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New Rule: You Gotta Have Balls, So Poker Is Not a Sport

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New Rule: You Gotta Have Balls, So Poker Is Not a Sport

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  • Posted By:
    TheTruth at 07/12/2008 8:19:12 AM
    Comment:
    POKER IS AS EXICITING AS WATCHING TWO SNAILS REPRODUCE, OR AS THRILLING AS FLUSHING THE TOILET
  • Posted By:
    TheTruth at 07/12/2008 8:17:36 AM
    Comment:
    POKER IS AS EXICITING AS WATCHING SNAILS REPRODUCING, OR AS THRILLLING AS SEEING AND HEARING THE TOILET FLUSH.
  • Posted By:
    Kenneth_Burke at 06/23/2008 8:47:38 PM
    Comment:
    Where do professional skateboarding, snowboarding, and skiing fit in?
  • Posted By:
    Kenneth_Burke at 06/23/2008 8:46:24 PM
    Comment:
    The National Spelling Bee isn't a sport either, but that makes it onto ESPN. ESPN poker coverage keeps the fish coming to our tables. Please do not give their management any funny ideas that only "sports" belong on the network.
  • Posted By:
    FredskyMichailkoff at 06/16/2008 12:03:45 AM
    Comment:
    Poker is not a sport, however I believe any event that requires an amount of physically challenging training and some sort of skill to compete with is a sport. So john you are flat out wrong in my opinion when you say track and field, golf, and swimming are not sports. By your standards polo and tetherball are more sporty than boxing, you need a reality check my friend and I might add a new set of rules. Your ball rule is f@#ked up because you are excluding wrestling (not WWF I???m talking about NCAA), cycling, lifting, speed skating, snow/skateboarding, surfing, gymnastics, and competitive eating to name a few. Not too sure about the last one but I don't think all of those athletes would appreciate anybody telling them their sport is no sport. Just because you don't think these sports are as popular doesn't mean they are not sports. "SPORT -- an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others." -- Oxford Dictionary, no mention of a ball, hmmm curious.
  • Posted By:
    Lawman007 at 04/30/2008 4:27:15 PM
    Comment:
    Don't cards, craps, and roulette for that matter involve probability/luck/chance where as sports involve a little bit more than that? Do you think you have limited your view of sports with just 3 rules? Could you include maybe Physical activity as opposed to sitting in a chair? Maybe even breaking into a sweat? Just seems that just 3 rules don't cut it. troylawson
  • Posted By:
    kawke at 04/30/2008 1:26:57 AM
    Comment:
    No, poker is a game... but not a sport. Try to lose weight playing poker. Maybe if you are loked out while you do it. Gamblers' Anon is looking for new recruits. Join up today.
  • Posted By:
    AP111023 at 04/30/2008 1:17:04 AM
    Comment:
    Poker is a sport you idiots, to play it takes a lot of stamina. Big tournaments takes days to play and win. And a lot of the mental aspects are the same as say playing basketball. You have to out think your opponents at every step. I have more to write, but I am about to go play a poker tournament.
  • Posted By:
    glukacs at 04/29/2008 5:19:28 PM
    Comment:
    John Jackson has spent too many years 'getting' an education, and not enough years 'using' his education. Like so many academia, he presupposes a position that will be controversial - then stands aside deflecting his intentions. He must have had a lonely childhood - not enough sports! His debate has no foundation, his ideas are abstract, and his intentions are meaningless. Hey John - go back to school.
  • Posted By:
    DaleBart at 04/29/2008 3:07:06 PM
    Comment:
    To whom it may concern, I have be involved in lots of different activites, Tae Kwon do, Muay thai, Football, Baseball, US MARINE CORPS and two tours of comabat. Now, I have experianced all types of mental and physical stress, and I have been paying poker for 12 years, all types from mom teaching 7-card stud with pennies to 200 person NLHE tournys, and I would have to say poker is a sport, I takes Endurance(neededin sports) concentration(Needed in sports), diiscipline(needed in sports) etc... Now the biggest thing that you get is a trophy, large sums of money, like in sports, how is it that if you dont sweat all the time, cause god knows I have sweated in poker, make it not a sport, do define chess as a sport? probably. and this is the definition of sport, and not the social exceptance of and activity.
    - an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
    the occupation of athletes who compete for pay
    -Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors. Some of the physical sports include association football, basketball, water polo, and baseball.
    Feel free to email me at Reloaded0311@yahoo.com for your comments, thank you Dale Bartholomew


  • Posted By:
    diazntz at 04/29/2008 2:23:10 PM
    Comment:
    This article and arguments than ensue are pointless. These are examples of self-indulged people with too much time on their hands, please write about something useful for society instead of this trivial nonsense. However, I am guilty of my accusation as well with my reply. Also, ESPN is a privately owned corporation has the right to broadcast whatever they want, even if it's something that doesn't fit your definition of a sport.
  • Posted By:
    done at 04/29/2008 1:33:33 PM
    Comment:
    I love Poker. I agree Poker is not a sport. However you should put it in the parlor games section right next to blackjack and chess.
    I love the ball as a crucial part of a sport.
    I would like to add the following rule:
    In a sport you can be the best and still lose and vice versa. This expands the psychological impact of the game. In a true sport, the best coach, player, team play, athleticism can decide a game. Villanova can beat Georgetown in the championship game because they only miss 8 shots. Stephan Curry grabbed Davidson and drug them to the final eight. Bill Belechek gets the pats to win over more talented competition. That drama is essential to sport.
    Now, on not being ESPN, I think you might not know what ESPN means. As Charles Barkley says in an ESPN radio commercial "Tell them you are talking to the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Poker is entertainment for sure. Especially if you can see all the hands .Poker is the power of myth, it is a magically place where titans compete in battle. I used to ask my grandfather about "Dizzy" Dean and the Yankee heroes. My heart still has that emotion but it is directed to Poker. My son doesn't ask me about Randy Johnson, he asks about Jesus and the card through the banana trick. This is better explained by a whole article but as the broccoli says in Veggie Tales "Oh look at the time."

