PVP-PANORAMA No. 297 • 02/18/23

PANORAMA PANORAMA

GIRLS OPEN SPRING SPORTS

Spring Sports

• The spring sports season has officially opened after Opening Day ceremonies at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Girls’ Softball League.

The traditional Parade of Trucks and then the Parade of Teams took place last weekend along with competitive games at Cornerstone School.

The Palos Verdes Youth Basketball League is holding final championship games this weekend, and Little League and Junior League baseball begin action the following week.

An All-Star Salute . . . The California State 12U Champions take the stage on Opening Day.

Varsity Opening Day . . . Peninsula High senior Kaleb Woodland greets the Palos Verdes Little League All-Stars.

Tournament Champions . . . The 10U Palos Verdes Peacocks are back after another season of tournament trophy collecting.

PVLL All-Stars Shine At Panther Park

• The Peninsula High varsity baseball team held Opening Day ceremonies saluting its refurbished infield and stadium facilities as well as the Palos Verdes Little League All-Stars.

Southern California State Champions . . . The 10-year-old Palos Verdes Little League All-Star team won District 36 and Section 4 banners and the Southern California State Championship. The team includes Bennett Lopes , Cody Kim, Conor Eroen, Deven Reddy, Drew Myhre, Griffin Rudy, Hudson Sheffield, Lucas MacAllister, Miles Baranick , Rocco Ciccone and Tyler Turse. Manager Ben Eroen. Coach Mark Baranick .

Photos by Carly Funk

Sports Gambling Quickly Becomes Part Of The Game

Culture

• Still not legal in California, sports gambling has become mainstream almost everywhere else.

By Timothy Niemann

If you tuned into last Sunday’s Super Bowl and you have been a regular viewer of television sporting events, you may have noticed something a little different about the coverage of the biggest game in American sports.

Fox, the game’s exclusive broadcaster, had no hesitation promoting online sports gambling. The game’s spread and total were shown constantly in the pregame, and Fanduel and DraftKings, two major online wagering corporations, spent big on commercials during the big game.

Up until just a few years ago, traditional media outlets made sure to steer clear of sports gambling. Announcers were discouraged from talking about gambling fundamentals, such as points spreads and totals in games. It was taboo for commentators to even mention sports gambling.

In addition, sports leagues gravely feared the threat that sports gambling posed. The NBA was most publicly affected after a referee spent time in

prison due to involvement in a sports gambling scheme in the early 2000s.

In 2012, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that sports gambling was the number one threat to the integrity of football. Then-MLB Commissioner Bud Selig called sports gambling “evil.”

But not too long later, sentiments in the media and world of sports began to change regarding sports gambling. In 2014, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wrote an op-ed calling for the legalization of sports gambling.

Soon after, new MLB Commission-

wagering in many states, media networks and sports leagues got kneedeep in the business. Fox opened its own online sportsbook, FOX Bet, in early 2021. ESPN now has a Las Vegasbased TV show dedicated completely to sports gambling.

Today, the NBA, NHL, and MLB all have “official gaming partners” that spend tens of millions of dollars to be those leagues’ exclusive gambling partners.

On StaffTimothy Niemann Sammy Funk

Publisher/Editor: Tom Combs

Copy Editors: Sue Demerjian, Winton Combs

Cartoonist: Jack Dickason

PENINSULAPANORAMA.com pvsports.com localnews@pvppanorama.com

Next Edition March

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er Rob Manfred echoed a similar message. In 2016, both the NFL and NHL announced future plans for teams in Las Vegas, a huge step towards accepting the industry of gambling.

But in 2018, everything changed when the Supreme Court of the United States delivered a ruling that opened the door for online wagering to become legal across the country. Soon enough, online sports gambling became legal in many states. Today, online sports wagering is legal in 21 states.

Following the legalization of online

Sportsbooks are even beginning to open up at sports venues. Wrigley Field and State Farm Stadium (host of Super Bowl LVII) among others have on-site sportsbooks for sports gambling. And Americans are all in on the sports gambling craze. More than 50 million Americans are estimated to have gambled more than $16 billion on last Sunday’s Super Bowl.

In an ironic twist, the NFL will play Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas next year, directly across the street from the very sportsbooks the league’s commissioner dubbed the greatest threat to the sport just a decade ago. Online gambling has taken the sports world by storm, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Tom Combs tcombs@pvppanorama.com 310-971-8518

Lucas Demerjian 424-237-6296 demerjianluke@gmail.com

Jill Allen

310-663-0630 JillAllen411@yahoo.com

We publish 21 times during the calendar yearevery other Saturday unless otherwise noted.

