Organized crime, sports gambling and role conflict: Victimization and point-shaving in college basketball.
Item
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Title
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Organized crime, sports gambling and role conflict: Victimization and point-shaving in college basketball.
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Identifier
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AAI9304745
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identifier
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9304745
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Creator
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Whelan, David Charles.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Robert Kelly
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Date
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1992
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Criminology and Penology | Education, Physical
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Abstract
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This study investigated the topic of point-shaving conspiracies masterminded by members and associates of traditional organized crime and organized criminal networks, and carried out by college basketball players.;Inquiry was governed by the central research question: What were the causal factors that contributed to major college basketball's exposure to illegal gambling and organizational crime? A cardinal premise of the study was that these programs were in some way particularly susceptible to this form of corruption. Analysis was built around a series of research questions related to the distinct facets of the phenomenon.;These aspects included factors that accounted for the growth of illegal sports betting in this country since 1945; the nature and extent of organizational crime involvement in illegal gambling; point-shaving and its relation to the technical features of the game of basketball; case studies of the four major point-shaving schemes in college basketball; motivation of players to participate in point-shaving; and policy to reduce the likelihood of this type of corruption.;An additional focus was on the part role conflict might play in terms of a student-athlete versus a pseudo-professional college basketball player. In particular, the effects of commercialization, academic preparation, graduation rates, eligibility requirements and scholarships on role conflict and the possible repurcussions of illegal behavior.;The methods used to answer these research questions included case studies, regional survey, standard library search, document analysis and interviews.;Survey research concluded that a large amount of illegal gambling is believed to be taking place in the United States on college basketball games, and that some form of organized crime is involved.;It has also been concluded that the mechanics of basketball lend themselves to point-shaving fixes; gambling on college basketball games is a pervasive and persistent activity; organized crime continues to be involved in illegal sports gambling; and college basketball players do display characteristics that make them extremely vulnerable to victimization, resulting, in part, from role conflicts. From these results, policy was proposed to deal with this phenomenon.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