    don-E Merson
  • Posted By:
    Lawman007 at 04/29/2008 1:21:50 PM
    Comment:
    Just an observation. ESPN is not SPN. The E allows for poker to be broadcast on this network. This would make sense in light of slow or no(hard to believe but possible) sports days. Plus there must be programming in between true sports to allow the network to broadcast 24/7, hence the P. Why the company included the E in the first place is beyond me. This allows for the inclusion of say a chick flick, cartoons or even an occasional cooking show, as these are indeed forms of Entertainment, not Sports. I can see, looking back, that introducing a 24 hour cable sports network seemed at the time a very risky enterprise at best. So the inclusion of the E in ESPN did allow freedom to broadcast just about anything the company secured rights to in view of the the occasional slow or no sports day as well as filling air time in between sporting events.
  • Posted By:
    Ausgespielt at 04/29/2008 12:56:23 PM
    Comment:
    Poker is not a sport. It's a game, and take those lameass shade off
  • Posted By:
    Ausgespielt at 04/29/2008 12:55:27 PM
    Comment:
    "Cannot be submitted"
  • Posted By:
    Ausgespielt at 04/29/2008 12:41:26 PM
    Comment:
    Test posting. Why does it keep saying "Cannot be accepted at this time"?
  • Posted By:
    BigBillyB0b at 04/29/2008 12:33:51 PM
    Comment:
    The oldest definition and most true definition is that as follows:

    A sport is an activity that mimics or prepares the body and/or mind for hunting and/or fighting.

    Definition can include track, archery, boxing, wrestling, football, and almost anything else, but poker and chess do not prepare you for hunting or fighting (even mentally), and therefore, they are not sports.
  • Posted By:
    BigBillyB0b at 04/29/2008 12:27:30 PM
    Comment:
    Track being ignored 3 3/4 years around the olympics? This seems to be very uniformed. Since Mr. Jackson is a professor at UPenn, maybe he should have looked out onto the track last weekend or better yet, the thousdands of 5k's that are run by millions of people in the US. Track may not be watched as much as some sports, but there are many more participants.
  • Posted By:
    filmstud79 at 04/29/2008 12:05:44 PM
    Comment:
    Another thing with this article is there's no clear direction. He starts by saying "poker is not a sport" and rather than staying on target with this thesis, he then goes on a tangent why other sports are not sports, then intermixes the Olympics (poker is not played in the Olympics.) Overall, just a really poor piece of journalism in my opinion. I can't take this writer seriously.
  • Posted By:
    filmstud79 at 04/29/2008 12:02:31 PM
    Comment:
    I agree that Poker is not a sport, it's a mental exercise or competition along the same lines as chess or a mathematics bee or spelling bee, but to say that golf and billiards are not sports is idiotic. They involve balls and involve some sort of physical skill (in golf the mechanics of a golf swing and the mental capacity to adjust for constantly changing physical conditions and the physical stamina to walk a five mile course on uneven terrain and in pool the hand eye coordination of striking the balls and adjusting for different felt conditions) and they involve other direct competition. Alot of journalists do this, they make an idiotic claim and then offer nothing but biased statements to back it up without any real evidence. This is irresponsible journalism.
  • Posted By:
    egregious at 04/29/2008 11:50:06 AM
    Comment:
    Certainly some games are not sports, and some competitions are not sports.
    Dueling with pistols (pay attention, here comes that little round ball) is not a sport, but paintball marking might be. How about that target shooting? I think croquet was a one time event, but discontinued because personal options made the contest too arbitrary, kind of like the Survivor reality show.
  • Posted By:
    jaytk at 04/29/2008 11:30:09 AM
    Comment:
    Here's a simple rule of thumb:

    Are the majority of the (professional) players athletes? If no (golf, poker) then it's not a sport; it's a game.
  • Posted By:
    jaytk at 04/29/2008 11:27:24 AM
    Comment:
    Here's a simple rule of thumb:

    Do the (professional) players need to be athletes? If the answer is no (poker, golf), then it's not a sport; it's a game. Very simple.
  • Posted By:
    ITDOESNTMATTER at 04/29/2008 11:24:30 AM
    Comment:
    O and golf is a sport it not like Tiger just goes to the Masters without practicing, there might not be that much physical activity on the course but off it they are in the weight room just like any other sport, just because golf requires more use of your brains and not as much as you muscles doesn't mean its not a sport. I like to see you go tell tiger hes not an athlete. Just because you don't like golf or suck at golf doesn't mean its not a sport.
  • Posted By:
    ITDOESNTMATTER at 04/29/2008 11:21:21 AM
    Comment:
    O and golf is a sport it not like Tiger just goes to the Masters without practicing, there might not be that much physical activity on the course but off it they are in the weight room just like any other sport, just because golf requires more use of your brains and not as much as you muscles doesnt mean its not a sport. I like to see you go tell tiger hes not an athelete. Just because you don't like golf or suck at golf doesnt mean its not a sport.
  • Posted By:
    ChristopherinDetroit at 04/29/2008 11:04:04 AM
    Comment:
    This has actually been an on-going conversation amongst friends of mine, thank. I like your rules, and I will add, for your comment, these additional rules;
    1. Definitive Scoring - no judged event is a sport; ball in a hole, puckin a net, ball over a line, etc. Boxing is the best and worst example of this rule, it is perfect when it ends in a knock-out and frustratingly flawed when three corrupt judges sell the bout. Why do you think they invented all the tools to count punches, hits, etc. - to limit the discretion of the judge.
    2. Defense - As addendum's to your rule;
    a. Terrain is not a defense. I appreciate that it's hard to climb a mountain, or ski down one, but until someone is trying to knock you off, not a sport.
    b. If the crowd must be quiet, not a sport. Crowds are part of sports, and so is there noise. I think Tennis has many qualities of a sport, but is hurt by the sissy quiet thing. This, to me, is the final nail in golf's coffin.
    3. Age - I know this is politically incorrect, but if the best players in a particular activity are over 40, it's not a sport. Yeah, there are a few hangers on in basketball and baseball, but clearly the best players in those sports are between 18 and 28. If a 45 year old can dominate your activity (racing, bowling, golf, billiards), it's not a sport, it's a life activity.

