The WNBA recently deleted a social media post that showed a video of Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers and Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese talking about a bet they made on their upcoming game at All-Star Weekend. The video not only went against the league’s gambling policy, but it had bad optics considering recent gambling scandals across sports. This comes after recent complaints from players that the league needs to do more to protect its athletes from betting-related abuse.
Having a professional league like the WNBA post a video on social media that featured two of its players discussing a bet on their upcoming game against each other has terrible optics.
The video showed Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese discussing a $400 bet on their upcoming game. After the Dream beat the Wings 82-81, Reese even stated that she’d be requesting her $400 in gambling winnings via Apple Pay.
The WNBA gambling policy states that any player found guilty of placing a bet is subject to a fine or a suspension. However, the WNBA has already stated that neither player will be suspended nor fined. This is problematic because it contradicts what is directly stated within their rules. It could set a bad precedent for how future betting-related misconduct is addressed.
Considering that we’re in a time when sports betting has become much more widespread, both the post itself and the lack of consequences are a bad look for the WNBA.
We’ve seen college football players like Brendan Sorsby face consequences for placing wagers on his games. While we can acknowledge that the Bueckers/Reese video isn’t as serious as that, there should still be at least some sort of consequence.
Professional leagues like the WNBA need to take any form of gambling seriously, especially by players on their own games.
In addition to the bad optics we saw on the WNBA social media post, there have also been public complaints by its players, urging the league to take further action on enhancing athlete protections.
Recently, Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud spoke about how the league needs to do a better job protecting its players against betting-related abuse. This came after Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray shared racist DMs she received related to sports betting.
So here we have two examples of the WNBA needing to do a better job with sports betting. One highlights a lack of awareness of the need to create a positive public perception on game integrity amid sports betting expansion. Another underscores how players need to be better protected against abuse they face from sports bettors.
Needless to say, the WNBA has some work to do when it comes to sports betting.
