Gambling with the Game

By Justin Albers
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- Tim Donaghy had an alleged serious gambling problem, and he took it way too far. Gambling with your own money is one thing, but gambling with the integrity of the NBA- over the line. Now the question becomes “How much will the league be affected?”
The NBA is already starting to draw fewer fans because of the fact that the players don’t always leave it out there on the floor. In select playoff games, sure, but what about the 17th game of the year- or the 30th? For one thing the season is too long, but that is beside the point.
To be completely honest I have mixed emotions on the effect Tim Donaghy will have on the NBA. I don’t think it will make too many fans stay home and forget the game, but I believe television ratings will suffer dearly. Who is going to watch a game where the players aren’t trying and the officials could be cheating? Not I.
On ESPN’s prime time television show, Pardon the Interruption, Dan Levetard made a great point. If one ref is convicted (Donaghy), then who’s to say that more refs aren’t like him and shave points in the same way? Or coaches? Or even players? David Stern has a serious issue on his hands, one that is going to hit the league much harder then Ron Artest did when he went flying into the stands. If anything Artest’s incident brought in more viewers- for a couple of weeks anyway.
Until he is taken to court, Donaghy better be protected because he himself is in extreme danger. Think about all of the people in the nation that are die-hard basketball fans. And what about if he does end up going to prison? He is going to have to be put in a room by himself because he will even be hated by the other inmates. Donaghy faces a long road ahead of him- one that will make him pay for gambling with the NBA.
The only thing Stern can hope for now is that another official is not found to be shaving points in the way Donaghy did. If that happens then watch out- the NBA could be done, forever.