Point shaving: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:06, 21 February 2006

Latest revision as of 18:12, 17 October 2024

(371 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)

Line 1:

{{Short description|Type of match fixing in sports}}

'''Point shaving''', in organized [[sport]]s, is a type of [[match fixing]] where the perpetrators try to prevent a team from covering a published [[point spread]]. Unlike other forms of match fixing, [[sports betting]] invariably motivates point shaving. A point shaving scheme generally involves a sports gambler and one or more players of a sports team. In exchange for a [[bribe]], the player or players agree to ensure that their team will not cover the point spread. The gambler then wagers against that team.

{{Multiple issues|

{{original research|date=March 2019}}

{{one source|date=June 2024}}

}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

In organized sports, '''point shaving''' is a type of [[match fixing]] where the perpetrators try to change the final score of a game without the intention of changing who wins. This is typically done by players colluding with gamblers to prevent a team from covering a published [[spread betting|point spread]], where gamblers bet on the margin of victory. The practice of shaving points is illegal in some countries, and stiff penalties are imposed for those caught and convicted, including jail time.

A point-shaving scheme generally involves a sports gambler and one or more players of the team favored to win the game. In exchange for a [[bribe]], the player or players agree to ensure that their team will not "cover the point spread" (the bribed player's team may still win but not by as big a margin as that predicted by [[bookmaker]]s). The gambler then wagers against the bribed team. Alternatively, players on the team picked to lose may be bribed to lose by more points than the indicated point spread, and gamblers will wager on their opponents, the favorites, to cover the spread. Also, an official (referee) of the game may be bribed, or even bet on his own behalf, so that one or more "close calls" will be called in favor of the "underdog" rather than the team favored to win.

Point shaving occurs most frequently in amateur and collegiate sports, whose athletes are presumably more vulnerable to a gambler's bribery than professionals. Professional-level players earn significant sums of money each year, whereas collegiate players are prevented by strict regulations from earning compensation for their play.

== Basketball ==

[[Basketball]] is a particularly easy medium for shaving points because of the scoring tempo of the game and the ease by which one player can influence key events. By deliberately missing shots or committing well-timed turnovers or fouls, a corrupt player can covertly ensure that his team fails to cover the point spread, without causing them to lose the game (or to lose so badly that suspicions are aroused). Although the [[National Collegiate Athletics Association|NCAA]] has adopted a [[zero tolerance]] policy with respect to [[gambling]] activity by its players, some critics believe it unwittingly encourages point shaving due to its strict rules regarding [[amateurism]], combined with the large amount of money wagered on its games.

[[File:ReynoldsColiseumOUTSIDE.jpg|thumb|The Dixie Classic was played at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina]]

[[Basketball]] is a particularly easy medium for shaving points because of the scoring tempo of the game and the ease by which one player can influence key events. By deliberately missing shots or committing well-timed turnovers or fouls, a corrupt player can covertly ensure that histheir team fails to cover the point spread, without causingan themoutright toloss. loseThis theis gamefurther (orcomplicated due to losethe sosimilar badlybehavior thatof suspicionsan arehonest aroused)player who takes a shot and misses. Although the [[National Collegiate Athletics Association|NCAA]] has adopted a [[zero tolerance|zero-tolerance]] policy with respect to [[gambling]] activity by its players,; some critics{{who?|date=April 2022}} believe that it unwittingly encouragesencouraged point shaving due to its formerly strict rules regarding [[amateurism]], combined with the large amount of money wagered on its games. The NCAA has produced posters warning players not to engage in point shaving.

Famous examples of point shaving are the [[CCNY point-shaving scandal]] in 1951; the [[Dixie Classic (basketball tournament)|Dixie Classic]] and the greater [[1961 NCAA University Division men's basketball gambling scandal|NCAA University Division]] scandals of 1961; the [[Boston College basketball point shaving scandal of 1978–79|Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal of 1978–79]], which was perpetrated by gangsters [[Henry Hill]] and [[James Burke (gangster)|Jimmy Burke]]; and the [[Tulane Green Wave men's basketball|Tulane men's basketball]] point-shaving scandal of 1984–85, which led the university to disband its program for four seasons.

==Point shaving perpetrators==

*[[Benny Silman]]

*[[Stevin Smith]]

*[[Richie Perry]]

*[[Matthew Wood]]{{fact}}

On 15 August 2007, NBA referee [[Tim Donaghy]] pleaded guilty to two felonies related to wagering on games that he officiated in a scheme somewhat related to point shaving. The difference in this case was that Donaghy sought to affect the outcome of [[over-under]] bets by changing calls so that both teams would score more than predicted, thus seeking to give the impression that at worst that he was merely strictly calling fouls as opposed to being outright biased.

==References in popular culture==

The [[1974]] [[film|movie]] ''[[The Longest Yard]]'' features a main character, Paul Crewe, who is thrown out of the [[NFL]] for point shaving.

There was also a remake of ''[[The Longest Yard (2005)|The Longest Yard]]'' in [[2005]] staring [[Adam Sandler]].

On April 17, 2024, [[Jontay Porter]] was banned from the NBA due to a point shaving like scandal.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2024-04-17 |title=NBA bans Jontay Porter for life after investigation reveals Raptors forward violated league gambling rules |url=https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-bans-jontay-porter-for-life-after-investigation-reveals-raptors-forward-violated-league-gambling-rules/ |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}}</ref> He advised gamblers to bet the under on his stats, then left early for suspicious reasons, and received money from the gamblers.<ref name=":0" />

==See also==

*[[sports betting]]

==References inIn popular culture ==

{{sport-stub}}

In the television series ''[[The Sopranos]]'', the character [[Carmine Lupertazzi Sr.]] was reputed to have invented the concept of point shaving in 1951.

Point shaving is an underlying plot thread in the 1974 film ''[[The Longest Yard (1974 film)|The Longest Yard]]'' and [[The Longest Yard (2005 film)|the 2005 remake]]. In both films, the character Paul "Wrecking" Crewe, a former professional quarterback, was kicked out of the [[NFL]] for point shaving prior to the events of the films.

[[Category:Sports scandals]]

[[Category:Sports betting]]

In ''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'', [[Nathan Scott]], the star basketball player of Tree Hill High, colludes with a gambler to shave points during the North Carolina high school state semi-finals. This eventually leads to him losing a scholarship to [[Duke University]] and temporarily derailing his college prospects. He bounces back from the scandal to play at a junior college, leading to a scholarship to the University of Maryland and a career in the NBA.

[[Category:Wagering]]

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:SportsMatch bettingfixing]]

[[Category:Sports betting scandals]]