Brent Musburger said he hasn't bet on a game he's broadcasted since the 70s
No, Brent Musburger hasn’t had some gambling action on the college football games he’s called for ESPN.
The iconic announcer, who announced Wednesday that he’ll be retiring at the end of the month, has always made viewers of his games aware of the sports betting stakes at place. Musburger told the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday that he quit betting on games he was working in the 1970s. His final bet was with a producer on an NBA game involving the Portland Trailblazers and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Musburger, who had the Lakers minus a few points, said he lost the bet thanks to a late missed shot by Johnny Newman that was turned into points by Portland and realized the investment and his subsequent reaction towards Newman was “crazy.” He’s never bet on a game since.
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“You know, that was crazy,” Musburger said. “I had no business jumping on that kid. It was a ridiculous shot. And I never bet … a lot of people think I did. But here’s what I do think. I do think it’s important to know what it is. My buddy Al Michaels, he’s always aware. And if he’s not, George Hill, his stats guy for both of us through the decades, he’ll hand Al a slip of paper or remind him in commercial what the over/under might be.
I do think people are interested in that. I think it’s a very big part of the growth of the National Football League.”
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He also noted that he’s a bit more careful about betting when it comes to college games given that the players involved aren’t paid vs. some NFL players making millions.
“[Attention paid to lines is] not the most important thing — anybody listening who thinks it is to me, no, it’s not,” Musburger said. “It is a frame of reference and it is something to know and something to keep in the back of your mind when you go into a game.”
Musburger, 77, also offered that he was by no means a gambling savant and said people “would go broke” on his picks. He said he’s fascinated by the business of sports handicapping and wondered if sports betting would be legally more widespread thanks to President Donald Trump.
In the lengthy interview, which you can watch in full below, Musburger also admitted he searched himself on the internet Wednesday night and stumbled upon a political commentary from Keith Olbermann.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
