Sustaining Sport

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This episode explains how bookmakers are guaranteed to make a profit. Many sports betters are under the impression that they are playing ‘against’ the bookmaker. Either they win or you win. This is simply not true.

Firstly, there are so many people betting on all the possible outcomes. Secondly, the odds that bookmakers offer are “priced up” so that regardless of the outcome, they will make a margin. In other words, the sum of the implied probability on all outcomes is more than the sum of the true probability on all outcomes. If this sounds confusing, this episode is here to help.

This episode also discusses how bookmakers’ models are supported by a huge amount of historical data and enormous computing power, so they can adjust their spreads in real-time or refuse bets if betting is leaning too heavily toward one outcome.

Finally, I believe it is essential to understand that because they make a decent margin on all the events that can be bet on, just like the casinos, they are seeking scale above all else. I hope you enjoy this episode!

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This episode explains a core understanding of gambling: the House Edge. Using consistent mathematical principles, casinos and bookmakers convert the small edges embedded in their games into a massive and guaranteed profit margin. The key ingredient is scale.

The House Edge on a single hand of a single game is a bet only slightly in their favour. But, at the scale of millions of hands played by millions of players, this edge becomes a certain win for the house. This concept is known as the law of large numbers and I review this law in detail, using the example of the insurance industry as further proof of its efficacy.

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This is the beginning of a series of episodes that seek to give the listener a much clearer understanding of sports betting. Gambling as an industry is often reviled yet continues to grow. This growth guarantees more people will fall foul of its most negative aspects such as debt and addiction. From the outside, it is easy to say that only fools gamble, but such stigmatization of the victims and overconfidence against gambling’s ruses and has left a culture where most are unprepared to deal with the constant gambling persuasions. In reality, nobody is immune.

In this series, I will attempt to provide you with a foundation - a small shield in the face of so many companies spending so much money to get as many people as possible to gamble. This involves a look at gambling as a whole before focusing on sports betting. I am in no way advocating for gambling or to degrade those who partake. What I do want though is a deep collective understanding of what gambling is, so that it is regulated and taxed properly, that many of the negative side-effects are prevented, and that we offer intervention, compassion, and guidance to those who do overindulge.

This first part looks at our shared ‘natural irrationality’. We are all sometimes at the mercy of our emotions and the quirks in the way humans think mean we will make choices despite pure mathematics advising against it. We also review the many fallacies that we tell ourselves when playing games of chance. Enjoy!

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Adie Delaney has long understood that sport is not just for exercise, competition, or spectating. Sport can also be an art form and a medium with which to teach. With this foundation, Adie is enjoying a rather unique career. She has a passion for heights and entertaining. She is an athlete and a teacher. And she is combining all of this to educate young people about consent and body autonomy. 

Speaking to the Sustaining Sport podcast from the Australian island state of Tasmania, Adie tells us her story. After many successful years traveling with the circus as an aerialist, she is now a primary prevention educator at the Sexual Assault Support Service and was a speaker at TED Women 2020. 

In this episode, we discuss her insights on body autonomy and consent as well as how she uses the sport of circus to better communicate with her students. We also review the systemic issues surrounding sexual assault in the world of sport.

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Sportswashing refers to an organisation or state investing in sport to improve its public image. China’s hosting of the upcoming winter games appears to be exactly this, as they attempt to display themselves to the world as a strong and prosperous nation. This is while China stands accused of crimes against humanity amounting to genocide of the Uighur Muslim population.

In Episode 5 of the Sustaining Sport podcast, we review the entire history of sportswashing with the Olympic games including why it keeps happening. We then look at options, such as a boycott, that we as fans of the games have to prevent more sportswashing in the future!

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David Karasek is a former Olympic swimmer whose passion for sports and competition has not diminished since he stepped out of the pool. Instead, he has been on a journey of self-discovery, learning how valuable and empowering it is to have a positive mindset before you are successful. He argues that believing you are capable of being successful is the essential first step to take as, without it, your self-doubt will impede you in those high-pressure moments. Armed with both this understanding and with his own personal experience, David is now a full-time mental coach. His mission is to share his insights with others, particularly athletes, as he wishes someone had shared with him when he was at the top of his game. 

