Communities in many parts of the world proudly associated themselves with cultural, traditional and social practices that were founded by pioneers, which was an effort to establish identity and can be identified from the rest of the communities. Popular culture, is one of these traditions that managed to survive the test of times to influence the various aspects of life of the twenty first-generation generations (Ashby 11). Pop culture refers to the general ideas, attitudes, images, perspectives, and any other phenomena that form the foundation of a certain culture, especially culture of the West, of the early twentieth century to the emerging global mainstream of the twenty-first century. The media play a significant role in the spread of pop culture and it is the reason, why this collection of ideas penetrates daily lives of any given society in both beneficial and harmful ways.

Long time ago, specifically in the 19^th century, the United States community began loving football. Soon thereafter, they started participating in even more sporting events and expanded their horizons to more than just the game itself. Sports became very important in the lives of many Americans. Not every pop culture action or activity is positive to the community. Now communities use sports in many questionable ways as gambling. We need to stop gambling of all sports, because people waste their money, it contributes to poor health, and increase criminal activity such as money laundering.

Sporting events in this age have turned in a bad direction, as gambling has become more commercialized. When someone starts gambling, they may win some money occasionally, which gradually persuades them to gamble with higher amounts. Ultimately, this leads to debts that many people do not have the capacity to pay back.Research from the National Council on Problem Gambling, NCPG, has estimated that two million people are currently in financial trouble from gambling in sport. This is a huge number of people getting themselves into trouble from betting on sports.

Pete Rose,is the all-time Major League leader in hits, played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989. He was suspended in 1989 because he was betting on his team. “I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team,” Rose said. “I did everything in my power every night to win that game.” He knew that it was illegal to bet on his team but he was greedy and he wanted to make money. This gave him power to work harder on the field and as a manager to make his team win.

In addition, these gambling addictions may lead to high blood pressure or even heart disease. From the beginning of 2013 until now, there have been 1,737 cases of heart disease from people with gambling addictions.There are also 15 million people, including the two million suffering financially, at risk from gambling mentally and physically, 25% of which are actively participating in sports wagering.

Gambling also provides gangs with an opportunity to venture into money laundering because the risk of being caught is minimal (Borghesi63). The establishment of the law to fight money laundering in sports has seen a number of Mafia gangs being arrested in the recent past due to involvement in both gambling and money laundering. It gives the gangs place to laundering them money without risk. Research has shown that the majority of the people involved in gambling do it in relation to sports and a significant increase in the number of lifestyle diseases among those taking part in the vice has been seen (67). The government lost a lot of revenues due to this practice and it is the community that suffers because of the negative effects on the economy.

On the other hand there are people that believe gambling is a very useful way to earn money. There is TV show called”Buyers Beware”that portrays gambling as the best way to earn money. It suggestsgambling with a small amount of money then gradually increasing this amount. He advises against gambling with large amounts of money.

Michael Ciasco, a racer in Las Vegas, also agrees that gambling is the easiest way to earn money. He said at first he never bet more than three or four dollars, but as he started to win, he began to bet $18 to $20. He said “Money management in this town is very important. I do not have a system of my own, so I am pretty much picking horses at random.” Now he bets up to$50,000 without worry because he earns all this money from gambling.

Sports form a vital part of any society’s life and is regarded as a pop culture by the majority of the people, who appreciate the history and development that it has gone through over many years. However, people should commit themselves into learning the ideology of sports because it is necessary to get rid of misconception that sports is just but a competition. This misconception is what has led into the vices that are currently being practiced, such as gambling and money laundering which threaten to diminish the value of sports. Communities should be encouraged to respect their pop culture, and support the efforts by the government to fight vices that have no regard for the value associated with cultural practices.

Works Cited

Ashby, L. “The Rising of Popular Culture: A Historiographical Sketch,” OAH Magazine of History, 24 (April 2010), 11–14. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.

Borghesi, R. “Widespread Corruption in Sports Gambling: Fact or Fiction?” Southern Economic Journal (2008): 1063-1069. Print.

http://www.ncpgambling.org

Sieroty, Chris. “Avid bettors help sports-gambling business grow.” LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Stephens Media LLC. January 30, 2013 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/betting/avid-bettors-help-sports-gambling-business-grow>

Dumon, Marv. “The mafia’s hijacking of sports.” Examiner. Clarity Digital Group LLC. June 13, 2012 <http://www.examiner.com/article/the-mafia-s-hijacking-of-sports>

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