ESPN and taxes

[luckycharms]

Ok... some people are starting to consider poker a sport. It's on ESPN, and Raymer's 88 got #1 on Sportcenter Play-of-the-Day. Regardless of whether or not you consider it a sport, it is getting the exact same kind of coverage as a normal sport, like baseball. The advertisements aren't quite as extreme at the table as the ones scattered all over the baseball diamond, but you get my meaning. Anyways, WPT is now the Travel Channel's biggest show, and the WSOP is one of ESPN's most hyped shows, and has the best rerun value. ESPN pays for the rights to show baseball highlights, and ABC (or whatever station) pays millions and millions to air the Superbowl. The NFL profits immensely from their television coverage, and that profit is reflected directly in their player's incomes. Additionally, NFL players don't pay a 49% tax on their income, and they don't have to pay $10,000 to enter every game.

Some of this can't be helped, but there is a discrepency between what poker is giving to ESPN and what ESPN is giving to poker. I don't think that ESPN is responsible for paying superstar players for being on TV and boosting their ratings, but I do think that it's ridiculous they don't give anything back. Isn't there something someone can do to make them pay? This post will be edited into completion soon.... I gotta go. Comments are welcome.