Skip to main content
Larry Brown Sports Tagline. Brown Bag it, Baby.
#pounditMonday, December 23, 2024

CBS announcers told not to make gambling reference during NFL broadcasts

sportsbook

It can be a bit awkward when sports announcers make gambling references about a particular game during national broadcasts, and CBS does not want its NFL crews taking part in any such commentary during the 2018 season.

On Tuesday, CBS Sports President Sean McManus told Jimmy Traina of SI.com that play-by-play announcers and analysts will not be mentioning point spreads, totals or anything else gambling related when calling NFL games.

Fans tend to like when announcers make references to gambling, as many viewers have money on the games or are taking part in pools involving spreads and other Las Vegas odds. Al Michaels has always had a penchant for mentioning point spreads and betting odds while calling games, and Joe Buck alluded to that while providing some gambling commentary of his own during an NFL game last year — even if his reference didn’t make much sense.

As you might expect, fans expressed their displeasure in CBS’s decision.

The NFL has already expressed concerns about how to handle the legalization of sports gambling, so it would not be a surprise if the league has pressured networks to stop announcers from making betting references.

comments powered by Disqus