If we’re being honest, most of us that bet sports watch a lot of sports TV shows and read a lot of sports news and publications. If I’m being honest, I can’t make it through the day without watching SportsCenter at least twice. The majority of people that bet on sports are avid sports fans that love to soak up as much information and sports entertainment as possible.
While this is all fine and dandy, it can create issues for you at the books. If you’re not properly interpreting the news and media that you’re seeing, you may be allowing it to negatively affect your sports betting picks. Don’t worry; I am not here to take away your SportsCenter. Lord knows I would lose my mind without my daily fix. What I am here to do, though, is make sure that the information and entertainment you’re receiving is helping your betting game and not smashing it to smithereens.
The key to understanding what I’m trying to say lies in understand the purpose of most of the sports media. The purpose behind most of the sports media (including SportsCenter) is to entertain. They do not make their money by helping viewers and readers make great sports betting picks. They make their money by gaining and retaining viewers and readers and keeping them entertained.
What this means is that the stories they push, the narratives they peddle, and the information they give you will be aimed at entertaining you. Is there anything wrong with this? Not one bit! Where the problem comes in is if you think they are giving you advice and information that you can use to make better sports bets.
Now, let’s also say that while this fighter has an incredible story of triumph just to get back to the ring, they are nowhere on the level of the first fighter who is on top of the world. How is this going to be reported by most of the sports media? Are they mainly going to talk about how the first fighter is the best and while it’s great that fighter 2 made a comeback, they’re going to get knocked out? Or, are they going to talk about the epic comeback of fighter 2 and how history stands to be made as they reach to fulfill their destiny with a comeback win?
Honestly, most media outlets are going to be all over the comeback story. Sportscasters are going to pushing all the positives that the second fighter has and how they have a real shot of pulling off the win, even though they really don’t. Why? Because that story is much more entertaining than saying, “Well, nice to see him back, but he’s going to get knocked out cold.” Sportscasters might even be picking the upset because they want it to happen.
I’ll admit it, that story is way more exciting than what is actually going to happen. When people hear the comeback story, they’re going to want that fighter to win and be more excited to watch the fight. This is the goal of the media. They want to push the narrative that entertains you the most.
So, what does that have to do with you and your sports betting? Well, if you haven’t connected the dots already, let me do it for you. If you are letting these media narratives affect the way you are betting, you’re going to start making some bad bets. When you make your bets, you need to be using sound logic and reasoning. You can’t be letting emotional stories or stories that are being pushed just to entertain affect your judgment.
Do I want the comeback fighter to win? Of course, I do! Of course, I think it would be an awesome story and exciting as heck to see it happen. However, should I bet on that fighter just because it’s what I want to happen? Heck no. I should be betting on the fighter that I think is going to win and has value in their pick. In fact, you may end up being able to get great value on the first fighter because the rest of the betting public is going to be betting on the comeback story. This will shift the line and make for a great payday on the fighter that should win the fight.
I will say that the majority of the information you’ll be getting from mainstream publications is going to be aimed at entertaining. The stats and results you get will be important, and it’s impossible to misconstrue those.
The one thing you need to be aware of that they may do with stats is selectively choose which stats to share. They may only show you stats that help to support the entertaining narrative. Be on the lookout for this if you’re using the media to get your stats.
I can already hear all of you saying this, so I’ll go right ahead and address it. You’re probably saying that you’re confident a lot of the sportscasters you watch on TV are genuinely trying to pick out who they think will win the game. These are the sportscasters that despite the comeback story we talked about would tell you that the other fighter is going to win. Shouldn’t it be okay to listen to what these guys and girls have to say?
The problem is that you’re correct. These sportscasters are picking who they think is going to win the game/fight/match, but they are not taking into account the betting lines at all. Sports betting is not about picking winners and losers. Sports betting is about finding bets that offer value and taking advantage of them. This means that the right bet is often the team that you think is going to lose. It also means that even though you think someone or some team is going to win, it might not be a profitable wager to bet on them.
First of all, any sports media is okay for you to watch. The question here, though, is what sports media should you be watching or reading if you’re looking for help with your bets. You need to be paying attention to media that takes into account the betting lines. If the odds and betting lines are not addressed at all, it’s not a publication that you want to be using for your sports betting.
You need to be listening to people who are dedicated to helping you make smarter picks as a first goal and entertainment as a second priority. They should be sportscasters and media professionals who pride themselves on their ability to make money as sports bettors. Sure, they can still be entertaining, but that needs to come as a second priority to making great value picks.
There are way too many people on the internet and podcasts (and even in the higher media ranks) that claim to be professionals and experts. In reality, a large percentage of these people are not beating the games if you break down the picks that they’re telling you to make.
As I said from the start, I am not here to take your SportsCenter away. If I were, I’d end up being the biggest hypocrite on the planet. All I’m telling you to do is make sure that you’re able to distinguish between valuable information and entertaining stories and narratives. Sometimes it’s easy to tell the difference, and sometimes it’s hard not to fall victim to the alluring spell of some of these stories.
Here’s the best way to make sure that you’re protected. Before you start watching and reading other people’s opinions about upcoming games and matches, form your own opinion. Do your own research and look up your own stats online before you let someone else work their way into your head.
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