Mike Francesa Gambling Games
Mike Francesa Sports Gambling
Mike Francesa Gambling News

When I grow up, I want to score an absurdly high-paid gig where I publicly contradict myself on previous positions without repercussions. One in which I’ll never have to acknowledge I was wrong in my original stance.

Granted, I could be alluding to almost any politician with that job description. But I’m actually referring to legendary New York sports talk host Mike Francesa.

Francesa says his new 'Mike On' app, set to launch Friday, will eventually 'do a lot more gambling stuff.' VIDEO 5:13 05:13 Mike Francesa on his new 'Radio On' app. Mike Francesa says don’t ask questions about Carton, caller parodies Carton anyway: Francesa, the long-time WFAN afternoon host, has frequently traded insults back and forth with Boomer. Craig Carton returns to clean up WFAN’s post-Francesa mess and a few of his own. Operation to try and pay off his massive gambling debt. They were played by Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa.

Sports betting innovator?!

Yup. The same guy we thought was going to be spending his days at the track when he “retired” from WFAN last December. It took all of five months before he was back on the airwaves, just 18 days prior to the SCOTUS’ decision to eradicate PASPA in Murphy vs. NCAA.

A supporter of sports betting, Francesa certainly wasn’t displeased with the development. In fact, he recently used his platform to blast Gov. Phil Murphy and the state of New Jersey for announcing its rollout of legal sports betting when there’s still a 30-day waiting period for licensees to apply for an online/mobile wagering permit.

Francesa is apparently so fired up about the potential for a widespread legalized sports betting landscape, it’s got his creative juices flowing.

Earlier this week, he spent a few minutes musing about how if states with legal sports wagering “were smart”, they’d create and sponsor some betting “games” that are skill-based, low-risk and high-reward. These contests, he explains, would be ideal for those who may not necessarily want to bet through a sportsbook.

Contests where participants assemble a roster of various players in a given sport that are playing that day. And, if those players’ cumulative stats for the night surpass those of another predetermined group of players, you win a large five-figure sum.

Seriously. Francesa invented daily fantasy sports. In 2018.

With legalized sports betting upon us, Mike Francesa came up with a terrific idea today. It seems that Big Mike has invented daily fantasy sports. pic.twitter.com/Qlwm3ACbYA

Mike Francesa Gambling Games

— Ƒunhouse (@BackAftaThis) June 13, 2018

And to think Al Gore fashioned himself a big shot when he “created” the internet.

No shortage of irony in Francesa’s sports betting ‘brainstorm’

No need to call the bomb squad. That loud boom was just the collective sound of the heads of every DFS player and supporter exploding.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with what Francesa is suggesting, of course. In fact, it sounds like a completely workable and … get this … FUN concept! However, it’s not only been in existence in some form for over a decade at this point, it’s also a multi-million-dollar industry in terms of annual revenue.

And ironically, Francesa almost gave New York Assemblyman (and DFS player) Dean Murray an aneurysm while arguing with him on the air about whether DFS was a game of skill in December 2015. By the time that “interview” was over, Murray probably felt like he’d been through about a dozen town halls with angry constituents.

Francesa apparently now has no problem affixing the “skill” label to a game that would essentially amount to playing DFS against the “house” (in his example, presumably the state, which would predetermine the lineup that participants would have to beat to win).

However, unless his four-month sabbatical served as the equivalent of a hard drive wipe on his memory, he at least owes Murray a belated apology. Or at a minimum, a $5 ticket to a future “Sports Pope” GPP in New York.

That is, if the Empire State decides to be “smart” about the whole thing.

During his more than three decades on WFAN, Mike Francesa did a great job of intertwining himself with the New York sports scene. But as the industry modernized, the connections Francesa built with Leon Hess, Barry Watkins, Bill Parcells, George Steinbrenner and others became obsolete.

Francesa touts having played a role in the Mets getting Mike Piazza, he also helped advance the decision to cancel the NYC Marathon after hurricane Sandy in 2012. And even as sports teams shifted to operate more privately, Francesa said on Adam Schein’s podcast that former Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan used to call the Sports Pope to “pick his brain.”

Mike Francesa Sports Gambling

“I used to talk to Maccagnan, Maccagnan used to call me,” Francesa told Schein while commenting on current Jets head coach Adam Gase. Osrs chest slot table saw. “Now, Maccaganan was an odd guy. He didn’t give anybody extra favors. He never gave me a scoop. But he used to call and pick my brain, I can say that now.”

I can see taking credit for Piazza becoming a Met, but I’m not sure I’d admit to advising Maccagnan. The former Jets general manager is behind most of the personnel moves which helped Gang Green maintain their laughing stock status in the NFL. Bad drafts, bad free agent signings, and he hired a coach who somehow managed to have him fired before the season started.

It might seem a little crazy to believe Maccagnan was calling Francesa for advice on how to run the Jets, but we’ve witnessed similar instances. In 2019, then manager of the Mets Mickey Callaway asked Francesa on-air for advice on how to handle rookie Pete Alonso and the homerun derby.

“Speaking of Alonso, I’ve been wondering this, what do you think about him hitting the All Star Game, in the Home Run Derby?” Callaway asked.

Mike Francesa Gambling News

Francesa told Callaway to let the kid compete, and Alonso went on to win the Derby. Maccagnan and the Jets weren’t as lucky.