As news broke Thursday that federal agents had arrested an NBA coach and player as part of a sprawling investigation into gambling, Mike Greenberg, host of ESPN’s morning show “Get Up,” prepared viewers for the network’s wall-to-wall coverage of a scandal. First, though, he wanted to acknowledge something.

“[Gambling] was something networks like ESPN would stay far away from,” Greenberg said. “Those days are obviously long behind us.”

As he spoke, a scroll at the bottom of the screen advertised a promotion from the network-branded sportsbook, ESPN Bet, offering customers the chance to wager $10 and receive $100 more in promotional bets. By the time he finished his thought, the ad had disappeared.

Such was the start to a day of coverage by the country’s most dominant sports media brand a

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