I just picked this off one of the sports feeds, and it stirs the imagination of practitioners of the art of wagering, albeit from an unusual perspective.
It seems that when Rory McIlroy, the young stud golfer, was just 15 years old, his father scratched the itch. Dad (and 3 of his chums) placed a bet of 400 British pounds that young Rory would win the British Open before the boy turned 25. As the bookies were dealing with a 15 year old boy, they comfortably extended odds of 500:1. The world has turned a few times since then, and dad and his pals are now looking at having a shot at winning $80,000 apiece if young Rory turns the trick and nails an Open championship.
Now, don't go mortgaging the family bungalow to plunk down a bunch of cash in Panama because Little Johnny went 4 for 4 at Saturday's tee ball game or Susie banged in a couple goals at her soccer match. Papa McIlroy still hasn't actually won anything. The thought of further fueling demented sports dads is pretty frightening ("...put away that math homework and go practice your curveball!).
We'll keep an eye on Rory. This could turn out to really be fun. For a view of another extreme, click here to read an imaginative tale about a Little League dad who traded his own kid for a case of beer.
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