HIST 202
Fall 2025
Formal Essay
Instructor: K. Jones
Formal Essay – Sports Betting and the Anti-Gambling Movement
QUESTION: Analyze the arguments made in favor of and against gambling and sports betting
since the late 1800s. How did those arguments change over time? Do you think sports betting
should once again be banned, should it just be better regulated by the federal and state
governments, or should the industry just be allowed to regulate itself? Joon Lee states “the
deeper the rot goes, the more it misleads fans that gambling isn’t just part of sports, but part of
being American.” Do you agree that gambling, speculation, and sports betting are part of being
American? Why or why not?
REQUIRED READINGS:
Background Sources (must use specific example(s) from the NYT opinion essay by
Joon Lee):
OpenStax Textbook (cite as OpenStax with page number or chapter/section number):
Ch. 17.3, 19.3, 21.2, 24.1, 24.3, 31.2.
Newspaper Opinion Essay – Lee, Joon. “Gambling Is Killing Sports and Consuming
America,” NYT, 28 October 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/opinion/sportsgambling-major-leagues.html
Podcast – “The story behind the sports betting boom” NPR. Fresh Air. Dave Davies
interview with Eric Lipton. 6 April 2023.
https://www.npr.org/2023/04/06/1168349259/the-story-behind-the-sports-betting-boom
Primary Source Documents (must use specific examples from four of the six documents
listed. PDFs of the documents are located in the Documents folder in the Essay section on
Canvas.
Breeden, Rev. H.O. “Gamblers and Gambling,” from William C. King Portraits and
Principles of the world's great men and women with practical lessons on successful life
by over fifty leading thinkers. P. 452-457. Springfield, MA: King-Richardson Publishing,
1897. https://archive.org/details/portraitsprincip00kingiala/mode/2up
Trial Summations, State of Illinois v Edward Cicotte, et al., August 1921.
https://www.famous-trials.com/blacksox/960-excerpts
"Wire Act of 1961." United States Code, Title 18, Sec. 1084.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1084
Excerpt from Senate Report 102-248. U.S. Senate. Senate Report 102-248 on the
Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. U.S. Government Publishing Office, 26
November 1991.
Silver, Adam. “Legalize and Regulate Sport Betting. “ New York Times, 11 November
2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/opinion/nba-commissioner-adam-silverlegalize-sports-betting.html
Majority Opinion in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. United States
Supreme Court 138 S. Ct. 1461 (2018).
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-476_dbfi.pdf
PAPER COMPONENTS:
I. Format (30 points):
1) Papers should be typed and double-spaced. Papers should be no less than 2 full pages.
Students should use 12 pt font and 1-inch margins.
2) A header is required and should include the following information: student’s name, date,
class (HIST 202), and instructor’s name (Jones). There should be only one or two spaces at
most between the header and the beginning of the paper.
3) Students may include a title for their papers. If they choose to include this, it should be no
more than one space underneath the header in the center of the paper. The body of the paper
should begin no more than one space underneath the title. Titles are optional.
4) Papers should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. The body of the paper should be
divided up into separate paragraphs, one for each main topic or point made. The first sentence
of each paragraph should be indented.
5) Papers should have a clear and specific thesis statement that does not just restate the main
question being asked. Thesis statements can be more than one sentence long but should also
be concise. Please refer to the handout posted on Moodle if you are having trouble crafting a
strong thesis statement.
6) Sources should be cited using MLA format. This means that students should use
parenthetical documentation when directly quoting something or when paraphrasing another
author’s idea or argument. Sentences that convey a student’s own thoughts or arguments, or
state factual information, do not need to be cited. Citations should include the author’s last
name and the page number when possible.
7) While you are required to use in-text citations, a Works Cited page is not required. Students
should only use the sources listed in the instructions. No other sources are allowed.
II. Spelling/Grammar and Style (20 points):
Papers should have minimal spelling and grammatical errors. Please use spell check while
writing your paper. Spell check does not catch every misspelled word, so be sure to also
proofread your papers carefully for any spelling errors. Incomplete sentences, run-on
sentences, misuse of words, and inappropriate use of punctuation are all considered serious
grammatical errors and will negatively affect your grade. Sentences and paragraphs should be
coherent, clear, and well organized. Use past tense when writing history essays and papers. If
you feel you need assistance with spelling, grammar, or style, please either turn in a rough
draft to me or visit the Writing Center.
III. Content (50 points):
1) The main focus of the paper should be to analyze the arguments made for and against
gambling/sport betting since the late 1800s. Your thesis statement should address whether
sports betting should either be more heavily regulated by the government, banned, or left as it
is currently. Your final argument in the conclusion should address whether you think sports
betting is inherently American or not and why.
2) In addition to the background information from the lecture notes and textbook, students
must use specific examples from the NYT opinion essay by Joon Lee and specific examples from
at least four of the six assigned primary source documents to back up their arguments.
3) Papers should discuss the specific arguments and points made by each author in the four
primary sources they choose to use. Students should also discuss each author’s point of view
(biases, background, reasons why they might have held the viewpoint they did).
4) Students should demonstrate in their paper that they have completed the required
background readings by incorporating relevant information from those background sources into
their papers. Papers should not just be a summary of the primary source documents.
5) Students should address the final question in the prompt in their conclusions.
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