For generations, sports were one of the last places in American life where hard work, discipline and fair competition still mattered.

But now, like so much of our culture, professional sports are being corrupted by the power of money, and gambling is accelerating that decay at a dangerous speed.

The FBI arrested Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in connection with alleged illegal gambling operations and a sports-rigging scheme that reportedly used inside NBA information. He is also allegedly connected to a wider criminal investigation involving organized crime.

Former NBA star and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups has now also been allegedly linked to Mafia-backed underground poker operations, raising further concerns about professional sports being compromised by criminal influence. These are not isolated scandals; they are symptoms of a deeper and growing problem. Gambling money has now wrapped itself around American sports, and the integrity of competition is slowly suffocating because of it. (RELATED: Texas High School Football Player Put In Hospital After Opponent Blasts Him In Face With His Own Helmet) 

So much so that we are beginning to see Federal agencies and Congress tightening their attention on the darker edges of sports gambling. 

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