    Thanks,
    Christopher in Detroit
  • Posted By:
    swain_130 at 04/29/2008 10:43:37 AM
    Comment:
    no you idiot chess is not a sport
  • Posted By:
    swain_130 at 04/29/2008 10:42:34 AM
    Comment:
    I agree with most of what was said above, however I have some disagreements so I will offer my defination of a sport. It has 2 rules instead of 3. Rule 1 - the better shape/more athletical ability translates into better performance. i.e. rule number 2 above. Rule 2 is that the oppositions actions must directly effect you i.e. rule 3 above. I do not agree w/ rule 1 above. While most of the activities that are considered a sport by my defination do use balls you would have to consider wrestling, boxing and even MMA sports. The do not fit as a sport based on the above article as they do not use balls. However you could argue that they require the biggest set of balls to do. - my 2 cents
  • Posted By:
    TheOneWhoKnows at 04/29/2008 10:21:12 AM
    Comment:
    Yes, Poker can be considered a *Sport*.
    Poker is a man or woman *Pocket* sport where brains and common sense are not needed: it is the only sport that allow *fat* pockets to loose weight fast and feel good about it. As to those who already have *thin* pockets well it is one of the best ways to loose sleep, relatives, friends, jobs, homes, even body weight!

    So contrary to what Mr. JJJR (the author of the article) is preaching, it is not *Balls* that one has to have to *practice* the sport of Poker - women are not equipped with the same protuberance as men yet many ladies are good at Poker. What one need to have is *fat* pockets or preferably bank accounts, and total lack of responsibility toward close ones and the society in general.

    Contradictory, Golf is another type of *Sport*. But it is the only sport I know that allows you to *gain* instead of loosing weight. Just about every golf pro is fat and appears to be proud of it. Even those who started to play golf at age five, are now *fat* and happy.

    Incidentally, *Lotto* could some day become a *Sport*, if enough local, states and countries around the world decide to uphold it.
  • Posted By:
    yoshi214 at 04/29/2008 10:19:17 AM
    Comment:
    Poker is a sport because it fills all three of your recommendations. if pucks and frisbee's count, so do poker chips. The mentality it takes to win is phenominal, ask Daniel negreanu. Also, the competition is much greater because the pool can include thousands of opponents you have to beat to win, not just "the other team". A new definition might be in order, maybe claim:Sports are competitive games that do not include races. This eliminates bowling, golf, cheerleading, nascar, swimming and track and field, because your not really competing against another person, but in fact, urself. Just like your number three. And i think the olympics are aware of this controversy, thus calling the event "the olympic games" lol
  • Posted By:
    alfred2g at 04/29/2008 10:03:29 AM
    Comment:
    Ernest Hemingway once said that "there are only three true sports: mountain climbing, auto racing, and bull fighting. All the rest are children's games played by adults."
    a single quotation is better than a whole article, no?
  • Posted By:
    makemoresense at 04/29/2008 9:50:24 AM
    Comment:
    Your criteria is off-base. The presence of a ball should not be the qualifier. It should be the athleticism involved. Your lack of appreciation for golf (unoriginal banter,) shows ignorance for the athleticism involved. Lumping it in with bowling and billiards - that's just silly. Stay focused on poker, add Nascar as a non-sport - and you may gain more credibility with your "observations."
  • Posted By:
    djl2222 at 04/29/2008 9:34:43 AM
    Comment:
    I can't believe that someone actually published this garbage without checking for plagerism. This entire article was stolen from a George Carlin routine from about 15 years ago. However, Carlin meant for it to be funny. John L. Jackson, the so called "professor of anthropology", obviously did no real research for this article. Its sad when people try to pass off a comedians bit as their own ideas, but to try and derive some serious social commentary shows that this writer either has no common sense or no sense of humor. And if you were trying to be funny, it didn't work. Leave that to the professionals. I can't believe that the U of Pennsylvania would actually have such a fool on their faculty.
  • Posted By:
    gambz1964 at 04/29/2008 7:58:51 AM
    Comment:
    I wrote this last summer.
    http://sportscourant.com/g061507.aspx

    Sport or Not?
    June 15, 2007
    By Gary Gambino

    The Joe Pesci character in "My Cousin Vinny" just loves to argue. So do I. A dozen or so years ago, I jotted something down on paper, almost tongue-in-cheek, and sent it to my sports-loving friends in cyberspace (back then, $400 PCs and broadband connections weren't ubiquitous as they are today). To this day, it has generated more feedback than anything else I have written.

    The premise is simple. An activity is not a sport if:

    * It is rehearsed and not practiced. That eliminates professional wrestling, the "American Gladiators" stuff that was popular circa mid-90s, and any boxing match promoted by Don King.

    * Crowd noise has to be present. This eliminates the "rich person" endeavors of tennis and golf as well as the decidedly "working-class" activity of bowling. Crowd noise is an integral part of the sports experience. Eliminate it and you eliminate the legitimacy of said activity. Sorry, Tiger!

