Monthly Archives: February 2022

Take One Step This Week Toward Combating Censorship: This Weeks Book Censorship News, February 25, 2022 – Book Riot

Posted: February 26, 2022 at 11:12 am

If youre fired up about book challenges and want to do one actionable thing about it that requires little more than a few minutes of time, this ones for you.

One of the several possible ways to fight book challenges is being tuned into your local school and library boards. School boards tend to be elected offices, while public library boards can either be elected or can be appointed. In the case of elections, you, as a voter and citizen of your community, can not only choose to endorse a candidate who cares about intellectual freedom, but you can run for those positions yourself. If your board utilizes the appointment system, you can submit an application for open positions.

While running for and sitting in those positions can take a lot of time, voting for those positions is part of civic duty.

Heres your action step this week: look up your local school and public library board. Who is sitting on it? How did they get there was it election or appointment? How long is their term? When do elections for open positions happen? Its likely a board seat on either may be up for spring elections in April or May this year, and/or there may be open positions during the fall election season in October or November.

If you find there are open positions coming up for election, research the candidates. What language do they use to talk about how they see themselves in the role? By now, youre likely conscious of some critical words that define those seeking to censor educators and the materials they use or have available in schools and libraries (look for words such as parental rights or oversight, among others).

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It might feel like a small step, but many small steps taken add up. The more information you know about your own community, the more youre able to be an active participant in it. The death of local news has been a tremendous detriment to so many towns, and where information used to be readily shared through those sources has fallen instead to partisan-aligned social media outlets. Were all much more responsible for our own civic education in the wake of it.

The only way the war against intellectual freedom is going to be won is by being armed with information that allows you to understand the responsibility and the power in using your voice at the poll, in the community, and at or on these local boards.

A favor to ask before diving into the roundup for the week. Once youve done this work and looked up your school and library boards and the policies around them, can you share that information? This handy form is anonymous but will help compile a resource for people across the country to be better informed. Bonus: you can use it as your personal template for this research send yourself a copy of the form for your own records.

Want to do something for the authors and books being challenged that doesnt cost money and doesnt require you to leave your couch? This set of recommended actions is great, and it acknowledges the inherent privilege in the idea buying books is the solution.

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Take One Step This Week Toward Combating Censorship: This Weeks Book Censorship News, February 25, 2022 - Book Riot

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Racism, censorship, and sexism: The price of being conservative in college – Washington Examiner

Posted: at 11:12 am

Faced with racism, censorship, and sexism, life for a conservative on an American college campus is harder than ever, according to students from around the country.

With few allies for them at school, conservative students have come to the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, to tell their stories.

"It's not fun. We've been persecuted several times," Preston Parra, a 20-year-old student at the University of West Georgia said. "I actually had to take a case up to the vice president. I didnt report anyone specifically, but I was called a racial slur on campus."

WATCH: 'FREEDOM CONVOY' TRUCKER REACTS TO BEING BEATEN BY OTTAWA POLICE

Everyone expects white conservatives to be racist, he said, but Parra, who is of Colombian descent, endures the most attacks from his campus's self-proclaimed liberals and other people of color, including the individuals who called him the slur, he said.

"They happened to actually be black. You see all the time in the media that white people are portrayed as the enemy and the most racist, but growing up as a brown kid in middle school and elementary school, I got bullied more from people of my own color or black people than I ever did by white people," Parra said. "So it's very important we see there is such a double-standard when it comes to racism. People are going around saying the N-word on the liberal side of things, but if you ever heard it on the conservative side, it is a blowup."

"I, myself, am brown. I come from a minority community, and I reported [the incident] to the vice president. I told him, 'Hey, this is going on on campus. Its got to stop.' He nominated me as chairman of the code of conduct board," he continued.

Many conservatives do not feel comfortable speaking up, but doing so can put them in positions to make change, Parra said.

Sexism is another major challenge facing conservatives, especially women, on America's campuses, according to Rachel Ress, a student at Florida Atlantic University.

Ress, 19, said she was originally slated by the school to live in the same residence as a male student.

When she explained to school officials that the arrangement made her uncomfortable, she said they said the only thing wrong with the situation was her attitude.

"I was housed initially with a boy and told that I was the problem because of my Christianity and not wanting to embrace the situation," according to Ress.

"I was like, 'I'm a girl. I want to be with girls.' I had never had an experience like that. I'm glad we sorted it out, but it was hard to be shamed for traditional values in such an untraditional setting."

