I love football...NFL or college. It has been in my blood since I was a little boy hanging around the 49ers at the old Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, long before football enjoyed the popularity it does today. Frankly, over the years, I have lost interest in watching any other sport. I follow the sports news after football season, but not very closely.
But being on the road during football season has presented its own problems in keeping up with the game. Sadly, I have missed some great games that I would have been watching had I been in a home. Occasionally, I have checked into a hotel on some Sundays just so I can watch a game. But more often than not I will watch them in a sports bar, or when in Las Vegas, in a casino's sports book.
There is a big difference between the two in the atmosphere when watching a game. Take for instance last night. I was watching the last half of the Steelers/Ravens game, and later the Giants/Cowboys game in a sports bar in Tucson. People had on their favorite team jerseys and cheered raucously when their team did something good. It makes the game a lot more fun to watch, at least for me because these fans are passionate.
In a Las Vegas sports book, you hardly ever see a team jersey. The reason is that most observers there are only rooting for teams that will win them a wager. You see, in Vegas, its all about money. The photo you see here is the sports book in The Palms casino (not a great photo as I took it with my cell phone camera). There are TV's everywhere, but the focus of attention is the "big board" where are the games are listed. Here you can bet on the point spread, the over/under, or the Money Line. All that info is listed on the big board. In football, if you bet on the spread and your team is -4 (favored by 4 points), they must win by more than 4 points or you lose the bet.
If you bet the over/under and it is listed as 46, for instance, you would bet on either the over 46 or under 46 for the total points scored during the game. The Money Line is a bit complicated but you can bet straight up without points on a team winning. But if your team is heavily favored, you won't make very much.
Now, all bets must be down before the game starts, although there are some bets posted at half time where you can bet on the second half. But, sometimes, on really important games, there are some special bets you can place...such as which team will score first, or will the first score be a touchdown or a field goal, or will a particular player score a touchdown during the game (in the Super Bowl one year, I saw that you can even bet on the first player to say "Hi Mom" on camera).
But the atmosphere is so totally different in a sports book as opposed to a sports bar. I listen to people expressing there opinions as to which team to bet on and giving thorough information on their expertise. Of course, I listen to them and think if they are so smart, why aren't they rich? But they will give you their "expert" opinion whether you want it or not.
During one college game, the fellow next to me was cheering loudly when one team scored. I was curious so I asked him was he cheering as a fan or because he had money on the game. He said it was all about the money. The team he was cheering was favored heavily and he "gave" the points, but he also bet on the over. His team for that night won big, beating the spread, and they went over the over (if that makes sense). So he did well. I seldom bet on football because then I can't root as a fan...I have to worry about my winning or losing my bet.
In looking at the clock, its time for me to head for my favorite local sports bar for Monday Night Football. Tonight, no money is involved (except for my beer and food)...its all about the fun.
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