Odds Are They Won’t Take Money and Run : Wagering on Athletes in Track and Field Is No Problem in Europe, but Some Fear ItsIntroduction in the United States

Before the recent indoor track and field meet in Reno, the high jumpers joked among themselves about collecting $1,000 and placing a bet on competitor Brian Stanton.

At 12-1 odds, Stanton was hardly the favorite in the high jump, one of seven events that night in which an official betting line was set.

“If we let (Stanton) win, then we’d all win--$12,000--and drive away with a new car,” Tony Barton joked.

Barton, America’s second-ranked high jumper, might have found humor in track’s effort to increase interest by introducing gaming to the sport. But even the slightest jest about fixing an event is enough to scare sponsors, promoters and officials.

And although they are trying to put a favorable spin on the small-time action before the Feb. 10 Reno meet, some are concerned that U.S. track and field is taking a Faustian step by associating with legalized gambling.

Bob Kersee, coach/husband of Jackie Joyner-Kersee, would not let his athletes have promotional pictures taken inside the Reno casino that co-sponsored the meet and the wagering.

“I just thought it was inappropriate . . . to have athletes associated with gambling,” he said.

So did officials from Mobil, one of track’s biggest sponsors, and NBC, which is televising five indoor competitions--including Reno--this winter.

Sean McManus, an official with International Management Group, which owns the Reno meet and two others in the televised series, said that IMG also was uncomfortable with the gambling tie and hopes it was a one-time promotion.

It might not be.

No one denies that the odds piqued interest in the meet, which sold out the Livestock Events Center. Organizers added additional seating the day of the event to accommodate 5,100 fans. About $10,000 was wagered, mostly on $10 and $20 bets. Action was taken on only win bets.

Although unusual in the United States, betting on track and field occurs regularly in Europe. At last summer’s outdoor meet in Copenhagen, bookies took bets until each event started, similar to horse racing.

“The bookie was right there under the stands,” said David Greifinger, attorney for the Santa Monica Track Club. “They were posting odds on the scoreboard.”

Greifinger, who attended the Reno meet, made money with his wagers, cashing in on 1-5 favorite Michael Johnson, who won the 400 meters in a world-record 44.97 seconds.

“They were offering an excellent price, and I bet as much as possible on it,” said Greifinger, who added he would never take action on a race that included an athlete he represented.

Gambling was included in American indoor track for the first time because USA Track & Field, the national governing body, wanted to inject a new spirit into a sport that has been limping along for years.

Although American athletes are some of the world’s biggest stars, they receive less attention at home than abroad.

The idea to set a line at Reno was the brainchild of Linda Davis, sports marketing director of the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority, and John Mansoor, a longtime Northern California road running promoter.

Gambling was but one ingredient in the mix at Reno. Mansoor, the meet promoter, also had a laser light show, music, cheerleaders and live interviews with competitors after their events.

He wanted to create the atmosphere of a Las Vegas-style prize fight, replete with attractive men and women carrying cards to announce each event. “Just add a little sex to the meet,” he said. But that idea fell through on the day of the event.

Mansoor, 39, seemed perfect to try to change the face of indoor track, which always has appeared to be an unorganized circus to the uninitiated. It was his first meet, and he had little to lose by introducing a new approach.

“If I fell flat on my face, so what?” he said. “The other thing, Reno is a city with a reputation for showtime. I took advantage of that.”

The response to the show, and it was as much a show as a track meet, has been positive. But the reality is that all the dancing cheerleaders, colorful lights and loud music in the world will not lure fans back to track and field.

“It’s either a good athletic event or it isn’t,” IMG’s McManus said.

He described the gambling as unimportant to the overall scheme of revitalizing the sport.

“It’s not going to help the track meet all that much,” he said. “It isn’t going to make it a better television event, so I really don’t even see what the purpose of it is. I really don’t.

“It isn’t worth the risk. It isn’t worth the potential conflict of interest. It just isn’t worth it.”

That conflict arose during a promotion when sprinter Dennis Mitchell placed a $10 bet on himself and said during a television interview that fans should follow suit.

When Ollan Cassell, USATF executive director, found out about the bet, he asked Mitchell to destroy the ticket. USATF then made a rule prohibiting gambling by athletes.

Although gambling had been discussed since last July, it never occurred to track’s leadership that it could harm the sport’s integrity.

“We’ve never had it before. . . . It never occurred to us to make any rules that athletes would bet on themselves,” Cassell said. “If this continues, I’m sure we’ll make some rules and regulations about it.”

Nevada’s gaming control board would not allow the Eldorado Casino and Sports Book to set a line until it received assurances that the athletes were professionals. Mansoor said he refused to let collegians compete in open events in which odds were set.

Boxers, jockeys and tennis players are allowed to bet on themselves according to Nevada law, but others cannot. Also, books are not allowed for amateurs and amateur teams located within the state.

John Harper, senior oddsmaker at the Las Vegas Sports Consultants who set the line on the Reno meet for the Eldorado, said it also is illegal to have future betting on college games, such as those in the NCAA tournament, because of possible involvement by UNLV and Nevada.

Oddsmakers said serious gamblers ignore novelty events such as the Reno meet. Even the Eldorado had to be persuaded to take the action because it did not want to lose money on a sport it knew little about. The casino did lose a little, but Mansoor was satisfied with the publicity it received.

It turned out Harper knew track better than the casual fan. All seven favorites won.

Ron Ulman, manager of the Eldorado sports book, said betting could help track and field gain popularity. But he said that it would have to be held on a regular basis to attract bettors.

“Like horses, and have parimutuel fields,” he said.

After what transpired in Reno, some in track’s leadership think betting could be a boon.

“If it gets to the stage where there is a book on track, that will help with the promotion of the sport,” Cassell said.

But oddsmakers note there is a veil over gambling in the United States that will make it difficult to gain acceptance around the country.

Even Mansoor, the meet promoter, acknowledges that gambling might not work in other areas. Instead, he thinks track and field needs to devise entertainment-filled meets that cater to each area’s demographics.

“For Reno, it fit nicely,” said Mark Bossardt, director of athletics at Nike, another indoor track sponsor. “It (provided) a nice twist to it.”

If the Reno meet is scheduled again next year, Mansoor will lobby for more gambling, although some sponsors and the network are uncomfortable with the idea. For Mansoor, it was simply one more way to get the potato off the couch.

For Dan Marin, a plumbing wholesaler from Reno, gambling provided an incentive to root for athletes he otherwise would not have known.

Marin met hurdlers Angela Coon, Courtney Hawkins and Jack Pierce at a restaurant before the meet. When they asked how the odds worked, he explained the system.

“On a fluke, I decided to go down and put money on them, more for fun,” he said.

Marin wagered $10 each on the hurdlers and lost $30.

He was going to his first meet anyway, so he didn’t care. Although the betting piqued interest in certain competitors beyond the well-publicized stars, Marin was sold on the performances.

“I’d go again,” he said.

If so, then track and field’s gamble might have paid off.