    * The athlete has to do the majority of the work. Accordingly, horse racing as well as auto racing is adjudged not to be sports (try telling this to a rabid NASCAR fan, of which there are many in my 'hood; they can be quite unreasonable)

    * Pursuant to the Olympic "Skategate" controversy, any activity that is judged purely on subjective criteria is also not a sport. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports agrees with me on this point.

    Isn't the NBA next? I hope it doesn't come to that.
  • Posted By:
    StormyGoddess at 04/29/2008 7:10:32 AM
    Comment:
    I completely agree with this opinion. Since when is sitting around a table smoking a cigar and drinking a drink playing cards a sport? If that's the case, my step father and his buddies are athletes, and just so you know, they really aren't, lol.
  • Posted By:
    subatomic at 04/28/2008 7:09:02 PM
    Comment:
    You are right that poker is not a sport, but for the wrong reason (that is has no balls).

    Sports involve a) athleticism, b) competitive intensity and and c) stakes (such as rank or standing). If it doesn???t, it???s just recreation.

    Baseball, golf, basketball, pool, gymnastics, poker, football, chess, figure skating, bowling, bicycling, soccer, tennis and track and field can be both a sport and a game depending on whether the above three criteria are involved.

    When Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey go all-in on a head-to-head match-up it???s a sport; when my friends get together and play, it's called a game.

    Roland
  • Posted By:
    rockets at 04/28/2008 1:29:42 PM
    Comment:
    I spent the last 10 minutes on a rant that defines an activity as a sport only to come to the conclusion that your opinion is just that, yours. However, as you noted, Rule # 1, an item that is the main focus, Cards. Rule # 3 the idea that actions can be thwarted by the opponent, calling the bluff. Rule # 2 is the most debatable portion and as you indicated there must be physical urgency to asquiesce your paramaters. I offer to you for consideration the pushing of chips.

    Either way, under your guidelines the following ESPN items would not be considered sports:
    Boxing, MMA, Auto Racing, Horse Racing, Golf, Fishing, Surfing, Swimming, Running, Biking, Climbing, Diving, Frisbee, Weighlifting, Wrestling, Karate, Ice Skating, Discus, Pole Vault, Jumping, Fencing, Gymnastics, Dog Racing, Chess, Scrabble, Spelling Bee, Cheerleading, Marching Band,

    Things that you consider to be a sport:
    Hockey, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Soccer, LaCrosse, Cricket, Rugby, Tennis

    As I would agree that some listed activities are mere performance items, they are shown on ESPN and considered acceptable as a sport due to the definition according to Britannica Online "physical contests pursued for the goals and challenges they entail. Sports are part of every culture past and present, but each culture has its own definition of sports. The most useful definitions are those that clarify sport's relationship to play, games, and contests."

    To differentiate a physically challenging activity with extensive hand eye coordination from a mentally exhausting sleep deprivating activity is to separate two different aspects of the same terminology.

    In reviewing the list of acceptable vs. unacceptable activities as sports, I am compelled to indicate that there would be some unhappy professionals to be told that they are not participating in a sport but just a mere game.
  • Posted By:
    mraussie at 04/28/2008 1:12:43 PM
    Comment:
    Firstly, is a sport something you get paid for? Or does that make it a job? Does getting paid to play a game whether, active with a ball or not, make it a sport?
    Does an olympic athlete who does not get paid still play a sport or a leisure activity? They would therefore play only amateur activities.
    So does a person who plays poker, even the .50 cent 9 person tournament, actually get paid if they win? This would make them a professional, above even the amateur sports enthusiast.
    Even though the lowly 50 cent player may have little skill, they would still be considered a professional because they get paid for winning at that activity.
    So is a sport a sport or just another form of leisure activity? If so, the true definition of the term sport must be a form of leisure activity, even though a person who plays for money is considered a professional and therefore contradicts the very definition of leisure activities.
    Poker does require a skill, it does require competing against others and it does usually mean the winner gets paid for playing, so therefore, it must be a sporting event within a leisure activity environment.
    Furthermore, it cannot really be seen on general T.V, or cooking channels, etc. Being on sports channel must make it a sport, like fishing or ping pong. Would they allow cooking shows on sports T.V.? Not likely, well, unless you are cooking the fish you catch while playing sports? So, yes, it is definitely a sport, maybe.
  • Posted By:
    duh stupid! at 04/28/2008 12:58:31 PM
    Comment:
    Your arguement aside, claiming that ESPN should not air Poker Tournaments is silly. ESPN stands for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Last I checked, NASCAR, Poker tournaments, and many other "non-sports" were considered, by many, to be entertaining.
  • Posted By:
    duh stupid! at 04/28/2008 12:55:14 PM
    Comment:
    Your arguement aside, claiming that ESPN should not air poker is silly. ESPN stands for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Last I checked NASCAR, Poker tournaments, other "non-sport" events could be classified, by many, as entertainment.
  • Posted By:
    Dunga at 04/28/2008 12:32:42 PM
    Comment:
    In order to excel at a sport, that sport ought to require some combination of strength, skill, and endurance.

