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Hot Dog Money: Inside the Biggest Scandal in the History of College Sports
The inside story of disgraced fraudster turned undercover FBI informant Marty Blazer and the greatest scandal in the history of the NCAA.
When the federal government catches hotshot financial adviser Louis Martin “Marty” Blazer defrauding his NFL-player clients, it’s time to come clean. He has no reasonable defense. What he has is a bigger story to spill to the feds—that of a multibillion-dollar conspiracy that exploits the most talented college athletes and implicates one of the most popular entertainment industries in the nation. The DOJ is listening, and the truth could literally set Marty free. All he has to do is prove that the NCAA is a vast ongoing scam.
Sent undercover by the FBI, Marty infiltrates the innermost circles of college basketball, a high-flying world of Miami clubs, New York luxury suites, and Las Vegas back rooms. Over a period of three years, covertly recording thousands of hours of conversations with coaches from many of the leading college teams, Marty reveals a large-scale epidemic of deception, bribery, and fraud within the NCAA. The stars seem aligned for the operation—if only Marty can keep the FBI itself from blowing the case.
Journalist Guy Lawson digs deep into a true story about the lure of celebrity, sports, wealth, and crime, and the motivations of a man—on both sides of the law—who exploded a land mine of systemic all-American corruption.
When the federal government catches hotshot financial adviser Louis Martin “Marty” Blazer defrauding his NFL-player clients, it’s time to come clean. He has no reasonable defense. What he has is a bigger story to spill to the feds—that of a multibillion-dollar conspiracy that exploits the most talented college athletes and implicates one of the most popular entertainment industries in the nation. The DOJ is listening, and the truth could literally set Marty free. All he has to do is prove that the NCAA is a vast ongoing scam.
Sent undercover by the FBI, Marty infiltrates the innermost circles of college basketball, a high-flying world of Miami clubs, New York luxury suites, and Las Vegas back rooms. Over a period of three years, covertly recording thousands of hours of conversations with coaches from many of the leading college teams, Marty reveals a large-scale epidemic of deception, bribery, and fraud within the NCAA. The stars seem aligned for the operation—if only Marty can keep the FBI itself from blowing the case.
Journalist Guy Lawson digs deep into a true story about the lure of celebrity, sports, wealth, and crime, and the motivations of a man—on both sides of the law—who exploded a land mine of systemic all-American corruption.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2024
1840 people are currently reading
3630 people want to read
About the author
Guy Lawson
13 books79 followersGuy is the New York Times bestselling author of Arms and The Dudes: How Three Miami Beach Stoners Became the Most Unlikely Gun Runners in History. He is also the author of the Octopus: Sam Israel, the Secret Market, and Wall Street’s Wildest Con, and The Brotherhoods: The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia.
For two decades Guy has traveled the world reporting on a wide range of subjects—conflict in the Balkans, the Mexican drug wars, ice hockey in northern Canada, life in a Bowery flophouse, fútbol in Brazil, Hezbollah suicide bombers, the Rwandan genocide war crime trials, and FBI-fabricated domestic terrorism cases, among others. His work has appeared in many international publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, GQ, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Australian, and the Globe and Mail.
Guy has four projects in development for film. Arms and the Dudes is currently being filmed by Warner Brothers, with Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street, 21 Jump Street) and Miles Teller (Whiplash, The Spectacular Now) starring and Todd Phillips (The Hangover I, II, II) directing. In April 2015, Guy’s Rolling Stone article The Dukes of Oxy was optioned by New Line/Warner Brothers, with Mike De Luca (The Social Network, Moneyball) attached to produce and Ansel Elgort (Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars) to star. In addition, Guy’s book Octopus is with HBO, to be written and directed by Peter Gould (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Too Big to Fail). The Brotherhoods is with Warner Brothers, to be produced by Dan Lin (The Lego Movie, Sherlock Holmes I, II, III).
Guy was born in Toronto and holds degrees from the University of Western Australia and the University of Cambridge. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and two daughters.
For two decades Guy has traveled the world reporting on a wide range of subjects—conflict in the Balkans, the Mexican drug wars, ice hockey in northern Canada, life in a Bowery flophouse, fútbol in Brazil, Hezbollah suicide bombers, the Rwandan genocide war crime trials, and FBI-fabricated domestic terrorism cases, among others. His work has appeared in many international publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, GQ, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Australian, and the Globe and Mail.
Guy has four projects in development for film. Arms and the Dudes is currently being filmed by Warner Brothers, with Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street, 21 Jump Street) and Miles Teller (Whiplash, The Spectacular Now) starring and Todd Phillips (The Hangover I, II, II) directing. In April 2015, Guy’s Rolling Stone article The Dukes of Oxy was optioned by New Line/Warner Brothers, with Mike De Luca (The Social Network, Moneyball) attached to produce and Ansel Elgort (Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars) to star. In addition, Guy’s book Octopus is with HBO, to be written and directed by Peter Gould (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Too Big to Fail). The Brotherhoods is with Warner Brothers, to be produced by Dan Lin (The Lego Movie, Sherlock Holmes I, II, III).
Guy was born in Toronto and holds degrees from the University of Western Australia and the University of Cambridge. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
May 13, 2024
Amazon Prime First Reads for May. It was an interesting story about corruption in college sports but it seemed repetitive at times with detailed descriptions of all of the meetings with the different agents, financial guys and coaches. IMO it would have been better as a long form journalism magazine piece.
May 14, 2024
(3.5 stars)
Hot Dog Money, a nonfiction account of the scandal that rocked the NCAA (and may have indirectly led to recent regulations finally allowing amateur athletes to be “legally” compensated for use of their “name, image, and likeness.”), begins with what would typically be the conclusion of a crime drama. Marty Blazer sits in a federal prosecutor’s office confessing to a series of crimes related to his financial advisory business, most notably the misappropriation of over $2 million from two of his client’s accounts. Said clients happen to be former collegiate football stars, who recently made it to the NFL.
Though Hot Dog Money is not written by Blazer himself (who died suddenly of a heart attack shortly before the book was released), Lawson very much situates Blazer as the narrator and antihero of Hot Dog Money. The disgraced financial advisor quickly takes us back in time, to show us precisely how he found himself in this legal quagmire, using a mixture of direct quotes, diary entries, and personalized reminiscences.
Blazer’s rise and subsequent downfall is a rather common tale of ambition, quickly followed by rapid success, greed, and hubris. He got his start as an investment advisor for Smith Barney, but eventually grew disaffected with what he saw as a humdrum existence, managing the stocks of upper-middle class retirees. The world of college sports, football specifically, seemed to Blazer a younger, somewhat untapped, riskier, and, therefore, more exciting, entrepreneurial venture.
While, at the time, amateur high school and college athletes were strictly forbidden from profiting from their sports prowess, an unspoken secret among top athletes was that they could receive what they called “hot dog money.” This meant that enterprising businessmen could “loan” these athletes (who typically came from underprivileged backgrounds, and lacked financial know how), funds for rent, their parents’ mortgages, bail money, etc. Marty would offer promising athletes “hot dog money,” in exchange for their agreement to use him as their financial advisor once they graduated and made it into the NFL.
With a few NFL athletes under his belt, Blazer was suddenly making more money than he ever had as an above-board financial advisor. To entice more young athletes to “invest” with him, Blazer would lavish them with gifts, take them to fancy hotels and five-star meals, ply them with liquor, showing them that they TOO could live the high life like him, if he managed their money.