Georgetown University is an example of a left-leaning school that can be unwelcoming to tradition, according to 22-year-old Andrew Alfonso.

"Theres definitely a lot of assh**** and a lot of real aggression coming from kids on more of the Left," Alfonso said. "I know one time we had a conservative speaker on campus, and a lot of kids ended up protesting that, and it got pretty ugly.

"Weve kind of been siloed," he continued. "It can definitely be difficult at times."

Inside the classroom, life doesn't get easier for conservatives, several students lamented.

"There are some times where I will want to write an essay about one thing, and then I have to hold myself back," Deanna Mancuso, a 20-year-old FAU student, said.

Censorship, whether it be imposed by professors or the students themselves, is a common denominator among America's institutions for higher learning, students agreed.

"I definitely feel at times I cant portray who I am completely because of the fear of judgment," said 19-year-old Dalia Calvillo of FAU.

"But that is something you have to deal with, and you always have to stand up for yourself."

Parra echoed Calvillo's sentiment.

"Many times, professors have tried to censor us on campus. Were not letting that happen," he said. "We're fighting against it, we're shining a light on it, and were publicizing it. Thats the key. You have to publicize all this stuff."

CPAC offers young conservatives the chance to learn about tools they can take back with them and use to make a difference at their schools and in their communities, according to Parra.

"I came to CPAC last year and took back a lot of values then," he said. "So now Im running for [state House] District 64 in Georgia, and were just doing everything we can to make sure we are preserving all the values that are important to true God-loving Americans."

Both Calvillo and Mancuso said they want to use what they learn in Orlando to become better leaders on campus.

"I hope to learn a little bit more about what it takes to be a great leader and show that at my university," Calvillo said.

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It's not just important to be a leader, Mancuso argued. A leader "has to be someone who is unapologetically who they are."

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Racism, censorship, and sexism: The price of being conservative in college - Washington Examiner

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Painting Black History in the Time of Censorship for Young Readers: A Conversation with Nikkolas Smith, Illustrator of 1619 Project’s Born on the…

Posted: at 11:12 am

In Born on the Water, the childrens picture book accompaniment to The 1619 Project, Smiths paintings bring the cultures of West Africans to life, showing the pre-enslavement history often omitted from classrooms.

One of the things that me and Nikole talk about is theres so much rich history, and culture, and so much joy in these tribes and these people that were stolen from their land, Smith told The 74. You really have to understand all of that to understand how heavy it was, and how tragic it was We really just wanted to show that life.

From his plant-filled Los Angeles home, Smith paired Hannah-Jones and Watsons poetry with family traditions, beautiful hair, dances, imagery that evoked death and spirits. Using a digital speed-sketch style, his illustrations began as monochrome shapes and skeletons in Photoshop, impressions of how he felt after reading and internalizing their verses.

The book hit shelves last fall amid a wave of proposed state laws aimed at preventing students from learning a mythical critical race theory and divisive concepts. In at least four states, legislation attempted to ban the 1619 Project explicitly. So far, Florida has succeeded.

While a vocal minority of lawmakers and parents believe school aged children are too young to grapple with just how violence against Black people was intrinsic to the nations founding, many more yearned for the content. Born on the Water topped bestseller lists as families headed into 2022, looking for ways to talk to children about the country theyll inherit.

Smiths artistic approach seemed a natural fit. In digital paintings, he added layer after layer of color and symbols clouds modeled after picked cotton, the shape of a person sinking underwater, or a green toy tied to a tree, the only sign of life left after colonizers stole a tribe to convey anger and fear in ways young readers could feel without being traumatized by explicit violence.

Long-inspired by Nina Simone to reflect the times, hed balanced trauma and life in childrens illustrations for years, painting Tamir Rice, Elijah McClain and others killed by police.

His second book, My Hair is Poofy and Thats Ok, explored the internalized hatred young Black children develop from racism and microaggressions.

Through his work, which he describes as art as therapy, he tries to help himself and viewers heal the broken bones of society.

For them to say, we have a book about the transatlantic slave trade and slavery, and all of these very heavy things that we as Black people in America, we think about it all the time I felt like thats one of the biggest broken bones in America, he said.

Remember that these werent slaves that were taken, these were brilliant people, and they did some amazing things They knew how to design and build cities, they built this country, and thats why they were stolen, because they were brilliant and good at what they do. We just want to remind people of that, and also how much they fought and resisted and got their freedom back.