    Poker does require skill, but no strength or endurance to speak of. As such, it belongs in the same category as bowling, golf, chess, shuffleboard, and marbles for that matter. Great games to play, competitive, challenging, but certainly not sports. My other measuring stick is this--anything you can play well up until you are 90 years old does not qualify as a sport.
  • Posted By:
    lionvt at 04/28/2008 12:22:21 PM
    Comment:
    You are over thinking it. The simple test that gets to what you are driving at is: do you drink beer while participating? If yes (poker, pool, darts, bowling) -- then its not a sport. If you drink beer after participating (pretty much everything else) -- then its a sport. If there is no beer drunk either during or after (spelling bees, croquet, bridge) -- then its probably not worth doing.
  • Posted By:
    bevomama at 04/28/2008 12:18:52 PM
    Comment:
    I agree with it not being a sport, but ESPN stands for Entertainment and Sports Programming so, poker being entertainment, should certainly be show on ESPN!
  • Posted By:
    bevomom at 04/28/2008 12:17:42 PM
    Comment:
    I agree with it not being a sport, but ESPN stands for Entertainment and Sports Programming so, poker being entertainment, should certainly be show on ESPN!
  • Posted By:
    r_aaron_4 at 04/28/2008 12:16:52 PM
    Comment:
    Poker takes Stamina. You can be "thwarted" by an opponent's all in or timely bluff. It takes very big "BALLS" to risk your entire chipstack on a bluff or a marginal hand. Therefore, poker is a sport when the above lithmus test is applied.
  • Posted By:
    stevejg61 at 04/28/2008 12:12:20 PM
    Comment:
    woo hoo!!! dodge ball is a sport!!!
  • Posted By:
    suspenshun at 04/28/2008 12:07:56 PM
    Comment:
    If a majority of an activities'RECREATIONAL participants smoke and/or drink during the activity, it is not sport: Golf, Bowling, Card and Board Games. If an activity requires scoring by a "judge" it is not sport: Gymnastics, Diving, Figure Skating. All these games listed require training, strength, stamina and skill. I'd never dispute that. They're just not sports.
  • Posted By:
    Panic929 at 04/28/2008 12:06:54 PM
    Comment:
    I think this is a poorly thought out article. I guarantee that bowling and golf our sports. To defy your ill thought rules, both use balls, which I find meaningless in this debate, but they do anyway. There is a sense of urgency in both sports; you need to answer opponents scores. If you watched the playoff at the EDS Byron Nelson yesterday, which from the looks of this article, I highly doubt. You would have seen the sense of urgency in a golf tournament. When your opponent knocks down a 48 foot putt and you are staring down a ten footer to extend the tournament, there could not be a greater sense of urgency. Lastly, I don't belive the other person has to directly affect your "shot" to call it a sport. There are certainly other ways to "answer" a competitors shot. Let's say you make a birdie and your opponent makes eagle. This is a direct "answer" to their "move". I think you should find more concrete evidence to classify a sport rather than this dribble. POKER IS NOT A SPORT! I must agree.
  • Posted By:
    vlpratt62 at 04/28/2008 11:58:06 AM
    Comment:
    My 3 rules.
    1. Age: If someone of the age of 50 (not a coach) can win. Then it is not a sport. Sorry Tiger.
    2. No Animals: If you need a trained animal to help you win. Then it is not a sport. Sorry Shoemaker.
    3. Steroids: If steroids give you a competitive edge. Then it is a sport. Sorry Doyle.
  • Posted By:
    thefckingman at 04/28/2008 11:57:14 AM
    Comment:
    quote ;"next time you have a thought, let it go"
    Would you consider teabagging a real sport too then? stop talking, eating, and breathing and the world will be that much better
  • Posted By:
    powertool11 at 04/28/2008 11:47:28 AM
    Comment:
    Although poker may not involve physical activity in the most common form, I challenge anyone to sit and play poker SUCCESSFULLY for 12-14 hours for one day. And to think that most player do this for 3-5 days at a time. the mental and physical exhaustion that is received from doing this is underestimated by the television programs about poker. You see an hour or 2. Take the World Poker Tour for example. A Final Table started with 9 people. They play from 9 to 6 for about 8-12 hours. Then you get to see the final 6 on TV...for 2 hours. They tape a total of 14 to as much as 21 hours of footage. The World Series of Poker main event lasts 12 hours a day for 10 days!!! and you see a total of 8-9 hours on TV. I DARE ANYONE TO TAKE MY CHALLENGE. If you are honest with yourself...you will see the physical and mental attributes needed to play poker
  • Posted By:
    noeffort at 04/28/2008 11:44:39 AM
    Comment:
    Thanks for the article it brought some laughter to my day. What sports do you participate in? I play poker and maybe it isn't a sport but what about Surfing, Boxing, MMA?
  • Posted By:
    vsunny at 04/28/2008 11:39:06 AM
    Comment:
    I am quite outraged by your definition of sports. I was an elite gymnast for 18 years of my life, training and busting my ass 30 hours a week til I was exhausted. Even out of the gym, I was still training, whether it was by watching what I ate, going to bed early or doing rehab. But because there is no ball involved, this whole time, I wasn't doing a sport? I was only building for a "real sport"? Please tell me what sport cuz I am confused. Gymnastics is one of the most complete what I call sports, requiring the perfect balance between all imaginable physical and mental skills. And what did I read about synchronized swimming? Not to be allowed in the Olympics? I take by that that you have never tried to stay above the water (or holding your breath underwater) while doing a choreography for 5 minutes or so...Yeah, gymnastics and synchronized swimming might not be a guy's dream program to watch on Sunday, but news flash, you guys don't get to use that as a criteria to determine if it's a sport or not. One more thing. Olympics are not just a cultural thing. It's about the ultimate accomplishment of an athlete, whether it's individual or in a team. The basketball or hockey players have worked just as hard as the swimmer or skater to get to the top level, so why shouldn't they deserve a spot in the Olympics, just because we've seen them all year/season long on ESPN? What about the Hokey players in countries that don't have ESPN? Wake up and get out of your egocentric American "we're the only ones that matter on this planet" mind. I wonder how you got to get your anthropology degree...

