Debates don't come more important than this. Is poker a sport or merely some entertaining hobby. USAToday puts the question out to sportsmen and poker players – leading us to believe immediately that poker players actually reside in a different category to, well, sportsmen.
But for those on the 'poker is a sport' side:
- Its shown on ESPN – the SPORTS Network
- You can sweat during a hand of poker – like sportsmen sweat
- It requires thinking, preparation and sometimes training
- Lots of poker players used to play sports
- Some poker players still play sports
- Many poker players bet on sports
- Some poker players may belong to a gym
- Some poker players are in good shape
OK – its getting desperate here. But whether its a sport or not, it sure is shown on a lot more TV channels and offers more money than a whole lot of other, more traditional 'sports'
Article: Popularity of poker begs question: Sport or not?