Brent Musburger Lost All His Daily Fantasy Sports Contests
By Kyle Koster
Before ESPN was breaking into games with spread alerts and discussed gambling openly, there was Brent Musburger. The legendary announcer’s habit of casually mentioning betting implications during games he was broadcasting was a treat for viewers in the know.
Speaking with the Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, Musburger said those reference wouldn’t become more frequent even though the culture has changed.
"“I like to refer to ‘high-scoring games’ or ‘low-scoring games,’” Musberger said. “Those who know, know. Those who don’t, it’s fine. “I am very aware about what’s going on,” he continued. “I know when spreads or over-unders are covered. That’s not the main point of emphasis in covering a ballgame. I’m aware that a lot of people are interested in it and partake in it. Nobody has ever said anything to me. Executives understand the appeal.”"
Musburger had similar thoughts when we interviewed him last year, including his thoughts about the hypocrisy of leagues being against gambling but promoting fantasy sports.
He also applauded Scott Van Pelt and others for addressing the issue head-on and said studio shows provide a better platform for addressing them than doing so in-game.
Musburger, who no longer gets the marquee assignments, indicated that he’s okay with announcers betting on games so long as they aren’t the ones they are calling.
Perhaps most importantly, he also admitted to entering and losing a few FanDuel fantasy baseball contests.
There you have it. Even Brent Musburger is playing daily fantasy sports. And not having any success. Something about that is depressing. It’s like … well it’s like something.