boldly and strongly.”
He also voiced reservations regarding the emergence of esports, particularly in light of the recent announcement that Marquette University in Milwaukee will launch America’s first varsity esports team later this year. He commented: “We know a lot of the content is hugely misogynistic. We know that some of the content is really violent. We don’t particularly embrace games where the objective is to blow your opponent’s head off. We know there are serious concerns about health and wellness around those games.”
