Mental Health

Football is America’s favorite sport these days, so it should come as no surprise that wagering on football is the most common sport betting activity on the continent. Games in the National Football League, the minor leagues, college, and even some high school games will attract thousands of bettors each week. In this article, we are going to take a look at some fundamentals when it comes to betting on any football game.

What kind of bet can you make?

The most popular type of sports bet made on football games is the spread bet. Spread bets include an underdog and a favorite, and a certain amount of points a team must win or lose by in order for the bettor to collect. They look like this:

Chicago Bears -10.5 (-150)
New England Patriots (180)

Whether you are betting the money line (which we will get to in a second) or the spread, the team with a negative sign near it is always the favorite. Being the favorite means that the most people are placing bets on this team, which may or may not indicate their chances of winning. So, in the above scenario, the Bears are the favored team (haha!). This spread also indicates the amount of money wagered in order to win. Every bet of $150 on the Bears will collect $100 if the Bears beat the spread. Betting on the Patriots, on the other hand, means that you stand to gain $180 for every $100 that you bet.

The spread is favored in football because it carries an extra element of security. That security is represented by the -10.5 figure. This means that in order for people to collect on wagers placed on the Bears, Chicago must win by at least 11 points. If they only win by 9, those betting on the Patriots will win the bet (which means that underdog bets will still win, even if the underdog team actually loses). That extra .5 of a point is added so that there is no “push”, or tie, on the bets.

The second most popular type of sports betting action when it comes to football betting is wagering on the money line. This is your standard bet, where money is placed on one team to win. Money lines are expressed much the same as spreads, but without the points indicator. Generally, money lines cost more money to bet on the favorite in order to win $100 because a victory is easier to predict than a difference in points.

Other types of wagers in football betting:

There are quite a few different types of sports betting wager placed on football games, which can add some spice to your betting life. Over/under bets are placed according to the total amount of points both teams will score in a game. For example, a sports book might place the combined total score of a football game at 55. Bettors would then decide whether they thought the combined score would be over or under that total, and place wagers accordingly.

Futures, totals, squares, and parlays are all also popular in football betting.

How to bet on football games:

Keep in mind, when betting on football, that most sports bettors will win less than 50% of the time. This is because the sports books really know what they are doing, and play with the odds continuously and successfully.

However, a little bit of knowledge can go a long way in helping out one’s football betting record. There are services which can be of great assistance to those interested in all manner of sports betting, football betting included. Sports information lines in particular can assist bettors when it comes to finding good value bets and up to date information about the team they might want to bet on.

Finding the right sporting goods and apparel can sometimes be a frustrating event. It seems like there are an endless supply of stores, but of these which are the best?

Below is a listing of some of the top places to find sporting goods on the Internet. Some of these also have brick and mortar stores, so if there is one in your area, you can go and try on or test out the merchandise before you buy it.

Dick’s Sporting Goods

- Dick’s is a large national chain whose slogan is “Dedicated to the Dedicated.” Their selection is large and they carry most every name brand you can look for. Their prices are not bottom barrel, but they do run weekly specials that you can access by clicking on the “Weekly Circular” link at the bottom of their homepage.

The Sports Authority

- TSA is unique in that its website and brick and mortar stores are essentially run by two different companies. Because of this the selection on Internet vs brick and mortar differ drastically and the downside is that you cannot return items purchased online at your local store.

Sport Chalet

- The Sports Chalet is a publicly traded company generally with large brick and mortar stores. They specialize in all sports ranging from common one to more abstract or unique sports.

Academy Sports + Outdoors

- Academy Sports + Outdoors has retail stores located in the southeastern United States and focuses on both traditional and outdoor sports. They offer low prices, which sometimes translates into prior year models, but if you don’t care about that they are a very reputable dealer.

Modell’s Sporting Goods

- If you are from, or have visited the Northeast, you have probably heard of Modell’s. People outside that area may not have, but that shouldn’t deter you from visitng their stores. As one of the oldest sporting goods stores in the country, “Mo’s” does a fine job of offering products for every rec athlete.

Paragon Sports

- Paragon is a one store operation, but with a large online presence. They claim to have 30,000 items online and 50,000 items in their store, so if you happen to be in New York and are looking for athletic supplies, your best bet is to head on over to their flagship store.

Eastbay

- Eastbay was one of the first nationwide retail chains designed with the athlete in mind. From the early days of mailed catalogs to today’s Internet age, Eastbay is a great resource for all athletes. They are especially good at customizing uniforms and gear for team use.

Play It Again Sports

Play It Again Sports probably the most famous used sporting good store in the country. If you don’t mind hand me downs, you can save 50%-80% on most all goods in the store.

So the next time you are in the market for some sporting goods, keep the above retailers in mind, as you are sure to find exactly what you want.

Keep sporting!

Fox Racing’s entry into the premium helmet category is their V3 product line. Let’s see how the V3 Fox helmet stacks up agains it’s competitors.

Protection

As with most high end motocross helmets, the V3 fox helmet exceeds Snell and DOT standards. This does not guarantee any level of safety, but it is extra piece of mind for the wearer.

Weight

Weighing in at under 3 pounds, the V3 fox helmet is lighter than most of it’s competitors. This will be especially appreciated on those longer rides when fatigue sets in.

Comfort

The V3 fox helmet is one of the coolest and most comfortable helmets available. It has 13 vents and 5 airflow channels. This helmet is the most comfortable helmet that I personally have ever owned. Fox Racing has clearly done their homework in this area.

Pricing

Priced at just under $400, this helmet is at the high end of the range. If you shop around, you can usually find a good deal on a Fox helmet. A few merchants even offer a low price guarantee so that you don’t have to spend all your time shopping around.

Details

The included lined helmet bag is very nice. It is of higher quality than most of the competitors bags. An extra visor is also thrown in. The V3 Fox Racing helmet D-rings are made of titanium. That probably doesn’t save you much weight, but it sure sounds good.

Finishing

There are plenty of color options to choose from for your V3 Fox helmet. Current offerings include the Montage, White Wall, and several color options for the “Race” design.

Conclusion

The V3 Fox helmet is a high quality product. It doesn’t blow away the competition, but it is near the top of every category and hands down the most comfortable helmet on the market. In terms of value for your money, you can go wrong with the V3.