jili tutorial

US Sports Leagues Unite to Combat Athlete Harassment from Sports Bettors: A Comprehensive Guide

By jili tutorial · September 17, 2026

US Sports Leagues Unite to Combat Athlete Harassment from Sports Bettors: A Comprehensive Guide

Overview: A Landmark Collaboration Against Online Abuse

As the annual US Sports Equinox approaches in late October, a coalition of major professional sports leagues took a historic step on Tuesday by releasing a joint memo aimed at curbing the rising tide of harassment directed at athletes from frustrated sports bettors. The memo, dated September 15, was sent to 35 state gaming authorities across the country, marking the first time such a broad alliance has formed around this issue. The timing is deliberate: with sports betting and predictions reaching a fever pitch, leagues are signaling that protecting athlete well-being is now a top priority.

The signatories include the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and Major League Soccer (MLS). Crucially, the leagues are joined by their respective player unions, underscoring a united front between management and labor. Notably absent from the signatories is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), though the memo explicitly urges states to extend mandatory bans to individuals threatening “amateur athletes,” as well as coaches, officials, and team personnel.

The Core Proposal: Mandatory Lifetime Bans for Harassment

What the Memo Specifically Demands

The centerpiece of the proposal is a call for state regulators to adopt mandatory lifetime bans for any individual found to have “abusively harassed or issued threats of violence” against a professional athlete. This is not a suggested guideline but a firm recommendation backed by the collective weight of America’s most powerful sports organizations.

“The leagues wrote in their statement: “Threatening the safety of an athlete or their family members over a sports bet crosses a bright ethical and criminal line, and it is entirely unacceptable.”

How the Bans Would Work in Practice

Context: The Rise of Athlete Harassment Since PASPA (2018)

A Troubling Trend

Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Murphy v. NCAA (commonly known as the PASPA ruling) in May 2018, which opened the door for states to legalize sports betting, there has been a documented uptick in harassment against athletes from bettors. The industry itself views this as both troubling and prevalent, with incidents spanning multiple sports and levels of competition.

The problem is exacerbated by the anonymity of online platforms, the immediate emotional stakes of gambling, and the ease with which bettors can directly message athletes through social media.

Case Study 1: Benjamin “Parlay” Patz

Perhaps the most alarming example occurred in 2019, approximately 15 months after the PASPA decision. Benjamin “Parlay” Patz, a California bettor, sent a series of explicit messages to four members of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, threatening to “sever” their necks open. Federal investigators later accused Patz of targeting more than 300 accounts belonging to professional and college athletes.

Patz pleaded guilty in 2021 to transmitting threats in interstate or foreign commerce. However, despite the severity of his actions, a judge ordered him to undergo mental health treatment and abstain from gambling—but did not sentence him to prison. This outcome raises questions about whether legal consequences alone are sufficient deterrents.

Case Study 2: Armando Bacot and March Madness

In December 2024, former Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) convened a sports betting hearing—the first federal hearing on the subject in six years. Durbin opened the session with an anecdote from the prior season’s March Madness tournament.

Armando Bacot, then a center for the University of North Carolina, recorded a double-double (18 points, 7 rebounds) in a win over Michigan State. Yet he received more than 100 threats on social media. Why? Because bettors were furious that Bacot missed the “over” on his individual rebound total. The incident illustrates how even statistically impressive performances can trigger online abuse when they fail to meet betting line expectations.

Case Study 3: The College Football Kicker

At the July 2024 National Council of Legislators From Gaming States (NCLGS) conference, a state representative shared a harrowing account: a football kicker from his state endured a barrage of threats after missing a field goal in a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) game—a lower-tier division in college football. The threats were severe enough that the legislator felt compelled to raise the issue during a panel discussion on athlete harassment.

The Sports Equinox: A Symbolic Moment

What Is the Sports Equinox?

The “Sports Equinox” is a relatively new phenomenon that occurs when the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB all hold games on the same calendar day. This year, the equinox will transpire on October 26. While the MLS will not be in action on that date, the league’s signing of Tuesday’s memo underscores the broad support behind the initiative.

The timing of the memo’s release, weeks ahead of the equinox, is strategically designed to maximize public attention and pressure state regulators to act.

Congressional and Regulatory Developments

Ted Cruz and the Protect College Sports Act

The memo arrives as Texas Senator Ted Cruz works to pass a landmark federal framework for college athletics. Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, co-authored the Protect College Sports Act with Washington Senator Maria Cantwell.

While the proposed bill seeks to prevent student-athletes from trading on prediction markets, it does not set any explicit standards on player harassment. However, Cruz has expressed optimism that the bill will be signed into law, and the broader conversation around athlete protection is gaining momentum.

Dick Durbin’s December 2024 Hearing

The December 2024 hearing marked the first federal sports betting hearing in six years. Durbin’s focus on the Bacot case highlighted how athlete harassment has become a bipartisan concern. The hearing also touched on the need for better data sharing between sportsbooks, leagues, and law enforcement.

The CFTC and Prediction Markets

The NFL referenced a comparable incident-reporting platform in a letter this summer to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regarding prediction markets. The league was one of several that submitted public comments on the agency’s proposed rules for event contracts. The comment period opened shortly after a May 2024 federal sports betting hearing held by a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee, during which several members alluded to the rise of prediction markets and the associated risk of increased harassment.

Industry Response and Next Steps

What Sportsbooks Are Doing

Joe Maloney, president of the Sports Betting Alliance (which represents DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, and Bet365), told reporters on Tuesday that its members are actively investing in tools and partnerships to:

“We welcome efforts by leagues, players, and regulators to build on that work and make clear that harassment has no place in sports,” Maloney stated.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s Position

At the 2024 NBA Summer League press conference in Las Vegas, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked whether the league would support forming a coalition to develop best practices on insider trading and other betting-related concerns. Silver responded that the NBA could be a “party” to such an initiative, adding that he may support the establishment of a federal tsar on sports betting—a single federal authority to oversee the industry.

This statement came in the wake of multiple betting scandals involving high-profile figures, including Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, former Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier, and several other ex-NBA players.

Lingering Questions

Despite the memo’s strong language, questions remain about whether the proposed bans will serve as a meaningful deterrent. One key challenge: the global nature of online betting. As seen in the case of former Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers (who faced menacing threats from a bettor later determined to reside overseas), jurisdictional boundaries complicate enforcement.

Additionally, it is not immediately clear whether any professional sports league commissioners are willing to testify before Congress on some of the most problematic aspects of sports betting. While the memo represents a significant show of unity, translating these recommendations into binding regulations will require sustained political will.

What This Means for Athletes and Fans

For Athletes

For Bettors

For the Industry

Conclusion: A Step Forward, But Not the Final Word

The September 15 memo represents an unprecedented collaborative effort by US sports leagues to address the dark side of the sports betting boom. By calling for lifetime bans and standardized reporting platforms, the leagues are taking concrete steps to protect athletes from harassment and threats. However, the ultimate success of these measures will depend on state-level adoption, international cooperation, and ongoing federal oversight.

As the Sports Equinox approaches and the Protect College Sports Act moves through Congress, the conversation around athlete safety is only beginning. For now, the message from the leagues is clear: threatening an athlete over a bet is no longer a private matter—it is a shared responsibility to enforce.