Much of the early chapters of the novel describing the middle-aged, mild-mannered, family man Blazer’s financial rise and eventual descent into criminality, are detailed in a breathless, excited, name and brand-dropping way. It reminded me a bit of Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill character narrating the parts of Goodfellas where he’s high on coke. It’s fun, it’s fast, and you just know it’s all too good to last.
Surprisingly, Blazer’s comeuppance actually happens rather early in Hot Dog Money, when the morally shifty financial advisor gets the truly terrible idea that his knowledge of college sports can somehow translate into being adept at the film industry? Blazer unwisely invests way too much money in a terrible money pit of a film, and winds up misappropriating his clients’ funds to cover his losses.
Blazer’s crimes are immediately discovered, and his only hope at avoiding time in federal prison is cooperating with the DOJ, and eventually the FBI, to bring down others profiting off amateur athletes in the same way that he did.
In fact, the bulk of Hot Dog Money’s page length is spent detailing the three years that Blazer worked undercover for the FBI as the chief confidential informant on Operation Ballerz. The sting operation focused predominantly on the college basketball industry, and exposed corruption at nearly every level of the sport, implicating countless unethical money men like Blazer, but also athletes, their parents, coaches, agents, college presidents, and major brands.
Apparently, the movie rights to Hot Dog Money have already been purchased in a seven-figure deal by none other than George Clooney. (Lawson’s prior nonfiction book War Dogs, about two seemingly Average Joes, whose ambitions get them in way over their heads as international arms dealers, was also recently made into a film.) The author clearly has a knack for real-life storytelling, particularly when it involves unlikely antiheroes and their seemingly fated descent into lives of crime.
I do think Hot Dog Money has the makings of a good movie. It has all the ingredients.
I can already picture the movie montages to the tune of rap music featuring the lavish parties in Vegas, private jets, flashy cars, Miami beach parties, and five-star dinners, intermingled with Blazer’s seemingly mundane home life as a soccer dad. This will inevitably be followed by Blazer’s comeuppance and the undercover extensive take down of the college basketball industry, complete with tense scenes involving wiretapping and the clandestine exchanges of countless envelopes of cash, colorful FBI characters, and embarrassing arrests, wherein nebbishy men are arrested in their suburban homes while they are taking showers.
The film will likely climax with a few dramatic courtroom scenes, and end with a caption on the screen about the scope of Operation Ballerz, Blazer’s death, and a small paragraph contextualizing this massive takedown in the scope of the recent regulations and the Supreme Court antitrust case, both involving the NCAA.
(The last of which I actually think the book did really well. Even as someone with very little knowledge about college sports, I do think I came away from Hot Dog Money with a solid understanding of this world, as well as the arguments for and against the new regulations relating to amateur athletes’ ability to profit from their prowess.)
That said, for all its timely topics and cinematic scenes, Hot Dog Money wasn’t always a blast to read. Much of the middle of the book drags a bit, with a laundry list of unmemorable names, and carbon copy characters, who are typically described just by their approximate ages. (So many white guys in their 40s! So little time!)
You definitely feel the frustration Blazer must feel, as you read about countless nearly identical meetings wherein Blazer and a couple undercover FBI will chat up someone or another about some athletic prospect, give them an envelope of cash (SO MUCH ENTRAPMENT MONEY exchanged hands in this book . . . our tax dollars at work, I guess?), leave and then NOT ARREST ANYONE. Lather, rinse, repeat.
After a while, all the usual suspects in Hot Dog Money, whether they be FBI guys, DOJ attorneys, shady investors, coaches, agents or players, all started to become indistinguishable from one another. It all began to seem rather wasteful of time and resources, sloppy, and a bit pointless.
Blazer, as our surrogate narrator, also grows irksome after a while. Yes, the guy is clearly very intelligent. He has an intimate understanding of the college sports industry, and the ways in which it is corrupt and broken. I absolutely believe he was essential to exposing the underbelly of the industry and bringing many like him to justice, by working for the government for free for three years.
I just wish he didn’t NEED the readers to like him as much as he seemed to desire.
So often in Hot Dog Money, Blazer would remind us what a fabulous dad he believed himself to be because he took his son on a camping trip, or attended his daughter’s birthday. He would also consistently become “morally aghast” when other characters displayed the exact same cravenness and greed that we had just witnessed from him a mere 50 pages prior.
Some of this may have been the author’s desire to evoke empathy for Blazer because HE liked him personally, particularly, in light of Blazer’s recent passing. I just could have done with a bit less of it.
In sum, I do think Hot Dog Money is a solid, well-researched account of a fascinating event in our history, one that is sure to have implications on the college sports world for decades to come. And I do think you all should see the movie when it inevitably comes out. I’m just not entirely sure you also need read this entire book . . .
Hot Dog Money, a nonfiction account of the scandal that rocked the NCAA (and may have indirectly led to recent regulations finally allowing amateur athletes to be “legally” compensated for use of their “name, image, and likeness.”), begins with what would typically be the conclusion of a crime drama. Marty Blazer sits in a federal prosecutor’s office confessing to a series of crimes related to his financial advisory business, most notably the misappropriation of over $2 million from two of his client’s accounts. Said clients happen to be former collegiate football stars, who recently made it to the NFL.
Though Hot Dog Money is not written by Blazer himself (who died suddenly of a heart attack shortly before the book was released), Lawson very much situates Blazer as the narrator and antihero of Hot Dog Money. The disgraced financial advisor quickly takes us back in time, to show us precisely how he found himself in this legal quagmire, using a mixture of direct quotes, diary entries, and personalized reminiscences.
Blazer’s rise and subsequent downfall is a rather common tale of ambition, quickly followed by rapid success, greed, and hubris. He got his start as an investment advisor for Smith Barney, but eventually grew disaffected with what he saw as a humdrum existence, managing the stocks of upper-middle class retirees. The world of college sports, football specifically, seemed to Blazer a younger, somewhat untapped, riskier, and, therefore, more exciting, entrepreneurial venture.
While, at the time, amateur high school and college athletes were strictly forbidden from profiting from their sports prowess, an unspoken secret among top athletes was that they could receive what they called “hot dog money.” This meant that enterprising businessmen could “loan” these athletes (who typically came from underprivileged backgrounds, and lacked financial know how), funds for rent, their parents’ mortgages, bail money, etc. Marty would offer promising athletes “hot dog money,” in exchange for their agreement to use him as their financial advisor once they graduated and made it into the NFL.
With a few NFL athletes under his belt, Blazer was suddenly making more money than he ever had as an above-board financial advisor. To entice more young athletes to “invest” with him, Blazer would lavish them with gifts, take them to fancy hotels and five-star meals, ply them with liquor, showing them that they TOO could live the high life like him, if he managed their money.
Much of the early chapters of the novel describing the middle-aged, mild-mannered, family man Blazer’s financial rise and eventual descent into criminality, are detailed in a breathless, excited, name and brand-dropping way. It reminded me a bit of Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill character narrating the parts of Goodfellas where he’s high on coke. It’s fun, it’s fast, and you just know it’s all too good to last.
Surprisingly, Blazer’s comeuppance actually happens rather early in Hot Dog Money, when the morally shifty financial advisor gets the truly terrible idea that his knowledge of college sports can somehow translate into being adept at the film industry? Blazer unwisely invests way too much money in a terrible money pit of a film, and winds up misappropriating his clients’ funds to cover his losses.
Blazer’s crimes are immediately discovered, and his only hope at avoiding time in federal prison is cooperating with the DOJ, and eventually the FBI, to bring down others profiting off amateur athletes in the same way that he did.
