Don’t Bet on the NCAA: Sports Wagering Task Force Begins Anti-Gambling Campaign

October 28, 2004 2:16 PM

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Sports Wagering Task Force and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) have partnered to distribute more than 150,000 “NCAA Don’t Bet On It” wristbands, which will be worn by head football coaches and their staffs during this Saturday's games to recognize National Sports Wagering Awareness Day.

Earlier this year, a national study commissioned by the NCAA revealed a “disturbing” frequency of sports wagering among student-athletes. The NCAA's 2003 National Study on Collegiate Sports Wagering and Associated Health Risks revealed that football players reported taking part in significant infractions of NCAA bylaws at rates slightly higher than men's basketball players.

National Sports Wagering Awareness Day was designed to highlight the dangers of sports wagering and the negative effects it can have on the well-being of both student-athletes and college sports.

“NCAA football coaches and staffs across the country will set an example on the importance of addressing sports wagering issues among student-athletes when they wear these wristbands. Coaches, student-athletes, athletics administrators and fans should support this campaign in an effort to maximize awareness on the hazards of intercollegiate gambling,” said Grant Teaff, executive director of American Football Coaches Association and vice-chair of the NCAA Sports Wagering Task Force, in a statement released Oct. 27.

At the release of the National Study on Collegiate Sports Wagering and Associated Health Risks in May 2004, NCAA President Myles Brand announced the formation of the national task force to further analyze results from the survey and recommend strategies to counteract sports wagering among student-athletes. University of Notre Dame President Rev. Edward A. Malloy is the chair of the task force, and Teaff is the vice-chair. The task force will announce more recommendations at the annual NCAA Convention in January 2005.

For more information, see the NCAA web site.