Let’s just say it out loud so we can all move on.
You don’t bet your favorite team because the number’s good.
You bet them because at age nine, they made you feel something — and you’ve been emotionally chasing that feeling ever since.
That’s not strategy.
That’s nostalgia with a bankroll.
You tell yourself it’s “research.”
You say things like “They match up well here.”
But deep down, you’re just hoping the universe lets you relive a Tuesday night from 2008 when everything still made sense and your team didn’t betray you weekly
You’re not evaluating value.
You’re defending a memory.
Familiarity doesn’t sharpen judgment.
It dulls it.
You don’t see red flags.
You see potential.
You don’t see inefficiency.
You see heart.
And sportsbooks?
They love that you think loyalty is insight.
Your favorite team is the most overpriced asset on the board — because emotion is expensive.
You don’t bet them because they’re undervalued.
You bet them because you care.
And caring is the fastest way to turn math into mythology.
Sharps don’t have teams.
They have numbers.
They don’t feel pain when a logo loses.
They just adjust.
Your team doesn’t owe you a win.
It owes you nothing.
It doesn’t remember your childhood — but your bankroll does.
🧪 The Takeaway
• Loyalty is for jerseys, not wagers.
• Emotion inflates prices.
• Detachment creates edges.
You can love your team.
Just don’t let it love your money back.
L.S. signing off ⚗️
Jared, Lead Scientist — The Prop Laboratory
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If this hit you in the ego — good.
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