In fact, the bulk of Hot Dog Money’s page length is spent detailing the three years that Blazer worked undercover for the FBI as the chief confidential informant on Operation Ballerz. The sting operation focused predominantly on the college basketball industry, and exposed corruption at nearly every level of the sport, implicating countless unethical money men like Blazer, but also athletes, their parents, coaches, agents, college presidents, and major brands.
Apparently, the movie rights to Hot Dog Money have already been purchased in a seven-figure deal by none other than George Clooney. (Lawson’s prior nonfiction book War Dogs, about two seemingly Average Joes, whose ambitions get them in way over their heads as international arms dealers, was also recently made into a film.) The author clearly has a knack for real-life storytelling, particularly when it involves unlikely antiheroes and their seemingly fated descent into lives of crime.
I do think Hot Dog Money has the makings of a good movie. It has all the ingredients.
I can already picture the movie montages to the tune of rap music featuring the lavish parties in Vegas, private jets, flashy cars, Miami beach parties, and five-star dinners, intermingled with Blazer’s seemingly mundane home life as a soccer dad. This will inevitably be followed by Blazer’s comeuppance and the undercover extensive take down of the college basketball industry, complete with tense scenes involving wiretapping and the clandestine exchanges of countless envelopes of cash, colorful FBI characters, and embarrassing arrests, wherein nebbishy men are arrested in their suburban homes while they are taking showers.
The film will likely climax with a few dramatic courtroom scenes, and end with a caption on the screen about the scope of Operation Ballerz, Blazer’s death, and a small paragraph contextualizing this massive takedown in the scope of the recent regulations and the Supreme Court antitrust case, both involving the NCAA.
(The last of which I actually think the book did really well. Even as someone with very little knowledge about college sports, I do think I came away from Hot Dog Money with a solid understanding of this world, as well as the arguments for and against the new regulations relating to amateur athletes’ ability to profit from their prowess.)
That said, for all its timely topics and cinematic scenes, Hot Dog Money wasn’t always a blast to read. Much of the middle of the book drags a bit, with a laundry list of unmemorable names, and carbon copy characters, who are typically described just by their approximate ages. (So many white guys in their 40s! So little time!)
You definitely feel the frustration Blazer must feel, as you read about countless nearly identical meetings wherein Blazer and a couple undercover FBI will chat up someone or another about some athletic prospect, give them an envelope of cash (SO MUCH ENTRAPMENT MONEY exchanged hands in this book . . . our tax dollars at work, I guess?), leave and then NOT ARREST ANYONE. Lather, rinse, repeat.
After a while, all the usual suspects in Hot Dog Money, whether they be FBI guys, DOJ attorneys, shady investors, coaches, agents or players, all started to become indistinguishable from one another. It all began to seem rather wasteful of time and resources, sloppy, and a bit pointless.
Blazer, as our surrogate narrator, also grows irksome after a while. Yes, the guy is clearly very intelligent. He has an intimate understanding of the college sports industry, and the ways in which it is corrupt and broken. I absolutely believe he was essential to exposing the underbelly of the industry and bringing many like him to justice, by working for the government for free for three years.
I just wish he didn’t NEED the readers to like him as much as he seemed to desire.
So often in Hot Dog Money, Blazer would remind us what a fabulous dad he believed himself to be because he took his son on a camping trip, or attended his daughter’s birthday. He would also consistently become “morally aghast” when other characters displayed the exact same cravenness and greed that we had just witnessed from him a mere 50 pages prior.
Some of this may have been the author’s desire to evoke empathy for Blazer because HE liked him personally, particularly, in light of Blazer’s recent passing. I just could have done with a bit less of it.
In sum, I do think Hot Dog Money is a solid, well-researched account of a fascinating event in our history, one that is sure to have implications on the college sports world for decades to come. And I do think you all should see the movie when it inevitably comes out. I’m just not entirely sure you also need read this entire book . . .
January 13, 2025
This was an interesting topic that I knew very little about, but I just wasn't the intended target of this book. There was too much background/base information that the author didn't provide for me to fully understand some of the main ideas here. The writing was repetitive, and there were way too many names and connections to keep track of. Having read this for a book club this generated a lot of interesting discussion, but overall this would have been more effective as an article than a whole book.
May 23, 2024
“Many scholars understand the NCAA as a cartel.” OMG! People who read the sports pages regularly would probably be familiar with the recent college sports bribery and cheating scandal, but I had no idea and it shocked me. Millions of dollars flowing to coaches, athletic administrators, players’ families, and (to a very limited degree) the players themselves (the latter being “hot dog money.”) in the name of amateur sports. Parties on yachts and private islands, weekends in Vegas, envelopes of cash slipped under the table, the finest in clothes, watches, and liquors were (are?) just the cost of doing business in order to lock down a percentage of the enormous salary of a future NFL or NBA player.
“The American amateur system was created by self-interested officials who imagined sports to be played for character, competition, community, and physical health. Lurking just beneath the surface, since its inception in 1906, the NCAA has been about class, race, and gender as well, imposing aristocratic notions from English universities on kids from poverty-stricken backgrounds.” “These enormous sums of money flow to seemingly everyone except the student-athletes…. College presidents, athletic directors, coaches, conference commissioners, and NCAA executives take in six-and seven-figure salaries. Colleges build lavish new facilities. But the student-athletes who generated the revenues, many of whom are African American and from lower-income backgrounds, end up with little or nothing.”
The NCAA finally issued new regulations allowing student-athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness, but Marty Blazer, the financial advisor who acted as an informant for the FBI and SEC for years after getting caught with his own hand in the cookie jar, said “I told the NCAA that ninety-nine percent of the kids would get small deals—ten or twenty thousand dollars. For agents and financial advisers, the NIL deals would be loss leaders. The real money would be made on the back end, with all the deals that could be set up for cars and jewelry and the big commissions on contracts and insurance policies, money the kids wouldn’t know their representatives were making. There is no regulation, and the NCAA took no responsibility for the system they have created. The kids will still be preyed on by men like me. What the hell else is the NCAA for if not to protect the athletes, instead of the schools and system and its own financial interests?”
“The American amateur system was created by self-interested officials who imagined sports to be played for character, competition, community, and physical health. Lurking just beneath the surface, since its inception in 1906, the NCAA has been about class, race, and gender as well, imposing aristocratic notions from English universities on kids from poverty-stricken backgrounds.” “These enormous sums of money flow to seemingly everyone except the student-athletes…. College presidents, athletic directors, coaches, conference commissioners, and NCAA executives take in six-and seven-figure salaries. Colleges build lavish new facilities. But the student-athletes who generated the revenues, many of whom are African American and from lower-income backgrounds, end up with little or nothing.”
The NCAA finally issued new regulations allowing student-athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness, but Marty Blazer, the financial advisor who acted as an informant for the FBI and SEC for years after getting caught with his own hand in the cookie jar, said “I told the NCAA that ninety-nine percent of the kids would get small deals—ten or twenty thousand dollars. For agents and financial advisers, the NIL deals would be loss leaders. The real money would be made on the back end, with all the deals that could be set up for cars and jewelry and the big commissions on contracts and insurance policies, money the kids wouldn’t know their representatives were making. There is no regulation, and the NCAA took no responsibility for the system they have created. The kids will still be preyed on by men like me. What the hell else is the NCAA for if not to protect the athletes, instead of the schools and system and its own financial interests?”