And [for] the young folks who are not Black, theres no shame in anything were saying. We want people to grow up having an accurate understanding of what happened in this country. I feel like its really not until we address all of these things openly and honestly that were gonna really grow and move forward as a nation.Nikkolas Smith

Smith blurred linear understandings of time by using symbols across generations, to help young readers understand that [ancestors] vision of the future, their wildest dreams are now embodied in us [were] having to take that mantle and move forward.

And in faces, Smith balanced the world of feelings bound up in the Black experience: from shame, when the protagonist cannot make a family tree beyond three generations, to pride, after her grandmother recounts the rich history of tribes pre-enslavement. Her hair, in Bantu knots, and clothing give reference to past generations.

Ultimately, Smith hopes his work can help the next generation of Black youth have a sense of pride. Over the next few months, hell paint scenes of Ruby Bridges, the first young person to integrate a Southern school in 1960. And next year, hell collaborate with celebrated author Timeka Fryer Brown on a picture book about the Confederate flag.

He expects both will end up on some banned lists.

All we can do is keep putting the truth out there, Smith said, and itll get into the right hands.

All paintings are illustrated by Nikkolas Smith for Born on the Water, a publication of Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers.

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Nicky Beer – Must We Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves? – Lavender Magazine

Posted: at 11:12 am

In many ways, the modern audience has grown accustomed to trusting in lies. Weve been suspending our disbelief to enjoy an evening of theatre for millenniawhether were witnessing Medea fly away on a chariot pulled by dragons or turning a blind eye to slapdash producorial edit in the latest episode ofDrag Race. What matters to a modern audience is less about the verisimilitude of the show and more the emotion of the moment, and, in the right light, an illusion can feel as true as anything.

Nicky Beers latest poetry collection,Real Phonies and Genuine Fakes, explores the transformative and necessary power of illusion. This third collection follows Beers 2015 book,The Octopus Game, which examines the fluid and elusive sea creature, among other things.Real Phoniesis a continuation of the idea that subterfuge and fakery exists in the real and natural world, but unlike our cephalopod counterpart, we obtain our disguises from this world and splice them into our identities. Octopuses are masters of camouflage, Beer explains, so camouflage and illusion were something that I was very interested in in [The Octopus Game], and I realized . . . I wanted to keep exploring concepts of deception and illusion. Fans of Beers poetry will note some significant continuity between the two worksMarlene Deitrich appears in both, for exampleas Beer moves us from the seafloor to the mainstage.

InReal Phonies, Beer immediately pulls readers into an amusement park of masquerade (the first poem entitled Drag Day at Dollywood is flush with the fabulous and claustrophobic language of impersonation). What follows is a tour of the funhouse, featuring such notable characters as Dolly Parton, Marlene Deitrich, Batman, and, briefly, David Bowie. Were invited to marvel at these people and the masks they wear in one space, and directed to consider our own masks in the next. Much like gazing into a funhouse mirror, Beers poetry is as equally fascinated with artifice as it is the distorted person underneath it, and readers are often asked to consider these twoi.e., the mask and the person underneathin conversation.

Because, from Beers perspective, our real selves are connected deeply with a myriad of false faces we employ, sometimes subconsciously, in order to live. In the same way that we choose to believe Dolly Partons iconic hair is her own, we have learned to put some trust in certain falsehoods for our own sakes. When asked if there is such a thing as a trustworthy illusion, Beer excitedly replies thatReal Phoniesis an endeavor to examine our relationship with fakery and illusion, and including, I think, self-deception. Whats the degree to which we come to depend on or trust lies that we tell ourselvesaboutourselves? And how do we depend on those lies to navigate or survive the world? Much like the octopus, we learn to disguise ourselves in certain dangerous situations, but unlike the octopus, were far more likely to deceive ourselves in the process.

As is often the case, the truth is often hidden in the details, and readers ofReal Phoniesare privy to the genuine emotions behind Beers marvelous imagery. This book is the first time Im writing explicitly about my mental illness, Beer reveals, describing her experience of performing wellness in her daily life while masking the real depression and anxiety that was causing her pain. Beers poetry captures the strangely backwards way we protect ourselves from outer scrutiny, even when we need help:

Shes been nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of

the concerned line between your doctors eyebrows

as he listened to the giant, sodden moth trapped

between your shoulders, the ruin you carry

around with you like a speech youre always prepared

to give. (from Cathy Dies)

Beyond the desire to seem healthy and happy to the outside world,Real Phoniesspends a significant amount of time contemplating the way in which women and queer people regularly perform to live in a heteronormative, male-dominated world. In one poem, a female speaker confronts Bruce Wayne and laughs at his unoriginal idea to wear a mask in dangerous places: . . . the world is a dark alley / hiding a gun in its mouth. / It has more than enough / reasons to make you/cover your face (Dear Bruce Wayne,). For the outsider, the world is a foreign and often hostile place, and Beers poetry acknowledges these experiences with a mix of delightful humor and deep, delicate sadness.

