Let鈥檚 have a look at how to approach the United Football League semifinal game set for 6 p.m. Sunday in St. 亚洲无码 from a betting standpoint, something the upstart spring gridiron circuit has embraced.
In no way is what follows here meant to insinuate the fix is in. But in this era in which conspiracy theories abound and even are embraced by some, let鈥檚 throw a few things out there to chew on for a bit as it would be immensely better for the UFL鈥檚 business if the hometown Battlehawks win.
The game at 6 p.m. Sunday pits them against the San Antonio Brahmas, a foe the B-hawks beat in their two regular-season meetings 鈥 albeit barely last weekend despite being at home. The winner of Round 3 returns to the same field in The Dome at America鈥檚 Center the following Sunday to play the victor of the UFL鈥檚 other semifinal contest (Michigan at Birmingham on Saturday) for the league title.
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So a key cog to the reasoning that follows is that the title game will be in St. 亚洲无码 no matter what happens this weekend.
Point 1
The Battlehawks drew an average of 34,365 fans to their five regular-season home games, more than double any other team in the league averaged.
Fans likely would turn out in droves for a football fest with a St. 亚洲无码 title on the line. But a San Antonio-Michigan/Birmingham matchup would be a party pooper, an anticlimactic B-hawks bummer that surely would draw thousands of fewer fans.
The league, which has had attendance problems outside of St. 亚洲无码, would greatly benefit from the B-hawkers and not Brahmas charging onto to the field a week from Sunday.
Point 2
Unlike with the Rams, or any other NFL team, the Battlehawks do not have their own owner (or owners). There is no Battlehawks general manager, either. The UFL owns all the teams, there are no franchises, so all decisions at least theoretically are made on a what鈥檚-best-for-the-league basis. And what better than to have the B-hawks in the title game, on their home field?
There鈥檚 nobody like Jerry Jones to be outraged and railing on Roger Goodell demanding an explanation if he thinks his team was robbed. Everybody works for the league, not a team.
Point 3
The league is owned 50% by Fox Sports, which will be televising the title game and has cleared prime airspace for it 鈥 the late Sunday afternoon window in which the NFL often draws the week鈥檚 biggest audience in all of television. (KTVI, Channel 2 locally at 4 p.m. June 16).
What鈥檚 better for television, a raucous atmosphere in a noisy and animated dome with what could be the largest crowd in this century for a spring football game, or a likely smattering of folks if San Antonio instead of the Battlehawks is representing those teams鈥 conference?
Point 4
Other UFL owners are film and pro wrestling superstar Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥 Johnson, his former wife, Dany Garcia, plus Gerry Cardinale, founder and managing partner of Redbird Capital Partners that according to its website manages $10 billion in investments. They previously owned the XFL, of which the Battlehawks were a member, and last winter bought the United States Football League and merged the circuits into the UFL.
It is not known if Johnson, the face of the league, will be at the title game. But if he is, it would look infinitely better on television 鈥 as well as for the league鈥檚 advertisers and for future UFL promotional footage 鈥 if he receives a thunderous reception in a rowdy wrestling-type setting from fans who would be very appreciative of him keeping spring football in St. 亚洲无码 than if he would be mingling with the Brahmas in a much more blas茅 atmosphere.
So there you go, conspiracy theorists. Time to unload the wallet on the Battlehawks, who as of Friday afternoon were favored at the three legal walk-in sportsbooks in the St. 亚洲无码 area, right? All had the B-hawks at about -165 on the money line, meaning a bettor would have to risk $165 to try to turn a $100 profit. With the money line the team merely has to win, not cover a pointspread that could be skewed by the UFL鈥檚 funky extra-point(s) scoring system.
The most favorable pointspread on the Battlehawks was -2陆, at Argosy (casino in Alton). It was 3 at the others: DraftKings (Casino Queen in East St. 亚洲无码) and FanDuel (horse track in Collinsville).
Well, let鈥檚 keep looking before tapping into the bank account.
Counterpoint
The UFL faced a somewhat similar situation last weekend, when the Brahmas also played in St. 亚洲无码 with the winner getting the home playoff contest this Sunday. A Battlehawks victory a week ago certainly would fuel much bigger ticket sales in St. 亚洲无码 for the semifinal matchup than a Brahmas victory would push sales in San Antonio, which drew an average of 11,868 fans this season.
The Battlehawks clawed out a 10-0 halftime lead, but the Brahmas rebounded despite having to turn to a backup quarterback. They scored a touchdown with 1:56 left to pull within a point, then decided to go for a 2-point conversion.
Those who believed the B-hawks would get the benefit of any close call thought they were right when San Antonio鈥檚 receiver caught a conversion pass but was ruled to have been stopped just short of the goal line. But replay official Mike Pereira overruled the call, correctly saying the ball had broken the plain of the line 鈥 much to the chagrin of the conspiracy theorists, putting the Brahmas ahead 14-13.
But wait.
The B-hawks used their 鈥渟uper challenge,鈥 a UFL quirk that allows a team to contest any potential rule violation regardless if a penalty was called. They contended that a San Antonio lineman was too far downfield, and their complaint was upheld. After a 5-yard penalty, San Antonio鈥檚 next attempt was unsuccessful and the Battlehawks held on to win 13-12 after also surviving a missed 51-yard field-goal attempt by Ryan Santoso in the waning seconds that was partially blocked by Hakeem Butler.
The bottom line
It all looked to be on the up-and-up last week, even if it was a strange way for the home team to win.
But from a betting standpoint this time, it sure has to be you either take the Battlehawks on the money line or simply pass on the game.