September 17, 2024
Very intriguing and interesting to read especially since I am a huge basketball fan and was aware of course of the story that broke several years ago including Coach Lamont Evans who was at South Carolina for a bit. What the book points out emphatically is that the FBI/government is many times clueless to what is the best way to fight crime and investigate, in this case, the rabid corruption of big-time college athletics. The other thing that is clear from reading the book, to no one's surprise, is that the NCAA is the weakest entity alive as far as having a positive and productive impact on today's student athlete. There is of course sympathy to the family of Blazer who suddenly died just before the book came out of a heart attack. It is though hard to be sympathetic to Blazer and all those implemented in the investigation that is detailed at length in the book. It does make you gag to know that many people in the business of college sports pretend to be all about the student athlete when in reality it is all about the power, prestige and money that can be obtained in many devious and disgustedly ways. The language throughout the book was real but still tiring to read over and over again.
June 17, 2024
At the beginning of the book, the author implies the book is pretty much taken directly from the reems of documents and transcripts on the case. Unfortunately it reads just like that. What could be a well-written narrative of the scandal instead is like a copy/paste of other documents. That said, this is a much needed book to shine the light on the corruption that is the rule in college sports. Much like the policeman in Casablanca who, upon walking in on gambling that he knew was happening and said "I'm shocked! Shocked to find there's gambling going on here!". Anyone who might be shocked that there was corruption in college sports ever is either an idealist, naive, or willingly blind. And how much worse is it now? What a joke, a sad joke, college sports are.
July 14, 2024
I just finished reading "Hot Dog Money" by Guy Lawson, which I won in a Goodreads giveaway. Normally, I don’t read nonfiction about sports and scandals, but I found this book surprisingly interesting. It was like watching a gripping documentary.
The story dives into the world of sports scandals and money schemes, and Lawson's writing kept me hooked. The book provided a fascinating look at the darker side of sports, which I hadn't explored before. Overall, it was an engaging read that gave me a new appreciation for this genre.
The story dives into the world of sports scandals and money schemes, and Lawson's writing kept me hooked. The book provided a fascinating look at the darker side of sports, which I hadn't explored before. Overall, it was an engaging read that gave me a new appreciation for this genre.
June 4, 2024
4⭐️
I love a scam. And a scandal. And sports.
This was the book for me. It was fascinating and if it was a movie, I would for sure watch it. It digs into the NCAA quite a bit, and as a frequent March madness loser, this had my interest.
Read it.
Read if you enjoyed: American Kingpin, Bitcoin Billionaires or Bad Blood
Pub date for both: June 4, 2024
Thank you firefly distribution for this copy in exchange for my honest review 🤍
I love a scam. And a scandal. And sports.
This was the book for me. It was fascinating and if it was a movie, I would for sure watch it. It digs into the NCAA quite a bit, and as a frequent March madness loser, this had my interest.
Read it.
Read if you enjoyed: American Kingpin, Bitcoin Billionaires or Bad Blood
Pub date for both: June 4, 2024
Thank you firefly distribution for this copy in exchange for my honest review 🤍
June 1, 2024
Forever inpact
It is amazing how something we all kind of knew all along can be put down in words in such a dramatic, sizzling, unrelenting, and readable fashion. Dawson's book is a must read for all college sports fans. I am now a true believer that the NCAA is a RICO! College sports viewing will never be the same.
It is amazing how something we all kind of knew all along can be put down in words in such a dramatic, sizzling, unrelenting, and readable fashion. Dawson's book is a must read for all college sports fans. I am now a true believer that the NCAA is a RICO! College sports viewing will never be the same.
July 3, 2024
A very interesting read about the hypocrisy underlying the notion of amateurism in college sports and a close look into the systems that perpetuate it. You know Marty Blazer isn’t a great guy but you can see how he gets hooked into the high life, and how just maybe he’s the best of the vultures surrounding these kids. Often times repetitive, but a very engaging story that I’d recommend to anybody interested in college sports. Also quite topical given recent Supreme Court decisions relating to NIL deals for college athletes.
January 13, 2025
Should have been an article. Although it was an interesting topic there were too many unnecessary details.
May 26, 2024
I can only imagine how difficult it is to write a book without any "good guys" or semblance of a happy ending. This story is a compelling argument that men should never be in charge of anything. Ever. Rampant greed is a bane to humanity.
July 17, 2024
Stunning
As someone interested in corruption in sport, I was fascinated to learn of this book, and even more stunned when I read the details of what has been going on in college basketball in America. The sheer scale and audacity of what was going on, and which was exposed, made every page a joy to read.
As someone interested in corruption in sport, I was fascinated to learn of this book, and even more stunned when I read the details of what has been going on in college basketball in America. The sheer scale and audacity of what was going on, and which was exposed, made every page a joy to read.
May 3, 2024
Liking sports isn't a pre-requisite for loving this book
I couldn't possibly care any less about sports, but what I love is a good story about crime, subterfuge, repentance, and slimeballs getting their comeuppance. Though it'll likely leave you a little annoyed that the behemoths weren't ever forced to eat their own humble pie, it's no fault of the author or story line. We live in an unfair world where money protects those most deserving of justice being done. Still, I couldn't put it down.
I couldn't possibly care any less about sports, but what I love is a good story about crime, subterfuge, repentance, and slimeballs getting their comeuppance. Though it'll likely leave you a little annoyed that the behemoths weren't ever forced to eat their own humble pie, it's no fault of the author or story line. We live in an unfair world where money protects those most deserving of justice being done. Still, I couldn't put it down.
May 29, 2024
Hot Dog Money tells the tale of how under-the-table payments to players, coaches, hustlers and players’ families were rampant in the NCAA, the formerly so-called bastion of amateur sports. The story by author Guy Lawson followed FBI confidential informant Marty Blazer, who met with scores of participants in the illicit racket. While Blazer’s account was at times chilling, the book too often went from meeting-to-meeting with the same players. The fraud was committed in the first rendezvous. It was simply too repetitive documenting so many of the encounters.
Also, the book seemed too behind the times to make an impact. College players today can make $1 million for selling their name, image and likeness. Separately, the NCAA will soon be paying players to take the field. Hot Dog Money precedes these developments. Reading a book on some coach taking a fraction of what is being paid out today — a fraud most people knew was happening — leaves the reader a little underwhelmed.
Also, the book seemed too behind the times to make an impact. College players today can make $1 million for selling their name, image and likeness. Separately, the NCAA will soon be paying players to take the field. Hot Dog Money precedes these developments. Reading a book on some coach taking a fraction of what is being paid out today — a fraud most people knew was happening — leaves the reader a little underwhelmed.
January 17, 2025
Betting Guide
As you know, no one in this world is born a scientist. Everyone has some talent, some develop it, others not so much. But it is no secret that anyone who works hard and puts in effort in a given area has a chance to become very successful in it. In the world of sports betting, the situation is the same. It is true that with the luck of the rookie you can get lucky, but this is not a constant phenomenon. Take a look at our betting guide and you will know where to start your preparation. To become a successful player in sports markets, you need to learn the rules by which this game is played, and that is how you will win money. We wrote this guide to gambling online so that you can learn to be successful and safe when betting your money.
What is this guide?
This is a complete guide to sports betting, in which you will find information about everything you are interested in when betting.
In it you will find information on how to start betting optimally, you will understand everything related to the different types of bets and how to take advantage of them in the most accurate way. You will also find topics related specifically to certain sports (such as football, tennis, even cricket) and how to bet and win on them and many other topics from which you will learn a lot.
