Former NY Giants David Tyree and Mathias Kiwanuka take on NFL point spreads in new MSG Networks' show
Touting the inside information of former Super Bowl champions, MSG Networks is bulking up its coverage of sports betting with a new weekly pregame show that debuts Sunday.
New York Giants Super Bowl champions David Tyree and Mathias Kiwanuka will host “Odds with Ends” throughout the NFL season, joined by New York athletes and expert bettors.
“As I go from the defensive line to now breaking down betting lines, I’m looking forward to connecting with the fans again every Sunday,” Kiwanuka said in a prepared statement from MSG Networks. “David and I will provide fans with a unique perspective around sports betting that only former players can give. We will chop it up and deliver analysis that will be helpful for NFL fans betting on games each week.”
A 2006 first-round draft pick, Kiwanuka finished with 38.5 sacks in nine seasons with the Giants, ranking ninth on the team’s all-time list.
Tyree contributed the famed heroic catch in Super Bowl XLII in 2008 that propelled the Giants to victory over the then-unbeaten New England Patriots
The show’s arrival comes on the same week New Jersey became the first state to surpass $1 billion in monthly handle, with the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement reporting $918.4 million of that total coming through online sports wagering.
In serving the nation’s No. 1 media market, MSG Networks offers programming of the New Jersey Devils, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres while providing coverage of the Giants and Buffalo Bills.
While New York state regulators are positioned to approve mobile sports betting in early December, with an eye on having mobile betting open to the public by February’s Super Bowl, regional sports network MSG also serves Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s mobile sports betting system is live, and Connecticut – home to a strong contingent of New York sports fans -- opened for business with DraftKings, FanDuel and PlaySugarHouse operating Tuesday.
In its announcement, MSG Networks’ Kevin Marotta, the senior VP of marketing and content strategy, said, “With the rapid rise in sports betting interest around the country, we are excited to expand the reach of the MSG Networks brand and further immerse our fans in the sports betting culture. We will significantly increase our sports betting presence with the launch of these fun and energetic shows, which will uniquely position us to become one of the premium destinations for sports betting content.”
MSG previously offered a betting show, “The Betting Exchange,” that features former Jets safety Erik Coleman. The half-hour roundtable show will expand from a once-weekly position to Monday through Thursday early evenings.
Additionally, a new show, “The Bettor Half Hour” will debut Wednesday and immediately precede “The Betting Exchange” on those four weeknights at 5 p.m. Eastern.
In the statement, an MSG official said “The Betting Exchange” intends “to entertain, yet educate viewers on how to approach sports betting,” discussing effective betting strategies, analyzing the latest storylines and reacting to the latest odds and betting action, and “will include interviews with industry leaders and expert voices in the betting field that will present the viewer with even more tips, news and information.”
Before this season, former players working pregame broadcasts typically offered their picks based purely on who’d win the game straight up, downplaying the game’s point spread established by Nevada-based or online bookmakers.
The increasing legalization of mobile sports betting across the nation has eased the taboo nature of these opinions.
Now, Tyree and Kiwanuka will offer predictions based on specific point spreads on the mornings before Sunday kickoffs, touting their awareness of the “nuances” of game experiences.
Whether those years of locker-room and on-field participation will provide an edge of expertise beyond the studious efforts of professional gamblers known as “sharps” remains to be seen.
But as the big business of sports betting continues to heighten, expect a coming onslaught of marquee former players to emerge in the sports betting world, testing their luck against the spreads along with the rest of us.