New Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby has departed the program to deal with a sports betting addiction. And in an age where sports betting is so prevalent as part of the mainstream 24/7 sports industry, it presents an awkward challenge, one that CBS Sports failed to meet.
Sorsby has sought treatment after stepping up to confront a gambling addiction that saw him place thousands of bets including on several collegiate sporting events and his future with Texas Tech is uncertain.
The Cincinnati transfer was set to lead the Red Raiders as they hope to take the next step towards National Championship contention thanks to the major NIL investments in the program. However, their prospects for the 2026 season have been thrown up into the air by Sorsby’s absence.
There’s a time and a place to discuss the Big XII situation. But it calls for some sensitivity to the current situation. Unfortunately, CBS Sports missed the mark.
In an article that quickly went viral on social media, CBS Sports published a piece on what his absence would do to shake up the Big XII standings. However, they immediately did so under the umbrella of FanDuel betting odds for conference futures.
After social media attention was drawn to the article, CBS Sports removed the gambling references. At the bottom of the article is a statement that reads, “The original version of this article included information that was not sensitive to the subject matter. CBS Sports regrets this error.”
Sports betting has taken over the industry so completely and so rapidly that it’s second nature to now include odds shifts in detailing movements in the prediction markets. But the backdrop of increased problem gambling addictions, increased scandals in college and pro sports, and questions about what it is doing to society as a whole simply can’t be ignored.
The impact of gambling on sports passed a critical mass a long time ago. But with the infinite dollars now seemingly a part of the industry, the leagues and media companies that are constantly looking for a new source of revenue have collectively decided that it’s worth the risk, or at least turning their heads the other way when a case like Brendan Sorsby comes along. It might be helpful for everyone in the sports world to take a step back and look at the big picture and ask what we’re doing instead of immediately jumping to the betting impact of someone’s gambling addiction.
About Matt Yoder