The ESPN BET logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. ZUMA Press-TNS

Nicole Noren spent 24 years at ESPN, much of that time producing award-winning investigative journalism on difficult topics, including human trafficking, sexual abuse, and concussions. But as ESPN embraced sports betting, Noren, in a new interview with Columbia Journalism Review, says the network repeatedly rejected her proposals to investigate gambling companies and addiction. The issue was personal: her grandfather, father, and a brother had all struggled with gambling addiction. So when ESPN licensed its name to a sports betting app in 2023, she’d reached her limit. She quit in 2024.

Sports fans had better pay attention. As leagues, broadcasters and gambling companies become more tightly entwined, sports coverage is becoming a means to draw fans into betting. The same outlets that owe fans scrutiny of the gambling industry now have financial stakes in turning them into its customers.

The transformation of major sports media into gambling partners has been quick. As recently as 2019, then-Disney CEO Bob Iger told investors in the company, which owns ESPN, that he didn’t foresee “facilitating gambling in any way” in the short term. Now DraftKings ads and odds are woven through the network’s programming, website and app. During this year’s March Madness, fans could even link their ESPN bracket to DraftKings for personalized betting options.

The entanglements go well beyond........

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