Our writers discuss what sport they would bet on for the rest of their lives if they had to choose just one.
There's a common hypothetical question: “If you could only (blank) one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?” Topics can include: What would you eat? What book would you read forever? What movie would you watch on loop?
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What about betting on one sport forever? That’s a tough one too.
Our writers bet and write on the gamut, but everyone has a favorite.
We discussed which sport we would bet—if we could only choose one for the rest of our lives—in Wednesday's roundtable.
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SI Betting Writer Jen Piacenti’s Take:
If you ask me what sport I would watch the rest of my life, it's baseball. If you ask me what sport I would bet, it's football. No contest. Football is the easiest (am I allowed to say that?). Spreads are easy to understand, and there are so many options for bets! You aren't restricted to a silly run line as in MLB (don't get me started on how DUMB that bet is)— and there is a gigantic menu of player props to choose from. Any way you want to bet NFL, there's the opportunity to do so. You can pick and choose whatever your gut feels that day—safe or long shot. American Football (sorry, Dave) all the way, because I'm in the driver's seat.
SI Betting Editor Matt Ehalt’s Take:
I've enjoyed the most success betting the NFL, and I appreciate the simplicity. The spreads, over/under and props are all easy to follow, and the Super Bowl is arguably the best single-day betting event of the year. It's fun to spend an hour placing all those wagers—and not so fun when only about four of them hit (I started 2 for 2 last year and went 2 for 23 the rest of the way). I've been picking in spread pools since I was about 7 years old, and it's always been something I've enjoyed. No offense to the other sports, but I'm sticking with the classic.
SI Betting Editor Dave Scipione’s Take:
It’s football—by a long shot—but it’s more commonly referred to as soccer in America. This is the best sport in the world to live bet, hands down. You can get crazy odds on equalizing goals and teams to come back to win—and they often do. Just look at when goals are typically scored in soccer games and you’ll see the drama is real. But when you’re live betting, the payouts are unreal. Give me the chance to live bet a Serie A, Premier League or any club to come back late in a game over all other sports.There is a reason they call soccer “the beautiful game” — it’s because there are always matches to bet and great odds to capitalize on.
SI Betting Writer Kyle Wood’s Take:
Football, college or pro, is my favorite sport to bet on, and it's not particularly close. I appreciate the games being concentrated into a Thursday-Monday window, for the most part. This gives me plenty of time to catch up on and digest last week's results before placing my bets for the weekend. I do prefer betting on the NFL at times with fewer teams to track, more information available, closer spreads and entertaining player and game props to chase. Still, I've been picking five college football games with my dad every Saturday since high school, so picking college football games means a bit more to me, even if it's sometimes more surprising. (I'm looking at you, Gators!)
SI Betting/College Football Writer Richard Johnson's Take
It's absolutely football without a question. The NFL is its own fun, but when you get to college football, the variance involved is what makes it uniquely fun in addition to the sheer depth of the sport. The way you now magically are deeply invested in a Tuesday night MAC game despite attending the SEC school offers a different way to interface with a sport I dearly love all in good fun. Am i gonna get rich off this? Nah. If I was good enough beat the books consistently, I wouldn't be working at Sports Illustrated. But winning $50 and the validation of putting my money where my mouth is on some random game is plenty fun.
SI Betting Writer Frank Taddeo's Take
After working in the back office of a Las Vegas sportsbook, I have learned to not have a favorite sport to wager on. My best bets involve wagers based upon the power of information. What I mean by this is often as sports fans we form our opinions prior to games taking place. However, the power of acknowledging the opinions of successful sports bettors is vital to becoming a disciplined sports investor. In addition, the betting landscape is evolving as professional sports leagues are entering into partnerships with sports leagues. In short, my favorite bets involve those that teach me to adjust my formulated opinions and accept a willingness to understand that all sports, like the betting industry, are a business.
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