  • Posted By:
    donde71 at 04/28/2008 11:36:47 AM
    Comment:
    Depends on what definitiion of "sport" you use.
    According to dictionary.com, a sport is "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess " then no since it is neither or physical and involves luck rather than skill.

    but sport can also mean "diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime" So yes, many things can be considered sports using this definition.
  • Posted By:
    Tick1 at 04/28/2008 11:36:07 AM
    Comment:
    I would say Baseball is not a sport. It takes a great deal of hand-eye coordination and not everyone can do it, but it leaves out much athletic activity. People stand around 3/4 of the time they are on the field of play doing nothing and then when they have their turn to hit they sit in a dug-out until it's their turn. When they do go hit they only have to do it 3 out of every 10 times and we think that is great if they can. So not all "ball sports" are the highest level of athleticism.
  • Posted By:
    mikegoneboatin at 04/28/2008 11:35:37 AM
    Comment:
    Ah come on Mr. Jackson, these competitions/sports all qualify as sports for the one, and ONLY reason that truely matters. MONEY!
    You seem to think that a competition that doesn't involve contact between participants, doesn't qualify as a sport, but it seems to me that you just disqualify activities that you don't personally favor. A rather arbitrary judgement at best, and obviously incorrect because Poker, Billiards, Bowling, and MANY OTHER non-contact competitions, entertain, ( and provide advertizing revenues to ESPN), and hence are on the network. Do you recall what the "E" in ESPN stands for Mr. Jackson?
    We have evolved into non-contact people, as evidenced by this conversation in cyberspace, and many things that entertain us do not involve physical contact with an opponant. That doesn't make these activities non-sports, but people who favor two, over-developed atheletes doing "battle" can't appreciate the fact that many sports aren't just about who can hit who, the hardest! Some other people prefer to see other types of competition, and that's cool too. Variety man, it's the spice, like what you like. I do have a question though. What do you play, TACKLE FRISBEE, to have that meet your rules of what is sport, and what is not?
    It sounds to me like the old Richard Dawson movie "Rollerball" is what you are asking for, and there may be an audience for it. Or maybe you want to have the "ULTIMATE SPORT" televised, and that sir, would be WAR.
    mikegoneboatin (Yes, I know, boating is not a "sport" either)
  • Posted By:
    Dodgeballjockey at 04/28/2008 11:34:34 AM
    Comment:
    Amen. However, I believe a sport should be moreof a collection of skills that each individual must express. Take baseball for example. You have to be able to throw, run, catch, and bat. Basketball. Run, shoot, dribble, pass. I know this will upset many Americans, but I don't think football should be considered a sport. One person throws the ball, one runs to catch the ball, one kicks the ball, and the linemen just have to push each other over. Football is a collection of skills, but not everyone has to have more than one or two skills to play. Football is like a giant game of chess, and I know most people do not consider chess to be a sport.
  • Posted By:
    treycool04 at 04/28/2008 11:11:57 AM
    Comment:
    Figuratively speaking poker is a sport if you gotta have balls son. I guess you have never played golf either...or at least not competitively. I understand how people can think it is not a very athletic sport because you are walking, with most AMATEURS riding in carts, but go out and walk 18 holes with a bag of clubs on your back and tell me it is not athletic. Also, your third rule, about your opponent being able to thwart you or it's not a "sport"....Again, if you haven't ever played golf competitively, then I can see why you don't understand that in golf trying to mentally take out your opponent can be a big part of the game. For example, say you have a driveable par 4, and your opponent is teeing off first, Greg Norman used to grab his driver out of the bag and swing it a few times to try to throw the other golfer off maybe get him to try for the green even though Greg wasn't going to hit his driver. Getting an opponent to take those unnecessary risks can cause their game to go straight down the tubes really quickly. Any comment you make, every club you grab, every decision you decide, your opponent is watching and it affects his decisions as well. If you aren't mentally ready then a skilled opponent is going to be able to "thwart" you, whether or not it is because they are able to steal your ball from you or check you into a wall per rules of the game. And if you come up with any other guidelines on what a sport is let me know and i'll show you how golf fits into that jar. Go play golf. It is the toughest "sport" out there, however loose or strenuous you want to make the definition. I think this article is sillier than a soup sandwich. - - - Treycool04
  • Posted By:
    wiseman at 04/28/2008 11:10:04 AM
    Comment:
    Track and Wrestling are the most pure sports that there are. The part about having to include a ball is just plain wrong.
  • Posted By:
    treycool04 at 04/28/2008 11:07:25 AM
    Comment:
    I guess you have never played golf...or at least not competitively. I understand how people can think it is not a very athletic sport because you are walking, but go out and walk 18 holes with a bag of clubs on your back and tell me it is not athletic. Also, your third rule, about your opponent being able to thwart you or it's not a "sport"....Again, if you haven't ever played golf competitively, then I can see why you don't understand that in golf trying to mentally take out your opponent can be a big part of the game. For example, say you have a driveable par 4, and your opponent is teeing off first, Greg Norman used to grab his driver out of the bag and swing it a few times to try to throw the other golfer off maybe get him to try for the green even though Greg wasn't going to hit his driver. Getting an opponent to take those unnecessary risks can cause their game to go straight down the tubes really quickly. Any comment you make, every club you grab, every decision you decide, your opponent is watching and it affects his decisions as well. If you aren't mentally ready then a skilled opponent is going to be able to thwart you, whether or not it is because they are able to steal your ball from you or check you into a wall per rules of the game. And if you come up with any other guidelines on what a sport is let me know and i'll show you how golf fits into that jar. Go play golf. It is the toughest "sport" out there, however loose or strenuous you want to make the definition. - - - Treycool04
  • Posted By:
    deeregramp at 04/28/2008 11:01:50 AM
    Comment:
    your definition of a sport makes about as much sense as beating your head against a brick wall to show that you are tough, a sport is a activity that the players can have some control of the outcome of the game by skill and brains as well as luck , poker is gambling not a sport!
  • Posted By:
    OSUBeavaBelieva at 04/28/2008 11:00:16 AM
    Comment:
    Before you try to write an article on what is and isn't a sport maybe you should learn what the definition of sport is.... Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively....that being said, poker IS a sport
  • Posted By:
    garyu98 at 04/28/2008 11:00:15 AM
    Comment:
    If poker is not a sport how about golf, darts, ping pong? You never played in a tournament if you say it don't take indurance.
  • Posted By:
    PSinBoston at 04/28/2008 11:00:14 AM
    Comment:
    The game that most people think is a sport is golf. There is no defense, so it is a game, not a sport. There is also not enough of a level of aerobic exercise (ask you doctor if golf filled your exercise requirement). Golf fanatics will argue all day that it is a sport, but they are just wrong. It is a game, like horseshoes.
  • Posted By:
    vlpratt62 at 04/28/2008 11:00:13 AM
    Comment:
    It sounds like defining ???what is a planet???? Everyone will have their opinion and what a sport is or what a planet is. Is Pluto in or out? If someone sees tennis as a sport, do they see table tennis as a sport? Is curling a sport more than chess? Who would you hire as the manager and who would your hire as the janitor? A pitcher has the ability to throw an object with pin point accuracy, but then again so dose a dart player and a bowler. Maybe the rule should be, if a person can be the champion or a participant (not a coach) and be over the age of 50, then it is not a sport, it is then just simply a competition or an event. I do understand both sides of the fence, I was a long distance runner up to age 26, I played a lot of baseball (even now in the 45 an over league. I played 20 years of softball. But now I play poker almost every weekend. Physical ability in poker is not high requirement, but mentally it is brutal. But that is my humble opinion and you know what they say about opinions. Opinions are like guardian angles, everyone has one. At least that is what my grandma used to say.
  • Posted By:
    tcraw030 at 04/28/2008 10:59:18 AM
    Comment:
    boxing. boxing. boxing. Truly boxing is a sport and probably the most difficult one at that. How about adding that into your "exception" category. Crazy talk.
  • Posted By:
    deeregramp at 04/28/2008 10:55:59 AM
    Comment:
    Poker is not a sport it is gambling period. But there are a lot of sports that do not use a ball. Rodeo , horse racing ,motorcyle racing, A sport should allow some kind of control of the activity not just luck of the draw and good bluffing
  • Posted By:
    JAVez1983 at 04/28/2008 10:55:59 AM
    Comment:
    THANK YOU!!! Your views on golf, poker billiards are exactly what I yhink. ESPN needs to have a new channel called ESPNgames and all of these would fit, maybe even poker.
    However I dont agree with the athletic events not being sports. The definition of a sport needing an object should be taken from the three and altered. From my understanding of history sports like martial arts, running, wrestling were the pioneers to all other sports. In your definition Javellin throw would be a sport and kickboxing wouldn't. If you take the meaning of the word sport you could clearly notice kickboxing would be a better fit.
    To NMECHMPIN: Table Tennis is definately a sport...meets all of the "sport" definitions mentioned...takes great eye hand coord, stamina, speed, and intelligene, and even includes a ball...you will work up a sweat!
    Great article all in all.
  • Posted By:
    digiboi at 04/28/2008 10:24:01 AM
    Comment:
    It might help if you bothered to look up that the letters ESPN was an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Watching or playing poker is, for some, just that - entertainment.
  • Posted By:
    adrianj518 at 04/28/2008 10:08:21 AM
    Comment:
    Poker is a card game just like blackjack, go fish, spades, uno, tunk, so forth and so on; it's not definitely not a sport.
  • Posted By:
    vsunny at 04/28/2008 9:54:40 AM
    Comment:
    I am quite outraged by your definition of sports. I was an elite gymnast for 18 years of my life, trainning and busting my ass 30 hours a week til I was exhausted. Even out of the gym, I was still trainnig, whether it was by watching what I ate, going to bed early or doing rehab. But because there is no ball involved, this whole time, I wasn't doing a sport? I was only building for a "real sport"? Please tell me what sport cuz I am confused. Gymnastics is one of the most complete what I call sports, requiring the perfect balance between all imaginable physical and mental skills. And what did I read about synchronized swimming? Not to be allowed in the Olympics? I take by that that you have never tried to stay above the water (or holding your breath underwater) while doing a choregraphy for 5 minutes or so...Yeah, gymnastics and synchronized swimming might not be a guy's dream program to watch on Sunday, but news flash, you guys don't get to use that as a criteria to determine if it's a sport or not. One more thing. Olympics are not just a cultural thing. It's about the ultimate accomplishment of an athlete, whether it's individual or in a team. The basketball or hockey players have worked just as hard as the swimmer or skater to get to the top level, so why shouldn't they deserve a spot in the Olympics, just because we've seen them all year/season long on ESPN? What about the Hokey players in countries that don't have ESPN? Wake up and get out of your egocentric American "we're the only ones that matter on this planet" mind. I wonder how you got to get your anthropology degree...
  • Posted By:
    noguchi at 04/28/2008 9:48:29 AM
    Comment:
    You are a NUT !!!
  • Posted By:
    mar7no at 04/28/2008 9:40:49 AM
    Comment:
    People are total ignorant of what ESPN stands for. Entertainment and Sports Network. Yes, poker is not a sport. However it is an entertaining, competitve event which is worthy of being a show on ESPN.
  • Posted By:
    trpokergod at 04/28/2008 9:33:56 AM
    Comment:
    Poker is a game that requires patience, observation, skill, strategy, practice, competition, stamina, mind games, and balls. So how is that any different from a sport.....both are the same. Actually, before money and media were involved....all sports were and are just games that involve rules....just like poker!!