Real Phoniesis critical of the facades we choose to believe in, sure, but underneath it all is Beers genuine love of performance and the transformative, healing power of suspending disbelief in the right moments. Like the drag queens in the opening poem Drag Day at Dollywood, Beer invites us to join the parade of pretenders for a moment and feel the fantasy (or, at least, to sit back and enjoy the show): Thousands of pairs of Dolly lungs breathe in / gasoline and grease, breathe out glitter.

Real Phonies and Genuine Fakesis available now for pre-order fromMilkweed Editions, and poetry fans in the Denver area can join Nicky Beer atbookbarfor a release party on March 8th. For more information on Nicky Beer, visitnickybeer.com.

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Pandemic, Elon Musk, Squid game and Metaverses The Puzzle Has Been Completed | Bitcoinist.com – bitcoinist.com

Posted: at 11:11 am

In the last century, the world has seemed to have gone crazy: problems with overpopulation, food shortage, environmental disasters, geopolitical conflicts, depletion of natural resources In the 21st century, new technologies have brought new challenges. Just think about it Bitcoin mining consumes more electricity annually than the whole of Argentina, which is about 121.36 terawatt-hours of electricity per year. And this is just the top of the iceberg. The coronavirus pandemic, which broke into the lives of billions of people in November 2019, exacerbated the situation many times over. It seemed that we were witnessing the decline of civilization, and humanity was threatened with extinction. Not on our life. It should be noted that people have a great ability the ability to adapt to any situation, including the most toxic ones. Thanks to this, millions of years ago, people became the dominant species on the Earth, and it is possible that such skills will allow them to dominate other worlds in the future.

By the way, about other worlds talks about the colonization of planets have long ceased to be science fiction. Given the deplorable state to which mankind has brought the Earth, the idea of resettlement to other planets is increasingly becoming the subject of discussion in scientific society. We are witnessing a growing interest in this topic in almost all spheres of life. Films are mass-produced: The Martian, Mission to Mars, Five Years on Mars, books are published: Flight to Mars, One Way Ticket, The Future of Humanity. Elon Musk officially announces that by 2050 he plans to send 1 million people to Mars. On the colonized planet, it is planned to mine diamonds and various unique minerals that are abundant under the surface, as well as to launch mining on an industrial scale, which will allow blockchain technologies to continue developing without loading the Earths energy networks. Hundreds of TV shows are devoted to the prospects of colonization of the red planet. Of course, the gaming industry does not stand aside either: Entropia Universe, RimWorld, Beyond Earth and dozens of other games have firmly taken their place in the hearts of gamers.

If all of the above topics row your boat, then we recommend you to pay attention to a completely new product that intriguingly stands out against the background of other innovations in the IT industry. We are talking about the MIMIspace project. Surely you ask what is so unique that a computer game can offer?

Firstly, MIMIspace is not just a game, but a game universe, or, a metaverse.

Secondly, MIMIspace has a well-developed plot backstory (Lore), in which the creators tried to clearly show where the world is rolling and what awaits humanity in the future if nothing is done.

Thirdly, the MIMIspace metaverse is built in such a way that everyone will find something interesting:

As you can see, the project is really large-scale and impresses with its scope.

A little intrigue is added by the project team, which, in accordance with the best traditions of cypherpunk, decided to remain anonymous. This choice has a fair amount of sense, given that already at the stage of preliminary synthetic tests, MIMIspace Chain demonstrates TPS indicators that are several times higher than the capabilities of competing Web 3.0 solutions by Solana, Cosmos, Polkadot. One can only guess who exactly are the developers of the new mega-powerful blockchain.

In certain circles of the GitHub community, there were rumors about possible connection between the start of the MIMIspace Chain development and the mysterious transaction of 50 BTC (mined in the first month of the Bitcoin launch and staying idle for 11 years), which in 2020 made a lot of noise and excited the international crypto community. Rumors or insider knowledge time will tell.