What you will find in our guide
Our guide will give you detailed information about the world of betting, such as how to approach each bet correctly or which deposit and withdrawal method to use. Our written guide is the most complete and useful guide to sports betting. The uniqueness and the way in which this guide is written will clarify for you quite obscure questions about sports markets, questions to which you have not been able to find an answer so far.
Who is the guide aimed at?
The guide is intended and written for everyone interested in the question of how to win from sports betting or how to win at a casino.
New players or people with more serious experience in betting, it doesn't matter. This guide is aimed at everyone who is interested in making money through their bets. If you are a person who is just entering the depths of controversial betting, you will have the opportunity to read unique information on how, step by step, to become a successful player.
Even experienced players would be surprised and pleased with what they will find in the guide. If you are in a period of losses and do not know what the reason is, then you are still in the right place, because through this guide you will be able to fill in all the gaps in your game strategies and thus get back on the winning path.
What is the purpose of the guide?
The purpose of the guide is to present you with unique information related entirely to sports betting. In the different articles you will find useful information on each topic. In some of the articles we also review some of the most popular bookmakers, and our goal is to give you not only information, but also real examples of online sites where you can bet. Our main desire is to help you become a profitable player in the sports markets, but for this to happen, of course, you first have to work hard.
The good thing about this is that you have come to the right place, because we have checked all the information and written it for you, so that you can learn the things that interest you when betting in the easiest way.
Remember that in the guide you will not find 100% ways to win, because this is not realistic, since the chance of winning is never 100%. Its main goal is to present the information to you in a way that allows you to calmly determine both the chance and your betting strategy.
What can you expect after reading this guide?
Reading this guide in full will turn you into a person who understands sports betting. The other thing that you will certainly know is which bookmaker has what advantage over the others in a given sport, since we also give examples for each topic. For example, it will impress you with its high odds, the excellently developed sports section, as well as the variety of markets to bet on. Step by step, article after article, you will become more familiar with sports betting. You will understand the terms that bookmaker companies use and none of them will seem incomprehensible to you anymore. Understanding and making sense of the different betting strategies will help you increase your profits and be successful in the long run. Definitely, when you comment on a given sporting event with your friends, you will have the confidence and courage to give your opinion and forecast about it.
As you know, no one in this world is born a scientist. Everyone has some talent, some develop it, others not so much. But it is no secret that anyone who works hard and puts in effort in a given area has a chance to become very successful in it. In the world of sports betting, the situation is the same. It is true that with the luck of the rookie you can get lucky, but this is not a constant phenomenon. Take a look at our betting guide and you will know where to start your preparation. To become a successful player in sports markets, you need to learn the rules by which this game is played, and that is how you will win money. We wrote this guide to gambling online so that you can learn to be successful and safe when betting your money.
What is this guide?
This is a complete guide to sports betting, in which you will find information about everything you are interested in when betting.
In it you will find information on how to start betting optimally, you will understand everything related to the different types of bets and how to take advantage of them in the most accurate way. You will also find topics related specifically to certain sports (such as football, tennis, even cricket) and how to bet and win on them and many other topics from which you will learn a lot.
What you will find in our guide
Our guide will give you detailed information about the world of betting, such as how to approach each bet correctly or which deposit and withdrawal method to use. Our written guide is the most complete and useful guide to sports betting. The uniqueness and the way in which this guide is written will clarify for you quite obscure questions about sports markets, questions to which you have not been able to find an answer so far.
Who is the guide aimed at?
The guide is intended and written for everyone interested in the question of how to win from sports betting or how to win at a casino.
New players or people with more serious experience in betting, it doesn't matter. This guide is aimed at everyone who is interested in making money through their bets. If you are a person who is just entering the depths of controversial betting, you will have the opportunity to read unique information on how, step by step, to become a successful player.
Even experienced players would be surprised and pleased with what they will find in the guide. If you are in a period of losses and do not know what the reason is, then you are still in the right place, because through this guide you will be able to fill in all the gaps in your game strategies and thus get back on the winning path.
What is the purpose of the guide?
The purpose of the guide is to present you with unique information related entirely to sports betting. In the different articles you will find useful information on each topic. In some of the articles we also review some of the most popular bookmakers, and our goal is to give you not only information, but also real examples of online sites where you can bet. Our main desire is to help you become a profitable player in the sports markets, but for this to happen, of course, you first have to work hard.
The good thing about this is that you have come to the right place, because we have checked all the information and written it for you, so that you can learn the things that interest you when betting in the easiest way.
Remember that in the guide you will not find 100% ways to win, because this is not realistic, since the chance of winning is never 100%. Its main goal is to present the information to you in a way that allows you to calmly determine both the chance and your betting strategy.
What can you expect after reading this guide?
Reading this guide in full will turn you into a person who understands sports betting. The other thing that you will certainly know is which bookmaker has what advantage over the others in a given sport, since we also give examples for each topic. For example, it will impress you with its high odds, the excellently developed sports section, as well as the variety of markets to bet on. Step by step, article after article, you will become more familiar with sports betting. You will understand the terms that bookmaker companies use and none of them will seem incomprehensible to you anymore. Understanding and making sense of the different betting strategies will help you increase your profits and be successful in the long run. Definitely, when you comment on a given sporting event with your friends, you will have the confidence and courage to give your opinion and forecast about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2024
Marty Blazer was a serial, greedy liar who was living the high life while knee-deep in the cesspool of "amateur" athletics. First he violated the trust of his financial advice clients. Then, to save his neck, he became an undercover informant for the FBI, wearing a wire to record his "business" associates. You may not like Marty, but... well, you may not like Marty. But this book is a non-fiction account of how he assisted an FBI investigation into so-called amateur athletics.
Professional athletes receive massive paychecks. Would-be agents, financial advisors, and sports equipment companies desperately want a slice of that money. Management fees and the incentives/perks/bribes that go along with being an influencer of a rich, trusting athlete can be worth millions to the manager, adviser, or agent.
Building a relationship takes time, and it starts when a promising athlete is a teenager. The would-be agent, advisor, or sponsor funnels relatively small amounts of money (in the low thousands) to the athlete or the family. The athlete then promises that when payday comes, he or she will hire the agent or advisor and pay back the money. In the book, these payments are called "hot dog money." It's a risky investment. There will be a lot of misses, but when ka-ching happens, it's loud.
Athletes who continue to succeed at the collegiate level receive ever larger amounts of money and gifts. To get a further edge, the hopeful agents and advisors pay college coaches to steer the athlete in their direction. This is especially pernicious because (a) the coach has the power to enhance or destroy the athlete's prospects; and (b) many of these coaches are father figures to the athletes and are totally trusted.
Under the rules of amateurism, none of this should be happening. But according to the book, it is universal.
Back to Marty: He was a busy actor in this system. But he misappropriated some money belonging to his professional clients and got caught. He agreed to be an FBI undercover informant in order to get the best plea bargain; also to expose and destroy the corrupt system. Or so he says.
For three years, he worked (unpaid) with an FBI team to sting the coaches, agents, advisors, and sports companies. The book captures his life in neverland, not being a perpetrator but being treated like one by the team.*
On top of all this, members of the FBI team stole bribe money from the government. The investigation was shut down prematurely and the scope of the prosecutions was dramatically limited.
I found the description of the undercover investigation to be far too detailed and extended. Maybe this was to address an unreliable narrator problem by proving that Marty's account was accurate. Good Marty was quite persuasive that he had reformed. But Bad Marty was quite a persuasive guy, too.
* It's almost comical. At one point, he complains that the FBI agents talked to him as if he were "a common criminal." At another point, he complains that the FBI wasn't willing to reschedule a meeting so he could attend his son's soccer tournament.
