The rise in popularity of poker is making people consider it a sport
By JOSHUA NATOLI
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 1, 2011
Through the past 10 years, the popularity of poker has been on the rise. Specials on sport networks have broadcasted hundreds of poker tournaments, the most popular being The World Series of Poker on ESPN.
This surge in popularity has led to numerous online poker websites that have popped up over the years. Many players on various professional tours like Daniel Negreaau, Phil Ivey, and Chris Moneymaker have become household names due to the popularity of the game.
This game has become so popular that it has even been given the title of being a sport.
A sport to me, and almost anyone else can be defined as a competitive game that requires physical activity. Football is a sport, basketball is a sport, baseball is a sport, but poker? I don’t think so. I can see the argument being made for poker being a sport.
Yes, you have to be on your toes and really use your head to win. That can be very challenging, but chess is the same way. Is chess a sport? No. So why should poker be? I’ll admit it does take a lot of thinking to become a great poker player, but the whole game is played at a table with chairs.
The International Federation of Poker has been accepted in to the International Mind Sports Association along with chess, and bridge which is right where it belongs.
Those games are in consideration for the Olympic Games. The ancient Greeks will roll over in their graves the day those games with no physical skills become events in the Olympics. The Olympics are about celebrating the athletic ability of different people in countries throughout the world in events like wrestling, basketball, and gymnastics. Sitting at a table playing cards for multiple hours is not what many would consider and ideal Olympic event.
If anybody has seen the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, you would know if the fake sports network created for the film called ESPN 8: The Ocho. This network featured events of the stranger sort that are on the borderline of being called sports.
This is the niche that poker would fall in along with paintball and darts. It would be good for poker so everyone knew where to watch it and ESPN could get back to broadcasting real sports. Speaking of which, if you happen to scroll through the channels and catch the World Series of Darts, watch it. I never would have thought watching two people throw darts on television could be so entertaining.
This is not a hateful rant at all towards poker. I am a fan of the game and love to sit down with the guys and have a poker night, or maybe catch a few minutes of it on TV. I am just saying it’s in no contention to be considered a sport. I can see why there is such a push for poker to become a sport with the huge fan base, but hardcore fans need to realize that poker is just a game.
