Sport/Not Sport- Poker
Even though my grandfather recalls playing with his childhood friends, poker (especially Texas Hold 'em) is absolutely huge right now. All over ESPN with shows like TILT and the World Series of Poker, this is definitely the biggest fad for sports fans (I'll admit, I'm a fan as well). So is it a sport or not? Personally, I hate arguing whether games like golf, ballroom dancing (which is, Lord help us, an Olympic event), cross-country running, or BMXing are sports or not. This is a no-brainer however- poker can't possibly be a sport.
posted by Jay @ 1:35 PM
8 Comments
8 Comments:
although in huge tournaments there is a certain amount of stamina needed to play for hours straight, its just a card game, not a sport.
TC
I'm not gonna cause a ruckus here, poker is def not a sport. But please dont bring up golf, or bmx biking as not being sports. They are without question. Anything involving skill would constitute as sports. Yes you can be able to read a bluff, and know what cards to play and when to play them, but in the end if you dont get the cards you most likely will lose. I often lose. Damn though, I love poker.
If poker is considered a sport, then Go Fish would need to be considered a sport. If someone can come up with a convincing argument for Go Fish (or as my highly intelligent roommate thought for the past 19 years: Goldfish) being a sport, I would LOVE to hear it.
Just to clarify: i threw out a few games/sports that are arguable...i do believe that golf is a sport, i also believe that bmxing and cross country running are sports....ball room dancing is another story...but just so everyone knows, i wasn't making a blanket statement about those, just mentioning a few border-line candidates
poker cannot be a sport because a sport is defined as: An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively. this being said, it is one of the most competitive card games out there. it tests your mental skill, not your physical skill. its a good game, but just a game. thats about it, and if you play at all over the summer gimme a call, im in. -marino-
Obviously, many people have agreed that poker is not a sport because it takes no athletic ability. However, I am here to argue that such "sports" as track and field (mainly the track part, which I ran for two years), swimming and cycling are not real sports. Two main reasons support my claim: One reason being that you cannot prevent your opponent from doing his job in each of these "sports." Or in laymens terms, you cant play defense. What can you do to prevent your opponent from beating you if he ran the mile (pick any race or swimming event, etc.) 20 secs faster than you possibly could? What can you do to slow him down? Nothing. Secondly, there is no real skill involved in any of these "sports." Granted they do take a lot of athletic ability, but no skill. It is simply a test of repetition/endurance or power. Therefore I would put these three (plus others like it) in a category of "athletic events"...but I refuse to call them sports.
-T$
(also check out one of my favorite "ESPN Page 2" articles on Lance Armstrong http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/041230 )
TS-
I absolutely agree with you... just one thing though. What do you feel about extreme sports (ie bmx, inline/aggressive skating, skateboarding)? I feel that this takes a rediculous amount of skill, and not just athletic ability. Yes you don't have to play defense but it definitely tests a lot more than just your natural physical ability.
That's an interesting point but I just dont believe those 3 you mentioned take any (maybe a little) athletic ability. Although they are completely different in form, I'd have to group them with golf as far as not being a sport. They do take a great deal of skill, but athletic ability is not a must...true it does help (look at Tiger Woods)...but it is not necessary (look at John Daly). I would give you examples for those "X-Games"
(plus just look at the name, in itself it says they arent real sports, just games/contests), but I don't know enough of their names.
-T$
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