Professional athletes receive massive paychecks. Would-be agents, financial advisors, and sports equipment companies desperately want a slice of that money. Management fees and the incentives/perks/bribes that go along with being an influencer of a rich, trusting athlete can be worth millions to the manager, adviser, or agent.
Building a relationship takes time, and it starts when a promising athlete is a teenager. The would-be agent, advisor, or sponsor funnels relatively small amounts of money (in the low thousands) to the athlete or the family. The athlete then promises that when payday comes, he or she will hire the agent or advisor and pay back the money. In the book, these payments are called "hot dog money." It's a risky investment. There will be a lot of misses, but when ka-ching happens, it's loud.
Athletes who continue to succeed at the collegiate level receive ever larger amounts of money and gifts. To get a further edge, the hopeful agents and advisors pay college coaches to steer the athlete in their direction. This is especially pernicious because (a) the coach has the power to enhance or destroy the athlete's prospects; and (b) many of these coaches are father figures to the athletes and are totally trusted.
Under the rules of amateurism, none of this should be happening. But according to the book, it is universal.
Back to Marty: He was a busy actor in this system. But he misappropriated some money belonging to his professional clients and got caught. He agreed to be an FBI undercover informant in order to get the best plea bargain; also to expose and destroy the corrupt system. Or so he says.
For three years, he worked (unpaid) with an FBI team to sting the coaches, agents, advisors, and sports companies. The book captures his life in neverland, not being a perpetrator but being treated like one by the team.*
On top of all this, members of the FBI team stole bribe money from the government. The investigation was shut down prematurely and the scope of the prosecutions was dramatically limited.
I found the description of the undercover investigation to be far too detailed and extended. Maybe this was to address an unreliable narrator problem by proving that Marty's account was accurate. Good Marty was quite persuasive that he had reformed. But Bad Marty was quite a persuasive guy, too.
* It's almost comical. At one point, he complains that the FBI agents talked to him as if he were "a common criminal." At another point, he complains that the FBI wasn't willing to reschedule a meeting so he could attend his son's soccer tournament.
January 11, 2025
Hot Dog Money acts a scathing review and exposure of the underbelly of the NCAA. As someone who considers himself pretty well in tune with the way the collegiate (and pro) sports world "really" works , I will admit there were times in this tale that even I was surprised at the brazenness of some of these bad actors. I can remember a lot of this story playing out in real time and it was fascinating to be able to see the whole picture laid in this narrative.
I think bad actors is the best way to describe a lot of the folks in this book. While their activity is literally criminal, there were times it felt the author was going out of his to paint not only the college coaches as conniving criminals but the FBI agents as well. As a student manager for a D1 mid-major basketball during the time, there were times I was basically interacting with some of the coaches named in this affair. You would think hearing their crimes laid out like this would drive my hatred for them even more, but honestly the only thing that could quell that is beating them out on the court.
However, every "character" in this book felt like they all suffered from the same fatal flaw: greed. Marty Blazer, Lamont Evans, SA Carpenter, Undercover DeAngelo, Michel, Code, and of course the institution of the NCCA themselves.... they are all just after the almighty dollar. It's not hard to see why so many college athletes are "chasing the bag" these days. They can find themselves surround by greed and that's all they ever know.
On the other hand, I also feel like after reading this, people who aren't as familiar with college athletics would probably think that money is just being throw at every athlete in every corner of country. Again, while this was (is) clearly happening, I don't think I ever saw it in my four years involved in the sport. There are people out there who are playing for the love of the game and to get an education. I do agree it was unfair for them not be able to profit off their name, image and likeness so I disagree with the premise that NIL will ruin these athletes.
Overall, I couldn't put this book down and that's despite knowing most of the outcome. Again, it was fascinating to see how all the pieces came together over a long stretch of time with a wide cast of characters (at times too many to keep track of who was who and how they fit into the investigation). This won't stop me from watching college sport. Quite the contrary as I read a good amount of this with the College Football Playoffs on in the background. Irony at it's finest.
I think bad actors is the best way to describe a lot of the folks in this book. While their activity is literally criminal, there were times it felt the author was going out of his to paint not only the college coaches as conniving criminals but the FBI agents as well. As a student manager for a D1 mid-major basketball during the time, there were times I was basically interacting with some of the coaches named in this affair. You would think hearing their crimes laid out like this would drive my hatred for them even more, but honestly the only thing that could quell that is beating them out on the court.
However, every "character" in this book felt like they all suffered from the same fatal flaw: greed. Marty Blazer, Lamont Evans, SA Carpenter, Undercover DeAngelo, Michel, Code, and of course the institution of the NCCA themselves.... they are all just after the almighty dollar. It's not hard to see why so many college athletes are "chasing the bag" these days. They can find themselves surround by greed and that's all they ever know.
On the other hand, I also feel like after reading this, people who aren't as familiar with college athletics would probably think that money is just being throw at every athlete in every corner of country. Again, while this was (is) clearly happening, I don't think I ever saw it in my four years involved in the sport. There are people out there who are playing for the love of the game and to get an education. I do agree it was unfair for them not be able to profit off their name, image and likeness so I disagree with the premise that NIL will ruin these athletes.
Overall, I couldn't put this book down and that's despite knowing most of the outcome. Again, it was fascinating to see how all the pieces came together over a long stretch of time with a wide cast of characters (at times too many to keep track of who was who and how they fit into the investigation). This won't stop me from watching college sport. Quite the contrary as I read a good amount of this with the College Football Playoffs on in the background. Irony at it's finest.
November 14, 2024
A mostly engaging read, with echoes of Miami Vice TV series.
I learned much about covert incentive payments to coaches and to prospective pro basketball and football players and/or their parents from "financial advisors". I'm sure to many it's a non-news flash is that the competition isn't only on the fields and floors.
There were a fair number of what I felt were Miami Vice TV show type humorous moments, especially federal law enforcement agents overdoing the acting as cash kingpins and enjoying themselves a little too much in Sin City. Ah, the double life. These fellows sure weren't the straight-laced Dragnet types, Lol. I kept wondering where all the undercover cash came from, perhaps dirty money and assets acquired during federal raids?
I found it very challenging to keep up with all of the names of the large number of individuals especially the advisors and "runners", but they eventually came back to me, mostly. I didn't notice a glossary of characters in it. Kindle "X-ray" was mostly helpful for me as a reminder of who was who. For me this book would benefit from even more multimedia additions. For example, click on a name, the person's image pulls up. To be honest, it didn't help to put the book for a few weeks and then pick it back up. Instead, read it straight through.
Even though the writing was good and consistent, I had a challenging time feeling consistently engaged in the narrative. The most challenging sections where were there were entire chapters were seemingly devoted to advisor and "runner" conversations and exchanges without a direction of where this was leading to at the close of the chapters, i.e., what about the investigative aspect? Some times I felt like I was reading the same chapter again. In contrast, I found the last quarter of the book to logically build to a conclusion. Anyway, I could round my book rating up to 3.5 but rounding the tenths up.
I read that George Clooney bought the rights to the story and is working on a movie of it. I think a film version would work best as a documentary mini-series, such as The Dance.
I learned much about covert incentive payments to coaches and to prospective pro basketball and football players and/or their parents from "financial advisors". I'm sure to many it's a non-news flash is that the competition isn't only on the fields and floors.