    As far as poker not being on ESPN, thats just stupid. Its one of the highest rated programs on ESPN.
  • Posted By:
    Mel Adjusted at 04/28/2008 9:28:27 AM
    Comment:
    You gotta be chitting me.Your trying to tell me thal wrestling, boxing, skiing, auto racing, bull riding and such aren't sports. Mr. Professor of Anthropoly, you better stick with something you understand and isn't beyond your physical ability. It's sad when losers are allowed to write this kinda crap...
  • Posted By:
    baker chick at 04/28/2008 9:25:49 AM
    Comment:
    Several months back I was channel surfing and came across Professional Thumb Wrestling on ESPN. Definitely an Olympic sport if ever I saw one.
  • Posted By:
    baker chick at 04/28/2008 9:24:56 AM
    Comment:
    Several months back I surfed through the channels and was shocked to find Professional Thumb Wrestling on ESPN. Now that should be an Olympic event.
  • Posted By:
    FullHouseAAA88 at 04/28/2008 9:04:03 AM
    Comment:
    Buy controlling interest in ESPN, and your comments will mean something to me. Until then, frankly, I could care less what you think should, or should not, be a part of either their programming, or sport. I, for one, enjoy watching poker coverage, anywhere it happens to be airing.
  • Posted By:
    Mel Adjusted at 04/28/2008 9:02:55 AM
    Comment:
    You've gotta be chitting me. You mean to say boxing, wrestling, swimming, skiing, auto racing aren't sports. You musta been the school neerd and can't stand to see people with athletic ability Mr. Professor of Anthropoly.. Write about something you understand and go in the bathroom and jerk-off where mama cant see you.
  • Posted By:
    tommyib at 04/28/2008 8:35:46 AM
    Comment:
    ESPN stands for Entertainment AND Sports Programming Network. Poker is entertaing so why shouldn't it be on ESPN?
  • Posted By:
    harryharry at 04/28/2008 8:25:58 AM
    Comment:
    finally, this proves that nascar is just a hillbilly event and not a sport!!!!
  • Posted By:
    katmills2005 at 04/28/2008 8:22:58 AM
    Comment:
    I think you are putting too much emphasis on the male need for grunt-worthy excitement and have lost sight of what true sports are. While Poker may not fit into my personal definition of what is a sport, I can see why some would consider it to be. It gets your blood pumping, there are rules, its competitive and you get to WIN.

