What is Point shaving?
In [[sports]], '''point shaving''', is a certain type of [[match fixing]] where [[basketball]] or other sports players try to prevent a team from covering a published point spread. Spread betting usually motivates point shaving. The point shaving scheme usually involves a sports [[gambling|gambler]] and several players who are likely to win the game. In exchange for [[bribery|a bribe]], the players agree to making sure the team they are on will not cover the point spread. The gamblers then wager against the bribed team. ==Basketball== Basketball is a very easy medium for shaving points. This is because of the scoring tempo of the game and the ease under which one player can influence key events. Corrupt players miss shots on purpose or commit [[foul]]s or [[turnover]]s. By doing so, he/she makes sure that his or her team fails to cover the actual point spread. However, the game is not lost. The [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] have a [[zero tolerance]] policy prohibiting point shaving. Point shaving in the NCAA is a federal crime in the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite web|title=How Point Shaving Works|publisher=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2011/04/how-point-shaving-works/349575|access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref> The [[National Basketball Association]], or NBA, have had very few point shaving problems. However, they have had several in the past.<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Point Shaving|publisher=National Basketball Association|url=https://nbahoopsonline.com/Articles/2017-18/pointshaving.html|access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref> The basketball sports [[drama movie]] ''[[Blue Chips]]'' (1994) is the story of the coach of a fictional [[university]]. The basketball coach finds out that one of his players shaved points in a basketball game three years earlier. ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Organized crime]] [[Category:Basketball]]