You can endlessly talk about the benefits of MIMIspace and discuss the prospects. But as the saying goes, seeing is believing. Therefore, we recommend visiting the official website of the project and perform pre-registration. By the way, the team promises encouraging bonuses to users who register under the early access program.

http://www.mimispace.iohttps://twitter.com/mimispace_iohttps://t.me/MIMIspace_iohttps://m.youtube.com/channel/UC-ukucGvZKN7w9l9aUid4ZA

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Stop in Cleveland? City makes its way into Elon Musk joke on The Tonight Show – cleveland.com

Posted: at 11:11 am

CLEVELAND, Ohio Cleveland wound its way into a gag on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Thursday night.

Well, guys, heres some really sad news, the host said in his monologue. I read that in the past few days Elon Musks net worth dropped below $200 billion. Thats right, Elon Musk is no longer worth over $200 billion. Now when he flies to space he has to connect in Cleveland.

Elon was shocked he lost billions, then went back to his latest project - teaching Teslas how to mamba.

Musk is, of course, the maverick financier-entrepreneur behind the electric Tesla cars and is the force behind SpaceX, which promotes civilian space flights and colonization of Mars.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Musk on suspicion of insider trading. Teslas stock has fallen about 33% since Musk began selling billions of dollars worth of shares on Nov. 8 after he Tweeted a poll asking if he should sell 10% of his stock in the carmaker. Musks brother, Kimbal Musk, sold $108 million worth of shares in the company right before the poll was issued.

Wednesday, Teslas stock closed at $764.04 on Nasdaq before rising to $800.77 on Thursday.

Kimbal Musk co-founded The Kitchen Restaurant Group, which operated the now-closed restaurant Next Door, which was located in the Pinecrest development in Orange Village.

I am on cleveland.coms life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories,heres a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.

Get a jumpstart on the weekend and sign upfor Cleveland.coms weekly In the CLE email newsletter, your essential guide to the top things to do in Greater Cleveland. It will arrive in your inbox on Friday mornings - an exclusive to-do list, focusing on the best of the weekend fun. Restaurants, music, movies, performing arts, family fun and more. Just click here to subscribe. All cleveland.com newsletters are free.

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College students navigate the world of online sports betting – WKAR

Posted: at 11:10 am

EAST LANSING - Michigan State graduate Bailey Adkins morning routine includes brushing his teeth, taking a shower, making breakfast and gambling on sports.

I became involved with online sports betting when I was about 16 or 17 because that is when I found websites that I could gamble on, said Adkins. However, Ive been betting (my) friends on sports since I was probably 12.

Gambling has become more accessible as technology improves and allows people to place bets on their mobile devices. Sports betting is no exception, becoming a starting point for younger bettors to branch off to other forms of gambling.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the Lawful Sports Betting Act in Dec. 2019, legalizing sports betting in Michigan by the end of 2020.

On March 11, 2020, sports betting launched in Michigan allowing sportsbooks to function in casinos and online within state lines. This has proved to be a monumental decision for much of the population. According to playmichigan.com, there have already been over $4 billion dollars

Sports media has been infiltrated by the sports betting business. For example, Bally Sports bought the rights to the regional Fox Sports channels across the country. Bally is a casino company. Ads for new promotions of different sportsbooks seem to air during every commercial break and even during the game in some instances.

College students in Michigan who are 21 in sports gambling have been put in a vulnerable situation. Journal of Gambling Issues reported that the unsettling health risk of Internet sports betting appears to be justified. A mixture of this pervasive nature, Coronavirus keeping people at home and online classes make this demographic a hot-bed for creating gambling hobbies.

Adkins graduated from Michigan State University in Dec. 2022. Adkins said he would consider himself an avid sports bettor and that he places at least one bet on sports everyday.

Adkins said online sports betting has resulted in becoming more invested in sports he never previously cared about. Soccer, hockey and even foriegn professional basketball leagues are some examples.

MSU senior Mateo Fernandez turned 21 in October last year. He said that he made an account on FanDuel and placed a sports bet the day he was legally allowed to do so.

Fernandez, however, said he places bets very rarely and has bet on sports just a handful of times. He also says that sports betting did not alter his gambling habits very much.

If it had an influence it was a very small one, said Fernandez, I have only gambled around ten times in my life.

Bradley Cholette, an MSU senior, shows a similar pattern. Cholette became the legal age to bet on sports when he turned 21 in May 2021.

Id say I place about one sports bet a week, he said.

Sports betting is not the only thing that apps like FanDuel, DraftKings and others offer. Online casinos in Michigan were massive money-makers as well. In Michigan alone, these online casinos made a total revenue of $1 billion in 2021.

