After the Texans won their playoff game last weekend, I wondered if “Mattress Mack” might be running another of his gambling related promotions where he bets on a “Houston Team” to win a championship and runs a deal where people who buy specified furniture from him during a limited time span can get the furniture for free if he wins the bet. Prior to the Texans’ demolition of the Chargers last weekend, the odds on the Texans winning the Super Bowl were +8000. This morning, the odds range between +4200 and +4500.
I have mentioned here before that the “reader in Houston” – – in addition to being a guru for sports history and stats – – knows “Mattress Mack” in the flesh; so, I sent him an email asking if we might see another of his promotions. Here is his response:
“He’s definitely going to do something like he did last year, when he bet $500,000 total on three wagers with Caesars, which he ended up losing: $210,000 on the money line to beat the Ravens (Texans lost, 34-10); $263,000 getting +9.5 vs. the Ravens, which the Texans didn’t cover; and $27,000 on the Texans to win the SB, which they never got to. I think he would have made a profit in the ballpark of 800 grand or so, if the Texans won all three bets.
“On a side note, he’s still mourning the $1.5 million he lost last week when he bet on Texas to win the national title with the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles, which is owned by our mutual friend, Tilman Fertitta. Mack actually made the bet before the Texas SEC Championship loss to Georgia in early December with odds of Texas +390. If Texas went all the way, he would have made $5.85 million profit.
“That’s the fourth straight year that Mack lost in college football:
2022: $6.15 million on money line Alabama vs. Georgia
2023: $3.1 million total on TCU (money line and +13 vs. Georgia)
2024: $1 million on Texas to win national title.
2025: $1.5 million on Texas to win national title”
“That’s a total of over $11 million … but it’s a little more than pocket money for Mack.”
Moving on … The US House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that would ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports in public schools and institutions that do not comply with that ban would lose public funding. I am in favor of keeping post-pubescent males from competing as women in sports where strength and/or speed are the critical elements of success. My position is not based on any sort of moral stance; I simply believe that it defeats the entire purpose of having “women’s sports” in the first place.
The bill – – nobly named as “The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” – – would amend Title IX to define a person’s “sex” as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The bill passed the House narrowly by a vote of 218 – 206 and now goes to the Senate where it will either die or provide an opportunity for lots of grandstanding – – or maybe both. In one report I read about this at CBSSports.com, I found this sentence:
“Those against it [the bill up for debate] said it could lead to intrusive genital examinations of the student-athletes.”
If indeed that is the crux of the opposition here, it would seem easily to be circumvented by saying that to participate in women’s sports, an athlete’s birth certificate must indicate that the child is a female and that nothing will override that provision of the law. No need to examine anyone – – male or female – – because the only thing that matters here is what the birth certificate says. Now, if you want to be as exclusive as possible, you might also add that in the event that there is any ambiguity whatsoever regarding the birth certificate identification of gender, then the default is for the aspiring athlete to be declared a male. The Bottom Line here is that I do not think this should be part of the law even though I agree with the intent of this bill – – and yet, here we are.
Next up … The NFL “leaked” the first scheduling tidbit for the 2025 season last week. There will be 3 “London Games” in 2025 and the host teams will be:
- Browns
- Jags
- Jets
When I saw that list, this is the first thing that came to mind:
- Does the NFL secretly hate Londoners?
The combined record for those three teams in 2024 was 12-39 [win percentage = .235]. Not good …
Finally, I’ll close today with these words from Abraham Lincoln:
“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jags, and New York Jets in London next season analyzed as “not good.” That is like saying the Hindenburg disaster (May 6, 1937) was a rough landing.