    Trying to redefine what is or is not a sport is like trying to define what is and is not fun. Its different for each person. I can't stand watching bowling, but I will sit for hours and watch a Texas Hold'em tournament. One is fun for me to watch, the other isn't. One might be sport-worthy to one person and not to another.

    Keep your "new rules" for yourself. I'll simply enjoy watching the shot-put and maybe a good rousing diving competition. (No balls needed)

    Kat
  • Posted By:
    father bird at 04/28/2008 8:09:39 AM
    Comment:
    thank god mr jackson is in education and not in television. poker is not a sport in the purest sense but it does have a fan bas and is fun to watch.
  • Posted By:
    sportsfan1954 at 04/28/2008 8:05:23 AM
    Comment:
    I agree, poker IS NOT a sport! It's a CARD GAME for cryin' out loud!!! ESPN just uses it to fill time slots even if there IS a REAL SPORTING EVENT going on somewhere!!!
  • Posted By:
    skiist at 04/28/2008 7:40:41 AM
    Comment:
    I was once a professional skier. Our dictum was this: if it can't kill you, it's not a sport. It's a *game*. All of the American 'majors' qualify by that standard. What'd we just see: an umpire being hauled out of a stadium for taking a 98mph pitch on the chin? Had it hit him in the parietal area (his 'temples') in lieu of his jaw, we'd have seen him stricken instantly dead. Sport. Lucky guy. He'll live to play another day. Sport; it's good for you, but it can kill you.
  • Posted By:
    indyfan51 at 04/28/2008 7:15:41 AM
    Comment:
    It's a game.
  • Posted By:
    skyup889 at 04/28/2008 7:14:37 AM
    Comment:
    About 10 year ago a local St. Louis journalist developed his own criteria for what activities should be considered sports. He included all of the rules you have mentioned but one of his rules was ommitted from your list: "In order to be a sport, people must be willing to purchase tickets to view the event". So much for the WNBA.
  • Posted By:
    skyup889 at 04/28/2008 7:00:19 AM
    Comment:
    About 10 years ago a local St. Louis sports journalist came up with his own definition of what a sport is. He included the three rules you've descibed but included one more which is very important as well. Rule number four stated that "to be a sport people must be willing to purchase a ticket to view attend the event." So much for the WNBA.
  • Posted By:
    kmcook01 at 04/28/2008 6:16:19 AM
    Comment:
    Poker is not a sport? Are you serious John? Poker is not a sport?

    Rule # 1: It takes brass something or others to risk your stack in the hopes of walking out with more then you walked in with.

    Rule # 2: I have yet to meet a player who is not physically urgent to get as many of his chips in the pot with a high pair and a fish sitting across from him.

    Rule #3: I can't tell you how many times I have been thwarted out of a good amount of money because somebody re-raised me "all in".

    Lastly, your article title says it all "You Gotta Have Balls"! I completely agree with your Rule #1, John, it takes testicular fortitude to play with the boys!
  • Posted By:
    nmechmpin at 04/28/2008 4:25:57 AM
    Comment:
    I certainly agree that just because something is athletic and competative, it does not it should be considered a sport. Of things that are sports, the things might not be worthy of high esteem. Take Ping Pong for instance. That game is taken WAY too seriously. It has no business being in the Olympics. Curling is just plain dumb. Sweeping brooms in front of an object? Could you imagine the grand level of bordem folks had to be in when that game was created? Cheerleading, figure skating, and rythmic gymnastics aren't sports either. (And I like rythmic gymnastics). Competative? Yes. Athletic? Yes. Sports? NO!!!
  • Posted By:
    amberamber at 04/28/2008 4:12