San Francisco Giants Players Opened Up About Threats from Fans Aggrieved by MLB Bets

In a recent conversation with USA Today, a handful of San Francisco Giants players opened up about receiving threats and being harassed by fans who submitted failed MLB bets.

For those who bet on the sports in the United States, this discussion we’re about to look at and then analyze won’t come as much of a surprise. Sure, the vast majority of sports bettors in the USA do not harass athletes and team employees. However, it does happen. It has always happened. Heck, it happened long before the United States Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection ACT back in 2018. This is the ruling that cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting on an individual basis. But even before the USA plunged into legal sports betting, plenty of fans wagered on events by going to Las Vegas or using offshore sportsbooks. 

Fast forward to 2024, and more than half of the United States has legalized sports betting in some form. Entering August 2024, more online sportsbooks in the United States are operational than ever. Not every state has them. But enough do that they’re accessible to everyone.

These circumstances have led to a rise in sports betting. By extension, this means more MLB bets are being placed. While this additional volume is great for state revenues, it also poses more downside. Invariably, the increasing number of people who bet on sports results in more instances of athlete harassment. 

Just how common is this behavior when it comes to MLB bets? A smattering of Major League Baseball players are giving us a window into the treatment they sometimes face.

Failed MLB Bets Have Led to Harassment in Many Forms, Including on Social Media

Matt Chapman, Logan Webb, and Tyler Rogers are the Giants players who went on the record with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Before even digging into their comments, you might be wondering why a team in the Golden State has to care about MLB bets. After all, sports betting in California is illegal, right?

That’s correct. But fans find ways to place MLB bets in California anyway. Never mind offshore sportsbooks. Many just travel across state lines. MLB teams also play 81 games on the road each season. Plenty of those trips take them to states with legal sports betting. That opens the door for even more responses.

Of course, in-person harassment may not even be the most prevalent issue for MLB players. Social media gives everyone around the world instant access to anyone else. This dynamic makes it too easy for disgruntled fans to message players about their failed MLB bets. As Giants pitcher Logan Webb told USA Today:

"You get some messed up stuff, a lot of nasty DMs [direct social media messages]. People are really passionate about teams, and now that you add money to it, it’s bigger than ever. My first year, there wasn’t that much gambling going on. It was just, ‘'Oh, you suck. You shouldn’t be on the team.’ Just things like that. Now, you’re getting, 'You just cost me money.’ They say some [messed] up [expletive]. I get a lot of that with strikeouts. 'Hey, I got money on you for strikeouts. Are you going to hit it?’...There are times it gets pretty serious.”

Prop Bets are Adding a New Element to Fan Responses

Another player from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Christian Walker, spotlighted another issue. The rise of prop MLB betting in the United States has, in his estimation, increased the criticism players face from fans. Here’s what he told Nightengale:

“People have their phones out as the game happens now. It’s not a situation anymore where you place a bet before the game, and then you’re at the mercy of it [the bet] the whole game. It’s real time as innings are unfolding and they make little prop bets. I can show you my DMs that are full of people talking [expletive], saying how you cost them money and saying some nasty [expletive]. That’s part of it. It shouldn’t be part of it. But it is part of professional sports now.”

The Giants’ Matt Chapman discussed this element, too. Both he and Walker have a point. The chance to make MLB bets isn’t going anywhere. So the criticism they face as a result is just part of the day-to-day.

Does that make it acceptable? Some might believe it does. Isn’t that why players get paid millions of dollars? To deal with this type of scrutiny?

On some level, this is absolutely the case. But only to an extent. There is always a line. Pro athletes are human beings. Memes and jokes and legitimate critiques are fair game. Threatening them over MLB bets that didn’t hit is absolutely not.

Can Anything be Done to Limit the Harassment MLB Players and Other Athletes Face?

Make no mistake, this issue is not unique to MLB bets. It’s happening across all sports. To this point, there is nothing necessarily in place to limit it. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not being discussed. As Nightengale explained in his feature, the Major League Baseball Players Association has publicly voiced concerns about extreme fan responses to MLB bets. The result? There is an amendment in the current MLB collective bargaining agreement that requires teams to be “proactive” in how they address these issues.

And yet, many want to see more done—not just for reactions to MLB bets, but all sports bets. Granted, it’s not clear what that looks like. Can the states intervene? What about the federal government? Is it really their place?

The latter question is easier to answer first. Yes, it absolutely should be the responsibility of states to get involved. Pro athlete harassment is a part of legal sports betting. That makes it germane to state law. Plus, we’ve already seen some try to rein in the impact sports betting and online sportsbooks have in their market. For example, Ohio proposed legislation to restrict sports betting advertising practices.

Indeed, this issue is different. You’re trying to monitor individuals rather than corporations. That’s a lot harder. And no solution will ever be perfect. But based on what’s happening, it sure seems like something should be done. It’ll be interesting to see when or if states start proposing legislation that better protects athletes against harsh treatment from aggrieved sports bettors.

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