the buzz log
Gambling on the NFL
With the return of the NFL, grifters and gamblers crawl out from their dark corner of the sports world and into the light. Searches reflect this heightened interest in wagering as the season kicks off.
So which queries are parlaying their way to the top of the chart? Well, this week's largest increase goes to "nfl picks," up 877%. Other gambling-related terms experiencing triple-digit increases include "nfl odds," "nfl predictions," and "nfl betting line."
We took the points and also found searches on "nfl point spreads," "nfl spreads," and "vegas nfl lines" had moved significantly over the past seven days. And we hope your action is at the counter in Vegas—'cause otherwise it's illegal. And we just know you'd never break the law.
Hoops of Infamy
Everybody has problems. The NFL has Michael Vick, and MLB has that whole steroids thing. Both are disturbing, but the current NBA meltdown may be even worse. Following news that a referee bet on games (and perhaps more), searches on the scandal's key players took flight.
Tim Donaghy is the ref in the middle of the mess. Queries on the 13-year veteran hit the roof once his name hit the wires. In fact, interest in the "rogue" official topped searches on the NBA, his former employer. Related search spikes included "tim donaghy bio," "tim donaghy gambling," and "tim donaghy playoffs." Hooray for infamy!
But this story isn't just about ol' Tim. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango and NBA commissioner David Stern is Donaghy's unwilling partner. Of course, the commish didn't collude with Donaghy, but many are wondering why Donaghy, who had a reputation as a gambler, wasn't fired earlier. Stern, on a mission of damage control, described the fiasco as an isolated incident. If it turns out to be more, expect outraged searches on Donaghy, Stern, and the NBA to soar even higher.
Odds on Favorite
As a rule, we don't endorse gambling. Sometimes we glance at Vegas lines as a way to gauge how folks feel. But what are the odds of us placing a winning bet? About the same as Britney Spears being named "Mother of the Year."
We'll be the first to admit we have no skills when it comes to the black art of wagering. However, we do have searches to tell us what's in the cards when buzz is applied to the world of odds.
If you have a gambler's mentality, perhaps the top ten odds searches can guide your best bet...
Although our top 10 list is dominated by sports, we're pleased to see pop culture make a pitch with "American Idol" securing the #4 spot. Putting sports on the sideline, we doubled down and pulled out 10 more oddities from our odds searches...
- Asteroids and the Odds of Hitting Earth
- What are the Odds of Being Born
- Odds of Dying
- Odds President 2008
- Increasing the Odds of Twins
- Odds of Hillary Clinton Being the Next President
- Odds of Getting Pregnant
- Odds of Becoming a Victim of Violence
- Deal or No Deal Odds
- Bible Prophecies Odds
Gambling on the Garden State
Beginning with a legislative standoff over New Jersey budget (+139%) approvals, a Garden State gambit went high stakes this week when Governor Jon Corzine (+163%) ordered a government shutdown on July 1. Six days later, the freeze is over and many await the moment they can once again hop that free shuttle into Atlantic City (+163%).
Casinos are part of the players' club in Search, and the recent hubbub in Jersey only helped to boost the kitty. Searches on "atlantic city casinos" (+261%), "new jersey casinos" (+322%), and "atlantic city shutdown" (+316%) jumped as nickel-slot sharks across the Eastern seaboard fretted over the possibility of a Friday night sans one-armed bandits.
Of course, if you want to increase your odds of breaking the bank, you'll bet your bucks at other joints besides those in Atlantic City. Just by chance, we happen to have a list of some other top casinos in Search...
Filed under: Gambling, Government, Casinos
Poker Isn't Played Out (Yet)
Cable networks have found a fashionable new way to raise ratings every weekend—they just train their cameras on poker tables. Texas Hold 'Em currently has Search in a stranglehold, but that could all change if televised tourneys continue to oversaturate the airwaves. Let's call the bluff in Buzz and see what we turn over in our top 20 poker searches...
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.