Adkins says that he plays casino games like blackjack, roulette and slots on these apps. Apps like DraftKings strategically place a button in the bottom right corner of its mobile phone interface that will lead users directly to a blackjack game. This button stays on the screen even if the sportsbook is what is being used.

MSU senior Jack Blackledge turned 21 in June 2021, coinciding with the rise of online sports betting.

I will gamble a few times a week if I have some extra money, said Blackledge

The online casino snuck up on Blackledge too as he began his sports betting hobby. I would not have used the online casino if not for sports betting, he said.

Promotions are often offered by online sports betting services to entice new users. Michigan State senior Allie Sawyer took advantage of these promotions.

I recently downloaded the Barstool Sportsbook app right before the Peach Bowl because of a promo they had for being a first time depositor, she said.

Online betting is much easier for people who have free time and extra money. College aged adults who were financially stable during the heights of the pandemic and online classes were just the group of people who fit this description.

Adkins said online classes and favorable options in terms of a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading scale allowed him to stay up and watch sporting events he had bet on that started later in the night.

Blackledge used money that he had made through unemployment benefits after being laid off to gamble when he had free time.

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Sports betting bringing more attention to NBA stat corrections – ESPN

Posted: at 11:10 am

It was a fundamental, two-handed chest pass from Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine to DeMar DeRozan in the third quarter of a Feb. 9 game in Charlotte. Big bucks were at stake, and the NBA's most-invested fans were watching closely.

DeRozan caught the pass from LaVine on the move, took a dribble to get into the paint and hit a running jumper off one leg while drawing a foul. The bucket put the Bulls up 67-56 on the Hornets with 7:18 left in the third quarter. It appeared to be a textbook assist from LaVine, but it wasn't scored that way.

Hundreds of statistical data points -- assists, rebounds, steals, blocks and more -- are recorded during an NBA game, many of them requiring interpretation in real time. These days, there's money riding on seemingly every one of them, including LaVine's chest pass to DeRozan.

LaVine was not credited with an assist on the play. Sportsbooks had offered the over/under on LaVine's assists for the game at 5.5. He finished with five assists.

Large online betting communities had teamed up on LaVine's over on assists, including it in long-shot parlays with big payouts. They thought a stat correction was warranted. The NBA did not.

Kenny McAndress, a 28-year-old bettor and social media personality in Philadelphia, looked back at the LaVine decision two weeks later and said, "That one just felt like it was so cut and dry. I have to rethink how I do my bet construction, because I want to avoid assists."

Frustrated bettors have taken to social media routinely to question how plays that impact their bets are scored. A lot of the time, there's disagreement over the interpretation on a close play, like whether a pass truly does "lead directly to a made basket" to qualify as an assist. A handful of complaints, however, have prompted the league to issue corrections. When that happens, some sportsbooks end up paying out on both sides of wagers: the side that was the winner by the initial ruling and then the other side after the box score is corrected.

"Our fans are obsessed with statistics," Scott Kaufman-Ross, a senior vice president for the NBA who oversees the betting space for the league, told ESPN. "We agree that it's critical that we get it right. We've felt this way for a long time, even before sports betting was legal. Of course, there is a brighter light being shined on some of our statistics given the rise of sports betting, but it's always been critical for us to get our stats right."

It's a conundrum with no definitive solution for the league, bookmakers or bettors. Human error is inevitable. Ultimately, most stakeholders realize that stat-keeping mistakes are -- and always will be -- part of the game.

Stat corrections happen in every sport. The NFL, for example, releases weekly reports on stat changes. Recent corrections made by the NBA have received more attention, though.

NBA: Suns, Warriors now betting favesUFC: Best bets for Makhachev vs. GreenGOLF: Best bets for the Honda ClassicSOCCER: UEFA Champions previewNFL: Chiefs, Bills Super Bowl LVII favesSports Betting home | Fantasy home

The NBA refutes any notion that there has been an uptick of stat corrections. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the league's official statistician, the NBA has issued far fewer stat corrections over the past three seasons than in prior seasons. Neither the NBA nor ESB provided the percentage of games that receive corrections, but both entities -- and multiple sportsbooks -- characterized them as "rare," especially considering that millions of data points are inputted throughout the season.