There were a fair number of what I felt were Miami Vice TV show type humorous moments, especially federal law enforcement agents overdoing the acting as cash kingpins and enjoying themselves a little too much in Sin City. Ah, the double life. These fellows sure weren't the straight-laced Dragnet types, Lol. I kept wondering where all the undercover cash came from, perhaps dirty money and assets acquired during federal raids?
I found it very challenging to keep up with all of the names of the large number of individuals especially the advisors and "runners", but they eventually came back to me, mostly. I didn't notice a glossary of characters in it. Kindle "X-ray" was mostly helpful for me as a reminder of who was who. For me this book would benefit from even more multimedia additions. For example, click on a name, the person's image pulls up. To be honest, it didn't help to put the book for a few weeks and then pick it back up. Instead, read it straight through.
Even though the writing was good and consistent, I had a challenging time feeling consistently engaged in the narrative. The most challenging sections where were there were entire chapters were seemingly devoted to advisor and "runner" conversations and exchanges without a direction of where this was leading to at the close of the chapters, i.e., what about the investigative aspect? Some times I felt like I was reading the same chapter again. In contrast, I found the last quarter of the book to logically build to a conclusion. Anyway, I could round my book rating up to 3.5 but rounding the tenths up.
I read that George Clooney bought the rights to the story and is working on a movie of it. I think a film version would work best as a documentary mini-series, such as The Dance.
December 13, 2024
Sharply written with the perfect mix of interesting information, humour and drama. I don't follow many sports, especially not NBA and NFL, but the deals and underhand financial tactics are captivating in themselves.
Reading the blurb I was a little cautious. Was this going to be 300 pages of Guy A giving money to Guys B, C, and D? How varied could it truly be? But Lawson's knocked it out the park with this one, he's crafted a great story from something that could have been fairly dry and mundane. The narrative is always developing, with just as much focus on the investigators as the investigated. There is always some tension whether it's in the foreground (the risk of getting caught) or background (how do you survive whilst being an informant when you can't work and have to keep up the lifestyle?).
The style is fairly typical modern journalism. Not quite as heavily humour driven as a Michael Lewis book, but has a lighter tone when needed to highlight the ridiculousness of the situation.
Overall, the story itself is fairly predictable - the case follows quite a few Hollywood tropes - but the writing remains gripping. The insertion of Blaze's callbacks in the form of occasional verbatim quotes keep it rooted in his own experience, and while there were a few times I questioned whether he was truly honest in his recollections (almost everyone except himself is presented as an idiot!), they show a lot about his personality and his perspectives on life.
Reading the blurb I was a little cautious. Was this going to be 300 pages of Guy A giving money to Guys B, C, and D? How varied could it truly be? But Lawson's knocked it out the park with this one, he's crafted a great story from something that could have been fairly dry and mundane. The narrative is always developing, with just as much focus on the investigators as the investigated. There is always some tension whether it's in the foreground (the risk of getting caught) or background (how do you survive whilst being an informant when you can't work and have to keep up the lifestyle?).
The style is fairly typical modern journalism. Not quite as heavily humour driven as a Michael Lewis book, but has a lighter tone when needed to highlight the ridiculousness of the situation.
Overall, the story itself is fairly predictable - the case follows quite a few Hollywood tropes - but the writing remains gripping. The insertion of Blaze's callbacks in the form of occasional verbatim quotes keep it rooted in his own experience, and while there were a few times I questioned whether he was truly honest in his recollections (almost everyone except himself is presented as an idiot!), they show a lot about his personality and his perspectives on life.
August 25, 2024
A story of a system rotten to the core
Hot Dog Money is something pf a redemption arc, as Marty Blazer attempts to stay out of jail by guiding the feds through the seedy underground of college sports recruiting. No one comes out of this story untarnished, not Blazer, the coaches, the athletes, their families, even the FBI agents purportedly investigating things all get seduced by the money sluicing around college sports. Even as it becomes clear that the scandals uncovered will cut to the very heart of the college sports world, Blazer is forced to live a double life, bribing college coaches and using “runners”, the shady go-betweens who grease the skids to move money between agents, shoe companies and boosters into the hands of players and their families, all in the hopes that a select few will bloom into professional superstars. At the same time, he is trying to put his life back together and become the husband and father he so desperately wants to be. Blazer is not perfect, and you might spend much of the book actively disliking him - I definitely did. But his story is compelling and Lawson has captured an era in college sports where money finally destroyed the traditions and any sense that the spectacle on the field or the court was anything more than a multibillion dollar business.
Hot Dog Money is something pf a redemption arc, as Marty Blazer attempts to stay out of jail by guiding the feds through the seedy underground of college sports recruiting. No one comes out of this story untarnished, not Blazer, the coaches, the athletes, their families, even the FBI agents purportedly investigating things all get seduced by the money sluicing around college sports. Even as it becomes clear that the scandals uncovered will cut to the very heart of the college sports world, Blazer is forced to live a double life, bribing college coaches and using “runners”, the shady go-betweens who grease the skids to move money between agents, shoe companies and boosters into the hands of players and their families, all in the hopes that a select few will bloom into professional superstars. At the same time, he is trying to put his life back together and become the husband and father he so desperately wants to be. Blazer is not perfect, and you might spend much of the book actively disliking him - I definitely did. But his story is compelling and Lawson has captured an era in college sports where money finally destroyed the traditions and any sense that the spectacle on the field or the court was anything more than a multibillion dollar business.
December 23, 2024
Good writing about a compelling story. I am admittedly naive about the corruption in college sports. I'll never look at college basketball or football the same, or the system that throws mostly unsophisticated teenagers to the wolves of those who would exploit them. For that, I appreciate this book.
So why only three stars? It whitewashes Marty Blazer (pun intended) as some hero--flawed, but nonetheless heroic. In yet another variation of the exploitation of black bodies, Blazer misappropriated, that is stole, millions of dollars from his clients and should have gone to prison. But "to protect his family," he avoided prison exposing other corruption in college sports, serving as a "cooperating informant" and later as a "cooperating witness" to ruin others who similarly had families they loved. To be clear, those who were caught up in the investigation were far from innocent; they too are part of the problem. My beef is that Blazer felt no compunction about ruining these individuals for his own benefit and in Lawson's eyes, Blazer's means justify his goal of protecting his family.
In the end, Karma is a biatch. Nonetheless, I still resent Lawson's portrayal of Blazer, who knew full well he was committing crime, but sold out others. Noting the racial overtones doesn't absolve Lawson of giving Blazer a pass.
So why only three stars? It whitewashes Marty Blazer (pun intended) as some hero--flawed, but nonetheless heroic. In yet another variation of the exploitation of black bodies, Blazer misappropriated, that is stole, millions of dollars from his clients and should have gone to prison. But "to protect his family," he avoided prison exposing other corruption in college sports, serving as a "cooperating informant" and later as a "cooperating witness" to ruin others who similarly had families they loved. To be clear, those who were caught up in the investigation were far from innocent; they too are part of the problem. My beef is that Blazer felt no compunction about ruining these individuals for his own benefit and in Lawson's eyes, Blazer's means justify his goal of protecting his family.
In the end, Karma is a biatch. Nonetheless, I still resent Lawson's portrayal of Blazer, who knew full well he was committing crime, but sold out others. Noting the racial overtones doesn't absolve Lawson of giving Blazer a pass.
