Betting on Loathsome Team

THE ONLY THING CONSTANT IS CHANGE

I grew up in Central Indiana. I always loved college sports, especially the Indiana Hoosiers. Thus, I hated Purdue, for obvious reasons. And loathed Notre Dame, well, just because. After high school, I headed off to Indiana University, mostly to get out of the awful, dead-end town I grew up in, but also because I thought it was what I wanted to do, at the time.

Growing up an Indiana Hoosier fan back then was awesome. The football team wasn’t very good, and that certainly hasn’t changed much, but the hoops squad was coached by none other than Robert Montgomery Knight. Yep, the glory days.

But this article is not about the Indiana Hoosiers and their (past) success on the hardwood. Nope, this is about the loathsome Purdue Boilermakers and how, as a bettor, I have had to bury the hatchet, so to speak, in order to make a little money.

When I first started betting sports, I found it absolutely impossible to wager ON teams I loathed. Purdue and Notre Dame headed the list, but there were certainly others. Oklahoma comes to mind. But it has been a revolving door. Yet, as my career has progressed, I realized I was leaving a lot of money on the table not being able to wager on a team I loathed. My problem was I didn’t want to make a bet on a loathsome team, like Purdue, and therefore establish a rooting interest in that team. How could I, a committed Hoosier fan, ever root for a squad like Purdue? What’s a bettor to do?

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb? Just one, but the lightbulb must really want to change!
– Old Joke

I have described my college hoops handicapping strategy on this site. I do the same thing for every team and for every matchup. In the past, after handicapping a contest Purdue was playing, I could only bet against them, if I liked the other side to cover or win straight up. Same thing for a team playing Notre Dame and Oklahoma and others. If I liked their adversary, I could bet on the adversary. But never the loathed team.

I have since grown up.

It is silly to handicap a matchup and leave money on the table. I have been able to get past my fear and loathing of betting on a loathsome squad, simply because I do this to make money.

Every day I hear the same thing. Someone loves a team (the Duke Blue Devils come to mind) and absolutely must bet on them. Duke is often the correct side, or at least they have been the last two decades or so, but sometimes you gotta go against them. It’s just the correct play to make, from time to time. If you can only bet ON a team, then you are very possibly leaving money on the table by not considering and betting the other side, when your handicapping tells you it’s the correct play to make.

Last night was an excellent example. The Purdue Boilermakers were 14-point favorites, hosting the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. I handicapped the contest, held my nose, and marched up to the counter and laid the 14 points.

Final Score: Purdue 89 Rutgers 54
Final Result: CASH