Monday, December 14, 2009

Former Ref Tim Donaghy

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy acknowledges that he bet on games, but he denies that his officiating influenced any games he bet on. Donaghy, who was released from prison last month after serving most of a 15-month sentence in a gambling scandal. Tim Donaghy and his officiating has been deviance to sports. As a referee they need to be the ones enforcing the norms of the sport. In class, we discussed the deviance in sports and the characteristics that fall out of the range of norms. This is an example of deviant underconformity which consists of subnormal ideas and actions that indicate a rejection of norms. Donaghy insisted he made wagers on NBA games based on his knowledge of other officials’ biases for and against certain players and teams, and that his officiating was not compromised. In one game where he bet on San Antonio, he ejected Coach Gregg Popovich midway through the first quarter and the Spurs eventually lost the game. You wonder which games he bet on and officiated and whether the team truthfully won or not.

Sec.3017 Tues-Th 12:30-1:45
Renato Gutierrez

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