Americans Increasingly Distrust NBA Integrity

A series of gambling scandal revelations is eroding the American trust in the integrity of the NBA, according to a poll released on Nov. 6 by Quinnipiac University.

Among those describing themselves as NBA fans, 67% believed that games are being “played fairly,” perhaps signaling an over-arching confidence in the league’s and investigators’ ability to root out conspirators. Fifty-percent of casual observers felt the same about the fairness of play.

Certainly, any league would want 100% confidence from its core audience, but that figure might be considered high given the cynicism about NBA players and coaches.

The poll of 1,013 adults, which began on Oct. 31 — eight days after federal charges stemming from an illegal sports betting operation were unsealed against former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player and assistant coach Damon Jones — found that 33% believe NBA players and coaches are “involved in illegal activities to influence betting on NBA games.”

Twelve percent are believed to be “very often” involved, according to the poll, with 21% “somewhat often.”

Just 23% believe that players and coaches “rarely if ever” are attempting to influence, while 43% believe that group conspires “occasionally.”

“Perception is important, and right now the NBA clearly has a perception problem. It might, too, have a trust problem,” Nick Pietruszkiewicz, assistant professor of journalism and program director of Sports Communications at Quinnipiac University, said in a release announcing the results of the poll.

Here are the results for those identifying themselves as “fans.”

Percentage that believes players and coaches are “very often” involved in attempting to fix games: 12%;
Percentage that believes players and coaches are “somewhat often” involved in such activity: 23%;
Percentage that believes players and coaches “occasionally” try to influence outcomes: 46%;
Percentage that believes players and coaches are “rarely if ever” involved: 19%.

The poll did not offer a “never involved” option.

Coaches under scrutiny though none charged

**Former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups during media day at the Moda Center. Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images**

While banned former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter was found to have intentionally underperformed to influence prop bets, and Rozier is accused of the same, no NBA coaches face charges related to manipulation.

Chauncey Billups was placed on immediate leave and relieved of his duties as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers after being indicted and accused of participating as a conspirator in rigged poker games in an indictment unsealed at the same time as the sports betting case. He also matches the description of a “Co-Conspirator 8” in the sports betting case who peddled insider information, but was not charged in that investigation.

While the poll is bad news for the NBA, it’s decidedly not great for other pro sports leagues, either. Seventy-two percent think that the level of player corruption in other leagues is the same as in the NBA. Just 17% think it is more common in the NBA, with 8% thinking it is less so.

Just half of NBA fans were very or somewhat confident in Commissioner Adam Silver’s ability to curtail further illegal betting activity.

“With two major gambling scandals in as many years, fans and the American public are expressing doubt about Adam Silver’s ability to protect the league’s integrity amid an era defined by legalized sports betting,” said Brittani Webb, Ph.D., assistant professor of Media Studies at the Quinnipiac University School of Communications, in a release.

One area in which respondents support Silver, however, is his efforts to reduce the amount of prop bets available. Both the Porter and Rozier cases involved faking injuries and performing worse than their normal statistical levels to cash “under” bets.