The debate over whether or not college athletes deserve to receive fair compensation for their efforts rages on. But one thing is for sure, the debate over whether or not YOU can make a ton of money off of their efforts has been settled.
Fox’s presentation of Caitlin Clark’s final regular-season game on Sunday got the red carpet treatment. The Big Ten showdown between the No. 6 Hawkeyes and No. 2 Ohio State was not only broadcast on Fox but will have tons of live-streamed post-game content on all of their social media channels as well.
It didn’t all go smoothly but it certainly showcased just how big of a draw Clark is and how much women’s college basketball has grown in terms of national awareness and popularity.
Audiences delighted in announcer Gus Johnson’s call of Clark breaking the record for most points by any college basketball player in history. However, there was a stretch earlier in the game where Johnson made a lot of viewers feel pretty weird about what they were watching.
Late in the first quarter, Iowa jumped out to a 22-10 lead on OSU despite Clark getting off to a slow start. During a break in the action, Johnson, who was calling the game alongside Sarah Kustok, suddenly launched into a schpiel about how much money gamblers could make with prop bets on the Hawkeyes star’s performance. It’s already jarring enough when announcers do ad-reads for gambling sites and betting partners, but Johnson doesn’t actually seem to be promoting anything specific with the extended discussion. He just seems to be encouraging people to go bet on Clark.
“Not only can fans wager on the point spread but they can wager on Clark’s prop bets,” said Johnson. “If you bet she’ll do it, meaning score the 18 points and pass Pistol Pete in the second quarter, you have to wager $185 to win 100, if you’re a gambler. And you hope she starts very fast or very slow, you can win $1,600 on a $100 bet if you think she’ll score 18 in the first quarter and you can win FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS. That’s right. $4000 on a $100 bet, if you think she won’t get it until the fourth quarter.
“ACTION, ACTION, ACTION, on Caitlin.”
That’s weird, right? Kinda reminds us of the old-school gambling infomercials that you used to watch at 1 a.m. when “gambling experts” would convince you to call their hotline for can’t-miss bets. Perhaps Stu Feiner will be calling games for Fox before we know it.
We’ve all had to get accustomed to seeing sports betting become part of the presentation as pro leagues and the NCAA have gotten cozier with gambling companies. But at least it’s usually mentioned as part of a sponsorship or ad read. Given the lack of context for why Johnson was mentioning prop bets and “ACTION,” it was a bit jarring for some people watching at home.
Gus Johnson's sales push on in-game Caitlin Clark prop bets, punctuated by "Action! Action! Action!" seems like an especially depressing glimpse of our sports television future. @awfulannouncing
— Mike Pries (@MikePTraffic) March 3, 2024
Gus Johnson reading live prop bet odds during a women’s college basketball game lol
What happened to the game I love?
— Dallas Jones (@DallasJonesy) March 3, 2024
https://twitter.com/kwmcnamee/status/1764358594684719114
https://twitter.com/ReturnOfTheMarc/status/1764356730287214634
Watching the Iowa / Ohio State game and Gus Johnson is going an in-game ad for gambling????@FOXSports sports betting is one thing but having the commentators doing in-game ads just feels wrong.
— Jerome Simpson (@JSIMP24) March 3, 2024
[Fox]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.