In the final week of January, however, the NBA issued multiple corrections. At least two of them were preceded by an outcry from bettors on Twitter and in media coverage, including from ESPN. An assist erroneously credited to Chris Paul was given to Mikal Bridges a day after a Utah Jazz-Phoenix Suns game on Jan. 24, and, three days later, the NBA awarded a steal to Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Edwards that he initially wasn't credited with during a game against the Golden State Warriors. Bettors brought attention to both.

"There is no rash of corrections in terms of volume," Kaufman-Ross said in a February phone interview. "I think people are paying attention to it more."

Indeed, they are. In a way, the increased fan engagement the NBA predicted when pivoting its position on sports betting is now evident when bettors are pointing out the league's mistakes. No one expects them to stop, but more transparency and communication from the league is needed, bettors say.

"I don't know where this goes, if policy doesn't change, because, right now, there's nothing that forces them to do anything," McAndress said.

Basketball is a difficult sport to score live. The action is fast-paced with fewer and shorter breaks than baseball or football. Upward of six people make up the stat-collection teams that are assigned to each NBA game. Four are on-site: a primary and secondary caller, and a primary and secondary inputter provided by the home team. At least one NBA employee from the league's New Jersey office is assigned to each game and is connected directly to the secondary caller on site via a headset. They all have access to video replay from approximately a dozen different angles and the ability to communicate with each other about judgment calls. Still, even with all the technology, mistakes happen, and they cost bettors and bookmakers money.

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For decades, the standard house rule for sportsbooks in Las Vegas has been not to recognize stat corrections. Wagers are traditionally graded on the stats initially released. But newer bookmaking companies, like FanDuel and DraftKings, have taken a new approach to corrections, even if it costs them.

"There are probably a handful [of stat corrections] a year that are higher-profile that maybe people notice," Karol Corcoran, general manager of FanDuel's online sportsbook, said. "We appreciate that it's difficult for our stat providers to get everything right 100 percent of the time."

FanDuel's rule on stat corrections is centered on the official box score distributed by the NBA and is written generally enough to allow for changes. The sportsbook ended up paying out on both sides of recent bets impacted by stats corrections.

"What we're trying to do is ensure that the experience our customers are having is not negatively impacted by some of these mistakes," Corcoran said. "It's -- excuse my language -- kind of a s----ty experience when you lose a bet just because of a mistake. Sometimes it's blatantly obvious that you have the mistake; other times it is discretion, so we try, where it's feasible, to kind of make it up to the customers."

McAndress, a young Philly sports bettor and media personality, has more than 3,500 members on his Discord server, Moonshot HQ. On Feb. 9, he recommended a five-leg parlay featuring LaVine to get more than 5.5 assists against the Hornets to the community.

Moonshot HQ buzzed after LaVine's pass to DeRozan in the third quarter. Username alopbanana was among the first to notice that LaVine had not been awarded an assist, posting, "bro wtf."

21EnerG weighed in next: "They robbed Lavine of an assist on the and one."

"That's 100% an assist," added simm.

Guy summed up his feeling with, "They hate us."

The chatter gravitated to twitter with scorned bettors posting videos of the play and tagging the @nbastats account.

Here is a video of the LaVine-to-DeRozan play:

Here is a video of an example of an assist on the NBA's website.

Both plays look similar, but the NBA did not issue a correction.

In an email response to a fan questioning why an assist wasn't awarded to LaVine, an NBA representative wrote, "Thank you for contacting us about a play in the Feb. 9 Bulls-Hornets game. Please know that assists are credited at the discretion of the arena's in-game statisticians. Additionally, please note that the NBA Operations team does not credit or remove assists postgame; only assists credited to the wrong player are updated."

McAndress says inquiries to questionable scoring decisions often go unaddressed by the NBA, which fuels the betting community's frustration.

"Other than someone like us, if we lose a bet on a particular example, other than us finding it and going to fight about it, who else is complaining about a missed rebound or a missed assist?" McAndress said. "I'm sure that this is something that's probably happened naturally for as long as they've been keeping stats."

The NBA says it is always looking for ways to improve its process, but there were no changes planned for stat collection at this point.

"Unlike some other sports, where you have a play then 30 seconds between pitches or 40 seconds per play, our game is happening in real time -- a steal, a block, an assist, a 3, a turnover ... all that stuff is happening at a really fast pace. It is challenging to do," Chris Berrisford, director of basketball operations for the NBA, told ESPN. "We have a lot of statistics, and they're happening quickly. I think given how many stats we have and the pace of our game, I think we should feel pretty good about it's rare, but it will happen."

