Category: basketball

The passion for basketball has led to the development of a small industry around the game. Stores market basketball merchandise like shoes, jerseys, logos and other knickknacks while colleges run basketball camps for beginners. They rope in former basketball players and coaches to run the college basketball camp.

These camps are not limited to college students. Anyone can apply and get admission to the basketball camps. Several colleges organize residential basketball camps while others encourage students to come during daytime only.

However, there is little doubt about the popularity of these camps. There is a large number of wannabe basketball stars who want to learn basketball from ex-NBA players and coaches. Colleges advertise these camps liberally in newspapers and on websites.

The NCAA has strict rules regarding leakage of inside information by basketball officials. But the lure of easy money is too high. This can be seen from a university of Michigan study done in 2000. The study which quizzed basketball and football sports officials found:
* More than 84 percent admitted they had gambled since becoming an official.
* Forty percent of those responding said they had bet on sports.
* Almost 23 percent said they had wagered on the NCAA Tournament
* Twelve of the 640 admitted knowing an official who had called a game

Clearly, online betting has become a dangerous phenomenon. It has started affecting student behavior. Even offices are not immune to betting on basketball games. Almost every office has a basketball pool. Many office goers go on the net during office hours to place bets.