Source:www.nbaallstar.org

This has been banner year for sports scandals.

Among the biggest sports news stories have been the use of illegal substances in Baseball, the Tour De France, and the Olympics. We also have the ongoing case of Michael Vick being involved in dog fighting, and lately, a rash of NBA related scandals.

NBA referees have been caught gambling, which although not on NBA games, is in violation of the rules, there's the isiah thomas sexual harassment case, and Jason Kidd and Stephon Marbury have been involved in some sexual hanky-panky also, not with each other though.

The list goes on, and no doubt will see some new additions, but how does this affect the sports bettor?

Some of these events have to have an adverse effect on a player's performance, and consequently, on the teams they play for. We saw that with the Kobe Bryant case a few years ago, or did we?

Kobe seemed to rebound quickly from the strain of his problems but the Lakers certainly weren't the same team. Then again, there was the ongoing conflict between Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal, so sometimes it's hard to tell if a current event is the culprit, or if the problem was already in the making.

It would be foolish not to consider a player's state of mind when sizing up various NBA teams, or any other league's teams, before making a bet.

So, the answer is, obviously, yes, all these scandals do have an effect on a player's performance, so keep up with no only the sports news but the scandal sheet type news as well. For example, let's see how newlywed Tony Parker performs now that he has Eva Longoria waiting for him at home.

Even good things can affect a player's performance, one way or the other.

Check out this article for the latest on the status of the NBA.