Online Sportsbooks Offer Betting Lines On Johnson & Bolt

Gambling News - January 10th, 2010 - Written By Bonnie

NFL running back Chris Johnson's chances of proving he is the world's fastest human being seem to be fading more and more with each day. After challenging Olympic champion, and currently-recognized "World's Fastest Man" Usain Bolt, representatives are claiming the race will probably not happen.

Details of the proposed race have stumped negotiations, primarily because the two sides can't agree on length. Johnson, the NFL's leading rusher with the Tennessee Titans in '09, wants the competition to be held at 60 meters or less. Bolt, who is the world champion at the 50m and 100m, prefers the distance to be longer than that because he is considered to be a slow starter who picks up the pace later on.

It's a simple conflict that is reasonable on both sides. Bolt has nothing to gain by winning the race because he is already considered to be the fastest man alive. If he were to agree to running a distance he does not feel comfortable with and loses, it would be a disaster.

As for Johnson, he certainly wants to win the race and be known as the fastest man alive, which would only add to his legend after rushing for over 2,000 yards this year. He is most comfortable with short distances because that is what he is trained on, and would be able to zone in easier. A long distance race would clearly put him at a disadvantage, and might make the race moot anyways.

Bolt said he would not want to race Johnson for the novelty, because he doesn't consider himself to be a fan of the NFL and has no interest in becoming popular with it's fans.

"Usain doesn't follow the NFL too closely and is not really familiar with all of the players. He likes [international] football and cricket," Simms said, according to the report. "But more importantly, he has a schedule and a coach to follow and there is no chance that we would set up this type of event."

What may draw the two together is the fact that all profits from the race would be donated to charity.

So, BetUS wants to know, will the race happen? The sportsbook is offering a prop bet for gamblers to weigh in on the matter. If it happens by August 1st, 2010, bettors will receive a payout of +150. Odds that it doesn't happen are -200.

If the race is, in fact, run, who will win? The current world champion who has three gold medals, or the blistering running back who ran a 4.24 40-yard dash in the 2007 NFL Combine?

Bolt is favored at -900, and Johnson's odds to win are +450, according to Entertaiment Betting Odds.