The (it seems to me) excessive amount of advertising going on for online sports betting is starting to freak me out a little bit too.

I once read this horrifying book called "Scoreboard, Baby," about the University of Washington team, and how some players engaged in violent and illegal behavior, but were rarely punished because nobody wanted to "ruin" a young athlete's life. It was a really distressing read and your comment reminds me of it, that if you are a good enough athlete you sometimes seem to be given a "pass" on poor behavior.

I used to cheer for my team. But increasingly I can't even watch the game.