In this interview episode, he and I look back on his physical journey to the London 2012 Olympic games and the mental journey that he has taken since then. His story is both motivating and elevating!

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The Olympic Games have real value. It is pure sporting competition at the highest level and we as fans love to experience the ups and downs along with athletes. It is also thought to bring prosperity to each new host city via the ‘Olympic Legacy’ which claims to leave behind better infrastructure and long-lasting tourism as well as inspire strong values. But is this legacy truly so positive? In this episode, we discuss how the International Olympic Committee or IOC have created a system whereby the host city carries most of the risk, leaving the taxpayer to bear the burden of overspending on soon-to-be abandoned facilities, while the IOC move on to the next bigger, flashier Games.

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Formula 1 is one of the most entertaining and popular sports on the planet. It naturally is the focus of criticism with regards to sustainability as it is a sport about cars and, relative to its size, it emits a huge amount of carbon dioxide. But the source of most of those emissions is not as obvious as you might think. This episode starts by seeing why F1 emissions are so high and what progress they have made in emitting less. Then, it makes the case for how a deeper change in the norms of the sport in terms of sustainability regulations, lifestyle expectations, and decreasing the distances travelled would more drastically reduce the sport’s emissions. This reduction would both better justify the sport’s continuation while also arguably be commercially beneficial, opening it up to new ‘green’ focused sponsors and fans.

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Competitive sport is one of the great joys of the human condition for athletes and spectators alike. It brings happiness, livelihood, and physical health and provides an education in teamwork, discipline, maturity, and humility. But for this to continue, sports around the world must acknowledge challenges both current and future and both internal and external. Then, steps must be taken to overcome what faces them, or risk losing what so many people hold so dear. But what are the challenges and what steps can be taken?

This podcast seeks to address exactly that! We will review everything from sexism in sport, sport’s role in climate change, racism, gambling addiction, mental health, the list goes on and on! We will also discuss potential remedies and look at how we as individuals can make a difference. It begins with a conversation. It may lead to raising awareness, mobilising voters, and improving behaviours. And hopefully, it will end with meaningful change.


Please feel free to reach our to the show on
Web: sustainingsport.com
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Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @sustainingsport

And now also on Twitter! @SustainSportPod

This podcast now has a Patreon. We shall, of course, continue to make these episodes free to listen to. But if you do like the content, please consider contributing even the smallest of amounts, either as a one-off or regular payment. It would be hugely appreciated.

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Women’s football is on the rise but it still has to operate in the shadow of the men’s game due to continued stigmatisation of female athletes and a lack of funding and support from grass roots all the way to the professional game. This episode makes a compelling case for why it benefits us all for women’s football to have its share in the spotlight.  It also looks at the extent of the problem and raises some promising ideas to help promote and improve the women’s side of the game.


Please feel free to reach out to the show on
Web: sustainingsport.com
Instagram: @sustainingsport
Linkedin: /sustaining-sport
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @sustainingsport

And now also on Twitter! @SustainSportPod


This podcast now has a Patreon. We shall, of course, continue to make these episodes free to listen to. But if you do like the content, please consider contributing even the smallest of amounts, either as a one-off or regular payment. It would be hugely appreciated.


Also, this show uses Buzzsprout as they are the best platform for Podcast Hosting! If you have ever wanted to start your own Podcast, we really recommend Buzzsprout. By following the link below, you will get a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, AND it helps support our show! Give Buzzsprout a go:

Support the show

Please feel free to reach out to the show on
Web: sustainingsport.com
Instagram: @sustainingsport
Linkedin: /sustaining-sport
Facebook: @sustainingsport
Twitter: @SustainSportPod
Now on Bluesky /sustainingsport.bsky.social
or contact us at: [email protected]