A huge federal investigation has revealed one of the biggest point-shaving scandals in college basketball history. Fans are now questioning the integrity of the games they have always trusted. The release of indictments in Philadelphia on Thursday shocked the NCAA and the sports world as a whole. It reminded fans that even the most famous sports events can be tainted by corruption.

“20 men were charged in a point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 college basketball players on more than 17 NCAA Division I teams and leading to more than 29 games being fixed,” according to a charge that was made public on Thursday. This huge web of alleged corruption shows how big the problem is and how much planning it takes to pull off an operation like this.

16 former college players, trainers, and high-stakes gamblers were involved in the conspiracy. They paid $10,000 to $30,000 per game to fix the outcomes. The plan began in China in September 2022 and then made its way to American colleges during the 2023–24 season. It caught schools like DePaul, Buffalo, and Saint Louis, showing that corruption affected programs at all levels, from big schools to smaller ones.

The NCAA has reacted to these claims with a reasonable amount of concern. “Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA,” President Charlie Baker said in a statement. “We are thankful for law enforcement agencies working to detect and combat integrity issues and match manipulation in college sports. The pattern of college basketball game integrity conduct revealed by law enforcement today is not entirely new information to the NCAA. Through helpful collaboration and with industry regulators, we have finished or have open investigations into almost all of the teams in today’s indictment.”

Baker’s words show a harsh truth: cheating in college basketball isn’t a new thing; it’s becoming a habit. Recently, NBA star Terry Rozier was arrested for working with gamblers, and Cleveland Guardians pitchers were charged with betting on individual pitches. These scandals in baseball, basketball, and football show that American sports are very corrupt, which makes fans question whether the games they love are really fair.

College basketball fans react with shock and outrage

The scandal has shocked fan communities and sparked heated debates about whether college basketball can ever be trusted again. People on social media reacted with everything from disbelief to anger as fans tried to come to terms with the level of corruption that had been going on behind the scenes in games they thought were real.

One fan was upset about the investigation itself and wondered if prosecutors had found all the evidence: “2-3 year investigation seems lite on details.” Is there more to come? The 20 people who were charged may just be the start. With 39 players and 29 rigged games already found, fans are worried that this is only what investigators have found so far. The scheme lasted three years and went from China to the United States. This shows that there is a lot more corruption in college basketball that hasn’t been found yet.

Another person who commented said that the problem is systemic: “Paying college athletes at government schools isn’t working out so well.” Money is the real problem. Fixers knew that athletes were broke, so they offered players $10,000 to $30,000 per game. If colleges paid players fairly, they wouldn’t be so desperate that they would take bribes from criminals who want to fix games.

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Some fans made jokes about the situation, saying things like, “I bet that group chat was fire,” referring to the secret group chats where fixers planned to rig games. It sounds crazy that coaches and players would text each other about throwing games. But it is real. After the player mysteriously disappeared in the first half, Jalen Smith sent a text that said, “I love Jalen terry He perfected his job.” These talks really took place.

One person who commented went even further with “Legalize point shaving!!!!” This shows that they had given up hope that corruption could be avoided in modern college sports. This fan doesn’t think the corruption can be fixed; instead, they think society should just accept it as part of the game. This feeling shows how trust has been broken down—when fans start joking about making cheating legal, it shows how badly the scandal has hurt faith in fair competition.

“Damn!” was the last reaction that perfectly summed up how people felt. More to come, I’m sure, so more charges could come as investigators look into the case more closely. The indictment includes schools like DePaul, Buffalo, Saint Louis, and others from 17 teams, so prosecutors probably have more cases to work on.