I wanted to share some thoughts as we are now getting knee deep in football once again. I love hoops, I love baseball and generally have a passion for most sports and like most of you guys I have all my life. But for me personally football is king. I sincerely love the game. Everything about it, with the exception of some kickers time to time. You know what I'm saying.
It was great last night winning the first NFL release of the season. Yes, it is only one game but everyone always wants to get off to a winning start, whether you were back in high school playing the game or years later capping games. Always nice to win that first game. Plus, it was a good game to watch. Two legitimate super bowl contenders once again slugging it out.
There are many people around here that are here, well, every day and have been for a long time. Some as long as I have been. They become like extended family. I have actually become personal friends with many of the guys who hang out here. But we often forget that there are always new folks coming through here. Pregame has grown at a tremendous rate and the traffic is heavier with each passing year. So with that in mind I am going to talk a moment to those new folks who are passing through.
My name is Steve. I go by Spartan. When I needed a name for Pregame I honestly had zero clue what I was going to use. Never gave it much thought. I began as a forum poster and decided since the Spartans were my high school teams name I would just use Spartan. There is a saying at my high school, once a Spartan always a Spartan. I had been a pro capper at another site and was going to leave pregame actually because I did not want to be a paid capper at one site and be giving out stuff free here at the same time. That just did not seem right. RJ called me and we had a long, long talk. I decided I was going to leave the other site and devote myself 100% to Pregame. Hard to believe but that was 10 years ago. Part of what made me go all in with him was RJ's commitment to try and change the culture of the sports betting industry. I told him back then it was going to be a steep mountain to traverse but his intentions were clearly sincere and I respected that. To be candid I was leery of even getting on this side of the business but when he explained his goals and the steps he was taking I could see the potential was there. There are thousands, literally of people out there starved for legitimate sports services. This industry has been infected with so much bullshit for so many years it was not going to be an overnight cure. People had heard all the BS claims and guys screaming on the TV weekend mornings that they just associated all pro handicappers with those maniacs screaming lock of the decade and crap like that on their TV's. Most you guys know what I am talking about. Public expectations got all out of whack and the problem was fueled non stop by the barrage of boiler room scammers. RJ was, in the opinion of many, biting off more than he could chew. But I was willing to dig in for the long term and try. Well flash forward and here we are. Pregame is the dominant site of it's kind. Pregame has left the competition in the tail lights. Hard work and doing things right eventually pays off. People respect that. Are we naive? No, when you are the biggest success you also carry the biggest targets on your back. That's okay, Our shoulders are broad enough to carry the load, I assure you.
The success here by the site is due in no small part to RJ urging all the pro cappers on the team to get into the forum directly and interact with the community. That is not always easy frankly, some people understand this is, in the end, sports gambling and their are risks, some don't. We all know about those types, they just go with the territory. But what is important is we don't just sit in our offices and load plays and packages and ignore the clients. We are on here most every day win or lose. We answer private messages. We build relationships. Long term relationships. That will continue this year and part of my own part in this effort will be a complimentary selection in the NFL every thursday afternoon. I will also continue on the college front to post a weekly review of action in both the SEC and the Big 12. Those are my two conferences of choice.
I pride myself on being straight. Part of that of course is owning the negative results as well as the great. It is so easy to be around when things are rolling but part of being a PREGAME PRO for RJ Bell is being willing to own it all. What I am getting at is after year after year of tremendous legitimate success in the NFL last season I lost 8 units. No, that is not a disaster by any stretch but it is the truth. It is hard to win every year without fail. To win 100% of the seasons. I honestly feel I am as good an NFL capper as anyone, anywhere. But I also own it when I don't get it done. So, unlike the boiler room sites only intent on peddling BS, I want to make it crystal clear that I did not have my best season last year. I was due for a off year and sure as hell got it. But, being the ultra competitive person I am I'm on a mission this year. Talk is cheap. I will leave it at that. I did conclude the season with college up enough to cover the NFL loss and then some but 2015 was not Spartan at his best. I am determined to make that right. In spades. Even with the down year last year included since the 2012 season I am up 54 units. I have won now 60 my last last 89 NFL Rabid Dogs. That is real talk about real numbers. Since the 2012 season, including the down year last year, I have won 59 of my last 94 NFL Triples. Over the last three seasons I have cashed on 75% of my College football Rabid Dogs.Over the past four seasons my college football triples are 41-26. These numbers are not as glitzy as some of those you might hear screamed at you on some rogue radio ads crowing about their locks this weekend but I have one distinct advantage guys, my numbers are actually real. Not scripted boiler room BS.
Final Note: And this is sincere. REGARDLESS of your decisions in the end I do sincerely wish you the best of luck this season. I know how tough it is to actually come out on top with this stuff. I have literally been betting on football for decades, not just years. I was a book maker for several years. I know all the bad habits most bettors have because I saw it real up close and personal for several years. If you want to try and different approach then you have several first rate options at Pregame. Where we deal in reality. Best wishes moving forward.
Follow me on twitter @PregameSpartan and be sure to check out my homepage here.
Also, if you missed it, you can read my Plan to Win this football season!