Article: If poker is sport, it's time to fold

[chopstick]

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports...13859289c.html

About the writer:
Reach Marcos Breton at (916) 321-1096 or mbreton@sacbee.com.




Smithers, release the hounds.

The guy is right on the mark. This game usually involves a bunch of arrogant, overweight slobs talking trash. It involves no athletic ability whatsoever.

[MaxPower]

Other than the depiction of poker players as chain smoking, booze swilling louts, I think this guy makes some good points.

A lot of the poker shows are extremely boring and even the good ones are manipulated to look more exciting than they are.

I think the popularity of poker just shows what sheep most people are. Before the popularity of the WPT people who knew I played poker thought it was a weird thing to do. Now they are all talking about how great it is. TV tells them what they should think and what they should like.

OK, cynical rant over.

[colgin]

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i agree with this guy 100% and im not joking.

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I agree with some of the sentiments but surely his tone is too overblown.

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poker is not a sport.


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Agreed. There should be no debate about this.

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it shouldn't be on tv.

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I have like 200 channels. If a few of them have poker on from time to time who cares. Sometimes I watch and sometimes I don't.

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it should DEFINATELY not be on the sports pages.

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Agreed. It is not a sport. It pissed me off when the New York Times put McManus' new poker column (which I don't object to per se) in the Sports section. They don't put bridge and chess in sports. Then again, they now put video game reviews (you read correctly . . . video game reviews) next to that same McManus poker column.

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the only thing i like about the current situation is that it drives more horrible playing people to the tables.


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God bless.

[Sandstone]

I don't know who gets to define what a "sport" is, or why anyone would be bothered that this meaningless identification is given to one game or another.

If there's a demand for the content, who cares whether it goes on the Sports page or some other page (Where the hell do they even bury the Chess info?)

[Alex/Mugaaz]

Poker is a game. There are plenty of games on TV. We live in a free country - anything that gets ratings will be on TV. If you don't like it, don't watch it. I hate golf, when I see it on TV I change the channel. Not that difficult.

[Revid]

sport (spôrt, sprt)
n.

1.
1. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
2. A particular form of this activity.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.
4.
1. Mockery; jest: He made sport of his own looks.
2. An object of mockery, jest, or play: treated our interests as sport.
3. A joking mood or attitude: She made the remark in sport.
5.
1. One known for the manner of one's acceptance of rules, especially of a game, or of a difficult situation: a poor sport.
2. Informal. One who accepts rules or difficult situations well.
3. Informal. A pleasant companion: was a real sport during the trip.
6. Informal.
1. A person who lives a jolly, extravagant life.
2. A gambler at sporting events.
7. Biology. An organism that shows a marked change from the normal type or parent stock, typically as a result of mutation.
8. Maine. See summercater. See Regional Note at summercater.
9. Obsolete. Amorous dalliance; lovemaking.


<font color="green"> I am not saying that I think poker is a sport but I do think there could be two classifications of sport.

One where there is physical exertion involved. Another would be something that is a pastime or game that people compete in. You cant just call it a hobby, people dont compete in building model trains (or do they?).

Poker, Chess, Darts, Bowling, Spelling Bees, Billiards; a new category of sport. This way people who were in football in high school dont get pissed when someone calls poker a sport.

Just a thought. </font>

[TheIrishThug]

poker is not a sport. neither is cheerleading, figure skating, gymnastics, or skateboarding. but all these r on tv and i have no problem with that. for me a sport is a competition, that requires physical skill, and is not decide based on someone's opinion of how they performed.

if there was a place to put poker and other non-sports that fit, that would be fine. but for now the best place is the sports page.

as for having poker being sold thru the media, yes it has it's dangers but a lot of ppl still think its only played in smoking backrooms. if i am not mistaken, there was a rule that got u kicked out of the wsop if u smoked at the table.

[mackthefork]

[ QUOTE ]
Modern-day court jesters are being elevated alongside the Miguel Tejadas of the world

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I'm sure this is bad form here, but does anyone outside America know who the [censored] this guy is? I have no idea. Also ESPN cutting mostly cuts out the hands where something of interest happens, thus making the WPT shows basically unwatchable to anyone who can play a little.

Mack (Little Englander) [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[mackthefork]

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i agree with this guy 100% and im not joking. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

poker is not a sport. bing [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

it shouldn't be on tv. (i refer to your last point)

it should DEFINATELY not be on the sports pages. bing [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

the only thing i like about the current situation is that it drives more horrible playing people to the tables. (this is why it should be on TV) [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

-Barron

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Regards Mack