January 15, 2025
Pittsburgh's own Marty Blazer was a Smith Barney financial executive leading a bland life chasing down leads and managing a "boring" book of business. By chance he meets a recently added player to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his life would change forever. A mash up of 'Wolf of Wall Street' and 'The Smartest Guys in the Room' this procedural delves into the uber corrupt world of college sports recruiting and financial representation. Ripe with stories of famous and not so famous players and coaches who are taken down as Marty goes undercover with the feds due to his own surrender before SEC charges are brought to bear against him. Often times a confusing read due to the prolific number of names interspersed throughout each chapter. The book certainly needed a better editor as the author consistently repeats how Marty is feeling throughout the book with the same sentiments - Marty's family, kid's soccer games, double-triple life, imminent conviction. Ok, we get it, once would have been enough, not every 25 pages. I swear these personal troops are sometimes copied, cut and pasted further up in the book for filler. However annoying, this is a good story about the corruption in college athletics and recruiting. Rights bought by George Clooney for a movie to come. Spoiler alert: You won't watch the game the same way after reading Hot Dog money.
May 30, 2024
Small time fixer Marty Blazer writes this narrative for author Guy Lawson. All that Lawson had to do was listen, with his tape recorder catching every word, as Blazer talks and talks, boasts and boasts. Blazer tell all, then Lawson provides glue to put it all together. The first half of the book chronicles Blazer's sordid life, providing 'hot dog money' (bribes) to college football (then basketball) coaches and players (and the players' families) so that the players eventually will deposit their big time bonuses and salaries with Blazer's money management firm and sign on with Blazer's sports agent colleagues. Then the Feds step in, making Blazer an offer that he cannot refuse--if he wants to stay out of prison and preserve his marriage and family. The second half of the book details how Blazer continues his fixer ways, this time with various recording devices sewn into his specially designed shirts that are provided by the FBI. Finally, the FBI and Department of Justice express their gratitude to Blazer in court. True story. Lawson, who apparently believes the real culprit is the NCAA and the 'system,' almost makes the reader sympathetic to Marty Blazer. Cohesively well written.
August 5, 2024
Reading 2024
Book 130: Hot Dog Money: Inside the Biggest Scandal in the History of College Sports by Guy Lawson
Got this book for my Kindle as an Amazon First Reads selection. I was intrigued by the premise of the book and had to pick it up.
Synopsis: The inside story of disgraced fraudster turned undercover FBI informant Marty Blazer and the greatest scandal in the history of the NCAA.
Review: Well as excited as I was to get started on this book, the reality was it was a letdown. There were some news stories about hot dog money, so I knew a bit about the issue, and I knew that it lead to some laws being changed for college athletes. What did not hit the mark for me was the style and story presentation in the book. There was a lot of repetition in the chapters, lots of names being thrown around, and that muddied the direction of the story. This could have been a shorter book or even a short story length. My rating 3⭐️.
Book 130: Hot Dog Money: Inside the Biggest Scandal in the History of College Sports by Guy Lawson
Got this book for my Kindle as an Amazon First Reads selection. I was intrigued by the premise of the book and had to pick it up.
Synopsis: The inside story of disgraced fraudster turned undercover FBI informant Marty Blazer and the greatest scandal in the history of the NCAA.
Review: Well as excited as I was to get started on this book, the reality was it was a letdown. There were some news stories about hot dog money, so I knew a bit about the issue, and I knew that it lead to some laws being changed for college athletes. What did not hit the mark for me was the style and story presentation in the book. There was a lot of repetition in the chapters, lots of names being thrown around, and that muddied the direction of the story. This could have been a shorter book or even a short story length. My rating 3⭐️.
May 24, 2024
Even though I am not a sports fan I did find the NCAA scandal interesting and culturally relevant. the book is very detailed with names, amounts, strategies, and insider thoughts from the informant (Blazer). since I don't know anything about college basketball much of the nuance was lost on me - sometimes I found it difficult to keep the names straight and there was too much detail. but if you know the characters then I am sure it will be quite powerful. author does a good job of outlining the important points for those of us who don't know much about the NCAA. book did a great job or starting at the beginning and tying it up so reader knows the outcome. this scandal not only punished some of the "bad guys" but also helped cause substantial changes which will benefit the players. I recommend this book, many readers can skim some of it and not lose the essence of the story.
June 27, 2024
Fascinating tale of corruption in college sports
Very interesting story of a “jock sniffing” financial advisor who fell from grace through his greed and ego. Sad to learn how corrupt college sports truly is…with the assistant coaches, assistant Athletic Directors, sneaker company executives, runners and more having such a major influence over young athlete’s. In addition, the incompetence of the government (at least from Marty Blazer’s perspective) and the wasteful spending in pursuing the case is very disappointing.
In the end, while I feel some sympathy for Marty ‘Blaze’ Blazer, I also am not a fan of how many lives he destroyed to save himself and his family. I understand why he would do it, and the greed and corruption by those who were indicted does not make them sympathetic figures, it is still very tragic for all
Very interesting story of a “jock sniffing” financial advisor who fell from grace through his greed and ego. Sad to learn how corrupt college sports truly is…with the assistant coaches, assistant Athletic Directors, sneaker company executives, runners and more having such a major influence over young athlete’s. In addition, the incompetence of the government (at least from Marty Blazer’s perspective) and the wasteful spending in pursuing the case is very disappointing.
In the end, while I feel some sympathy for Marty ‘Blaze’ Blazer, I also am not a fan of how many lives he destroyed to save himself and his family. I understand why he would do it, and the greed and corruption by those who were indicted does not make them sympathetic figures, it is still very tragic for all
January 3, 2025
Guy Lawson's book about the hypocrisy that is the business of big time NCAA sports. Marty 'Blaze' Blazer becomes financial advisor to college athletes by proving illegal 'hot dog money' to young naive athletes for mortgages, bills, entertainment, weed & more. Blazer gets in trouble when his investment in the movie business goes bad and he tries to cover by using his client's' money in a kind of Ponzi scheme. Once arrested, he becomes a cooperating informer to the FBI exposing corruption at the highest level of college sports (and sneaker companies). For most of the book, it is hard to feel sorry for Blazer but he does come to sincerely regret his actions and its impact on his family. There are many (too many) stories about bribery and living the high life. At the end though, this book is a good read about greed and the exploitation of college athletes.
May 11, 2024
I knew there were shenanigans and illegal activity surrounding college athletes in the most popular sports, but what it outlined, in great detail, in this book is beyond comprehension. I feel more educated on the behind the scenes world, disappointed to learn the NCAA as an oversight organization is just about useless and sad how the youngest players are extorted and taken advantage of.
The book had a lot more detail, than I needed to get the gist of this world. At times, it felt like a laundry listing of who's who in the underworld, listing name after name, that wasn't important to me. At other times it as a blow by blow narrative of too many activities that were not critical to the story to me. I skimmed a lot and skipped over large sections and still got the core of the story.
The book had a lot more detail, than I needed to get the gist of this world. At times, it felt like a laundry listing of who's who in the underworld, listing name after name, that wasn't important to me. At other times it as a blow by blow narrative of too many activities that were not critical to the story to me. I skimmed a lot and skipped over large sections and still got the core of the story.
June 26, 2024
Uggh gross is how I felt after reading this. The beginning is interesting and I enjoyed the being the scenes look for a few chapters BUT by chapter 8, the story was just an in depth account that seemed to go on and on with no real point. This book shows the ugliness of NCAA and the pathetic nature of the DOJ or FBI. This case could have been wrapped up quicker but carried on using resources for no end goal. I guess it helped usher in NIL but uggh. I didn't really care for our main character either as he tried to downplay his ugliness but it is exposed by his continual actions in the book. This book is about sleaziness and then a slow methodical of actions taking over many years. I could have used half the book and I would probably like this book somewhat.
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