While gambling odds have been referenced on sports broadcasts for a long time, the recent expansion of legalized sports betting has led to more explicit mentions. We’re a long way from the days when Brent Musburger and Al Michaels would subtly reference specific point spreads. Now, broadcasters often make in-game promotional reads for live betting odds, as Judd Sirott did during a Boston Bruins game against the Minnesota Wild on NESN.
During a stoppage in play, Sirott did an ad read for FanDuel’s live odds on specific Boston players scoring. Shortly after, one of those players, Trent Frederic, scored, prompting Sirott to reference the odds he had just mentioned: “He scores! That’s +900 if you made the wager fast enough.” This incident ignited a flurry of discussion on X, particularly from those displeased with the specific odds mention, which was exacerbated by a clip shared by ALLCITY hockey podcaster Pete Blackburn that omitted the prior odds discussion—crucial context for Sirott’s comment.
A minute after Bruins’ NESN voice Judd Sirott did a promo read on FanDuel live odds for certain Bruins’ players scoring, one of those players (Trent Frederic) scored. That led to Sirott’s “He scores! That’s +900 if you made the wager fast enough” call. pic.twitter.com/NxMO3loFV9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 5, 2025
Like, this is insane. Who wants this? https://t.co/69sFUoYQN5 pic.twitter.com/UpZgQGH4v1
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 5, 2025
I mean he’s clearly only mentioning it because it’s ironic he just finished an ad read on it? Not because he loves gambling and is shoving it down your throat
— Chris Miller (@ChrisMilller8) February 5, 2025
Judd never does, it’s just cause they were talking about odds like seconds before so it was a cool coincidence
— Bruins (@bstnbruins88) February 5, 2025
Despite some defending him, others were notably upset to hear odds mentioned during a goal call:
The odds popping up in the goal call is actually insanity
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 5, 2025
We’ve had it in breaks in play in Australian sports for years, but it feels like the US has caught up and then overtaken at an absolutely rapid rate. The in-play live odds stuff is just a bit gross
— Simon Anderson (@simonjourno) February 5, 2025
My god. Absolutely brutal. Wings have FanDuel odds and stuff like showing live odds and anytime scorer odds pregame but it’s always between the whistles. Never during play
— NR (@detnr19) February 5, 2025
While many oppose odds being mentioned during goal calls, it’s important to consider context. Not all viewers may catch the full context of the broadcast, especially when moments are shared on social media or in highlight packages. In this case, Sirott wasn’t casually mentioning odds but referring to a live odds promo read just before Frederic scored, making it a notable coincidence rather than an established pattern of behavior. Moving the odds mention slightly later could have mitigated some backlash, highlighting the broader conversation about the role of gambling references in sports broadcasts and their implications.
