Ethical Dilemma in Minnesota: betting on High School Hockey

The argument as to whether betting on sports events is ethical has been going on for as long as sports have been around. Something we all should agree on is that betting on high school sports shouldn’t be a thing and the kids that play hockey in the state of Minnesota would agree.

Importance of Hockey in Minnesota

Minnesota is called the state of hockey for a reason. They produce the most NHL talent of any state in the United States. They also have the most kids that play hockey as youth and in high school.

The state tournament brings in more fans than any regular season Minnesota Wild game and this creates an insane amount of pressure on these kids.

As someone who has heard grown men cursing kids out for a bad play because they bet money on them; it goes to show the unethical behavior surrounding this sport.

Television Increase in Betting

The increase in technology has allowed for more fans to watch these high school kids play. As a result the more information that can be obtained in a way that can be used to create lines on the games that these 15-18-year-olds play in.

The issue is that this allows for people to feel more confident in betting in the first place creating even more amounts of money that is waged on high school kids each year.

Overall, the television increase is definitely a good thing for the kids, and for their exposure, the issue is with adults that value greed over the natural beauty of high school sports.

Conclusion

The overall perception about hockey in Minnesota is that it is bigger than life. I would disagree with this because of the value that the sport teaches kids that they can use in life. The issue stems from adults that can’t handle themselves.

The sport creates generational value that a kid can teach his kids and grandkids, and the sport itself or the average fan shouldn’t be at fault. However, the people that don’t see an issue in betting on high school kids should take a moment and reevaluate themselves.

Overall, the kids shouldn’t worry about this but parents and adults in the community shouldn’t enable the other adults, so the greatest sport in the world will still have its value for years to come.

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