Some people will bet on anything......

[Mustang Sally]

....but can anyone tell me why they bet on pre-season football?

Serious bettors study for upcoming games, right? I remember one sports reporter picking games a few years ago, saying he'd pick the Colts if Peyton Manning was playing, but choosing the other team if he didn't.

This makes sense, especially with quarterbacks, but also applies to other key players, right? I've read that many feel there's no QB you'd rather have in the game than Peyton if you're behind by 4 points and have time for only one last drive.

But this doesn't pertain in pre-season, does it? Peyton plays only a few series in the first quarter and even if the team is down by 4 with 2 minutes left in the game, the coach isn't sending Peyton back in, is he? (The Jets just learned what happens when they sent Mark Sanchez back in the 4th quarter of a meaningless game). I can just imagine the anguish of a bettor who needs his team to get the touchdown so he can win his bet, even while knowing his team won't be trying as hard to win as they would in a regular season game.

Sure, the scrub players will fight as hard as they can to impress, but that's to win jobs on the team, not to win games. Presumably, the coach will plan accordingly, knowing that while it's nice to win, he won't risk key personnel or reveal special plays to the other team if winning isn't the primary goal of this particular game. If the bettor doesn't know who will be in there the last 3 quarters, aren't they foolish to lay down their money?

But they do, don't they?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Some people just bet on everything and anything:

1. Some people may make a bet like this just to give themselves a reason to get themselves in a game that is basically meaningless.
2. Some just bet for fun. I'm going to the horse track in a couple weeks and I am going to make some bets just for the heck of it. I have no idea about the horses, I'll probably look at the guide and the horses themselves but I really have no idea what I'm doing. It's just fun. Look at the lotto, it's all random, there is no logic that help you win but people do it anyway.
3. And then there are the people that really believe they have inside knowledge on how the game is going to work out. Some coaches have a reputation for playing their guys harder, some teams may be more focused on working on certain things that may not help them win, and some players develop reputations for half assing these games. If you believe that knowledge has value, why avoid free money.

I don't bet on much, I like cards and fantasy sports (although even that is wearing thin on me). I'm a Bills fan so I have to handle enough losing so betting would be too much for me to handle and certainly not pre-season football but I get why people do. The only bet I made on this year's football season is Aaron Hernandez for Offensive MVP. I feel good about it.

 

[Mac Attack]

Sure betting on preseason is fairly unwise. We all realize that especially with how random it can be but is betting wise in general? Some would say yes, I'd venture to say most would say no. Preseason is a four headed monster that luckily gets slain by the hero that is the regular season. The regular season is normal predictable and often times more easy to predict. Preseason you never know what to expect and is far more risky. I mean who'd have Steelers at 0-4 right now? But at the end of the day it boils down to a 50-50 bet where ultimately you gain intrigue in the match. Sure it's not wise but it does happen, and I think those who do it understand what they're getting into.