DEADLINES

In Memory of Jolene Combs

Jesse Lou Givens

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“ . . .everything changed when the Supreme Court of the United States delivered a ruling that opened the door for online wagering to become legal across the country.”

Hill Battles End Winter Sports Season

Middle School

• Ridgecrest soccer and basketball teams traveled to Palos Verdes Intermediate School Tuesday and Miraleste Thursday to finish the South Bay League winter sports season.

The Raiders got wins in boys’ and girls’ soccer and girls’ basketball while the Sea Kings won the boys’ basketball match against the Raiders.

Raiders Spring Sweeps PVIS Soccer . . . The Ridgecrest boys’ and girls’ soccer teams got 1-0 and 3-1 victories at Palos Verdes Intermediate School Tuesday.

Lady Raiders Rule The Court . . . The Ridgecrest girls’ basketball team got a win against PVIS Tuesday and will take on Miraleste to see who is Queen of the Hill.

Editorial and Advertising deadline is 6 p.m. Monday the week of publication. PVP-Panorama is published every two weeks. Our next edition is out March.

Sea Kings Defend The Home Court . . . The Palos Verdes Intermediate School boys’ basketball team got a 29-24 win over the Ridgecrest Raiders Tuesday.

14U Palos Verdes Aces

12U Vicious Vikings

12U Red Onions

12U The Freeze

12U Trash Pandas

10U Silver Bullets

10U Palos Verdes Peacocks

10U Supernovas

10U Bulldogs

10U Heartbreakers

8U Purple Panthers

10U Wildcats

8U Pink Flamingos

8U Tigers

10U Purple Pythons

8U Lavender Lions

State Champions Live Here . . . The 12U All-Star team led the Parade of Teams during Opening Day ceremonies. The team includes Lyla Benton, Ellie Correa , Amelia Cyril, Addie Eroen, Davia Huber, Josslyn Johnson, Paige Kelly, Cady Klink , Naya Lesser, Kalysta Lund, Annmarie Russell and Malia Tamilin. Manager, Kendall Benton. Coaches Jeff Huber, Philip Johnson and Tim Lesser.

Big Yellow Ball Back In Action

Softball

• The Palos Verdes Peninsula Girls’ Fast-Pitch Softball League opened the spring sports season with its annual parade and Opening Day ceremonies last week.

The league will be celebrating its 50th spring season with 27 teams competing in five divisions through midMay at Cornerstone School.

The Opening Day ceremonies, which included the traditional Parade of Trucks that went from Highridge Park to Cornerstone School, was highlighted by saluting the California State Champions 12U All-Star team.

Parade Season Begins

Big Yellow Ball In Play . . . The Trash Pandas battled the Red Onions for a 15-11 win to begin the season in the 12U Division at Cornerstone School.

8U Night Hawks

8U Fireballs

8U Peacocks

Freeze Overcomes Vikings . . . The Freeze got past the Vicious Vikings, 5-3, in 12U Division action during the Opening Day of the girls’ fast-pitch softball season.

Georgiana Rosenkranz Broker Associate, JD CalBRE# 01411097

8U Snowcones

6U Bulldogs

6U Pink Butterflies

6U Blue Unicorns

6U Yellowjackets

6U Peacocks

6U Red Ladybugs

6U Panthers

PVYBL Basketball Finals Underway

• The Palos Verdes Youth Basketball League held upper division championship games for boys’ teams at Peninsula High School last week.

With top-seeded teams falling early, Magic and Fire and Ice were able to reach the championship game with Magic winning, 33-28, the Black Division final game.

Brown Hornets didn’t slip up and finished the regular season in firstplace and defeated the second-place Bananas, 32-25, to win the Brown Division championship game.

The Greyhounds lost the first game of the season and didn’t lose again, finishing the regular season in first place and defeated second-place Team Kobe, 52-38, in the Gray Division championship game.

Angry Hornets .

Playoff Magic . . . The Magic’s Brandon Chang goes up high for a shot during the Black Division championship game against Fire and Ice at Peninsula High.

. . Leading-scorer Nico Wiederkehr goes up for a shot during the Brown Division champship game at the Peninsula High Field House.

Under The Basket . . . Luke Swanholt takes the ball down into the key for the Magic during the Black Division final game.

. . . Jack Nguyen grabs a rebound for the Bananas during

Brown Division championship game.

Hornets’ Jackson Gregory blocks a shot during the Brown Division championship game.