U.S. details gambling cases involving pro athletes and mafia families

The pro sports leagues made a Faustian bargain when they partnered with sports books like FanDuel and BetMGM. Those deals brought in licensing revenue and drove up short term fan engagement because the punters betting on games watch the whole thing without switching channels. But long term I think it's going to burn their business model. The temptation for players to take a bribe is huge and now every time fans see something happen on the field that seems unexpected they start to doubt whether it's real. If the leagues don't get a handle on this then in a few decades they'll be seen as jokes: anyone still watching will be doing it for campy or ironic entertainment like professional wrestling.

You are aware the rest of the world exists right? It's the entire reason horse racing exists. The game you call soccer is massively sponsored by betting companies. Sure various scandals do erupt from time to time, but it hasn't driven fans away.