And when the stat-keeping mistakes happen, it's a good bet that gamblers will be the ones to spot them first.

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Cavs partner with Caesars Sportsbook as team prepares for sports betting launch in Ohio – News 5 Cleveland

Posted: at 11:10 am

CLEVELAND As sports betting in Ohio draws nearer, the Cleveland Cavaliers have begun making preparations for the official launch in the state, partnering with Caesars Sportsbook that will soon see a retail sportsbook built inside of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Caesars Sportsbook has been named the "Official Sports Betting Partner" of the Cavs, while Caesars Entertainment has been named the"Official Casino Partner" of the team.

The partnership is a multi-year deal that will allow fans to access betting windows for cash wagering at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse while accessing points and experiences for Caesars Rewards members.

Construction on the 10,355-square-foot venue will begin soon, the team said.

While renderings of the design are not yet available, the plans for the venue include a full-service bar and VIP lounge, a wide-ranging food menu, and wall-to-wall TVs for viewing games while placing wagers.

Costs of the project will be footed entirely by Caesars Entertainment and the Cavs.

Caesars Sportsbook, once completed, will be located inside Rocket Morgage FieldHouse on the street level in the northwest atrium, near the Huron Road and Ontario Street intersection. It will be open year-round on both event days and non-event days. Fans will not need tickets to an event to place wagers at Caesars Sportsbook inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The new betting site is expected to be open by the end of the year but will be subject to regulatory and other approvals.

Additionally, when mobile sports betting is launched in Ohio, fans will be able to download the Caesars Sportsbook app and will then be able to make a bet through their platform from anywhere in the state.

Legal sports betting will be launched across the state after Gov. Mike DeWine signed a sports betting bill into law in December of 2021. Legalized betting is expected to begin by Jan. 1, 2023, with hopes it will begin even sooner than that deadline.

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

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Cavs partner with Caesars Sportsbook as team prepares for sports betting launch in Ohio - News 5 Cleveland

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Claim the 4 Best New York Sports Betting Promo Codes – Sports Betting Dime

Posted: at 11:10 am

This week is full of New York sports betting promo codes from all of the top sportsbooks in the nation. With New York teams in action across the NHL, NBA, and MLS, bettors in the Empire State have plenty of options for how to use these bonuses and odds boosts this weekend.

Each of the New York Rangers and Islanders in the NHL, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets in the NBA, and New York Red Bulls and New York City FC in MLS will play over the next few days. Use these great New York sports betting promo codes for these games or others to get a huge bankroll boost.

Click one of the links below to sign-up and claim your bonus from Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, FanDuel Sportsbook, and DraftKings Sportsbook.

Your ticket to a massive $1,500 deposit match is at Caesars Sportsbook New York this week.

All you need to do is deposit $50 or more as your first deposit and youll get a deposit match of up to $1,500 with the Caesars Sportsbook promo code SBDIMECZR.

One of the best BetMGM promotions this week is their bet $10 to win $200 promo in the NBA.

This BetMGM promo allows you to grab 20-1 odds on any team to hit a three-pointer. Simply bet your team to win on the moneyline and if they sink at least one three-pointer, you win, even if the team loses. With a $10 max bet, thats 20-1 odds with this BetMGM promo.

The top teams in the NBA by threes-made-per-game are Utah, Golden State, Minnesota, Milwaukee and Charlotte.

This FanDuel promo code will unlock a sweet $1,000 risk-free bet for new customers this week!

Sign-up at FanDuel New York and if your first wager loses, youll be refunded up to $1,000. This is a great opportunity to swing for the fences with a big underdog this weekend.

One of the top New York sports betting promo codes is the DraftKings Sportsbook promotion where you can get 150-1 odds on any NHL or NBA team to win.

It doesnt get much easier than that. Just pick any team on the ice or the court the rest of the week and with a max bet of $1, if that team wins the game, youll cash in with 150-1 odds. That turns a $1 bet into a huge $150 pay day!

NFL NBA NHL Soccer Tennis Sports Editor

Ryan is SBD's resident soccer pro, though his repertoire is by no means limited to a single sport. His articles have been published by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Kitchener Rangers, and outlets like SportsXpress and Shredthespread.com

NFL NBA NHL Soccer Tennis

Ryan is SBD's resident soccer pro, though his repertoire is by no means limited to a single sport. His articles have been published by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Kitchener Rangers, and outlets like SportsXpress and Shredthespread.com

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Claim the 4 Best New York Sports Betting Promo Codes - Sports Betting Dime

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