Everywhere you look as a sports fan these days, gambling is there. And after a new deal that will see ESPN license NFL RedZone from the NFL as part of a wide-ranging new partnership, former ESPN host Katie Nolan worries that RedZone will be the latest property to succumb to the betting sharps and the degenerates.
While many could argue that RedZone has always existed for bettors and fantasy football managers, Nolan wants the industry to be careful about whether it leaves any room for non-gamblers to continue to enjoy sports.
“If they want to make a gambling RedZone that, like, fully leans into what it could be, go for it,” she said in an appearance this week on the SI Media Podcast. “But keep this one separate. Because there are just some people, I think, who just want to know all the action that happens without having to have six TVs.”
While the NFL will maintain editorial control of RedZone as part of its equity deal with ESPN, a large part of the agreement is centered on betting and fantasy content. Regardless of what commissioner Roger Goodell says, it is not crazy to imagine a world in which ESPN works with the NFL to nudge RedZone further in the direction of its bettor audience.
For Nolan, RedZone is a great way to keep up with an NFL Sunday, whether that be for her job in sports media or to keep tabs on her friends and family’s favorite teams. If the show became catered to bettors, it could alienate the average fan like her.
“I don’t want to have to feel like I’m missing something,” Nolan explained. “And RedZone always makes you feel like, throw this on and Scott Hanson’s not going to let you miss something. Anything that you need to know, even if it’s a goofy catch that happened or ‘look at this, somebody did this, I think this could be catch of the year,’ they’ll show you. No matter where it is on the field. I know the name is RedZone, but they keep you [updated] on all the things that are happening at the same time. It’s perfect for that.”
Everything from podcasts to live watchalongs to game broadcasts to web articles to radio shows is funded by sportsbooks now. In just a half-decade since the Supreme Court legalized sports gambling, the sports industry has gone from avoiding it like the plague to embracing and being propped up almost entirely by it.
Nolan hopes that the powers that be will keep some aspects of sports fandom free from the grasp of gambling.
“It’s not that I think (RedZone) doesn’t exist for that. I’m saying gambling getting its f*cking hands on every single little piece of it is starting to annoy me,” she said. “Because it’s making me feel like I’m missing out on part of sports. And I don’t ever want to be bullied into gambling.”
Beyond the irritation of being overwhelmed by gambling content as a sports fan, Nolan also worries that the simple hobby of being a sports fan is now driving people toward addictive behavior.
“I’m fine with people gambling. I think when it comes to the actual product being consumed, I should not feel like if I don’t do this in-game parlay, I’m missing out,” Nolan said. “Sports shouldn’t be a pipeline to sports gambling. I think we can keep them separate.”