This issue might be belated as it has been over a month since it first surfaced on this blog but it’s been in the back of my mind annoying me like a nagging cough that robs a person of a good night sleep. I’ve seen it in the media, I’ve seen it on T.V., I’ve seen it glamorized by documentaries, and I’ve even heard it brought up around the water cooler at work. But when this topic appeared on CBACSMACK so quickly while our blog was still in its infancy, I knew I had to draw the line and put an end to this silly riff raff. I am referring to the issue of calling the World Series of Poker a sporting event.
Webster defines the noun, sport, as “a physical activity engaged in for pleasure”. That is a very basic description with a shadow big enough to cover a wide variety of activities. Yet, even as open as this definition is, poker cannot fall within its reach.
You see, a card game cannot be anything else but a card game not matter how much a network tries to glamorize it. Add all the airtime, water bottles, “eyeball” sunglasses, bracelets, and bleachers you want. It’s still a card game. Adding in the title of World Series was a clever trick to make people subconsciously link it to other sporting events that have a world series but don’t be fooled. I have the WSOOM (World Series of Old Maid) at my house ever other month but I still can’t get FSN out here to film us. Maybe someday soon.
I will admit that Texas Hold’em is great fun and requires a lot of skill to play. But this is not the 19th century, and we’re not on a riverboat floating down the Mississippi so quit force-feeding us with it on ESPN. If I wanted to watch overweight losers try to win big, I’d go sit and watch the slot machines in Wendover. To me, there has got to be something better to put on an Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). Put surfing, or scuba diving, or freestyle walking. I’d even be happy if you put Man vs. Wild on ESPN. I would actually rather watch high-definition grass grow than watch anything that has to do with this hogwash.
Card games are not sports and sports are not card games. I am “all in” with that opinion and I will take it to my grave. I’ve said my peace on the matter now “Shuffle-up‘n-deal” out your comments.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
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3 comments:
Couldn't agree more. What a waste of ESPN 2 all summer long. I'd rather watch illegals sneaking across the border or investigative storylines like the amazing "spiderman" that scales famous skyscapers around the world, freestyle. Mark my words. One day mother earth's gravity is going to catch that guy, its just a matter of time.
Come on ESPN! Give me at least SOME thrilling action. Amazing dog tricks, banister ball, four square, dodge ball, quess what I'm thinking....
They ought to combine the amazing race with man vs wild. The first one to make it from the middle of the Amazon to the Tierra del Fuego wins. No cars, buses, motorcycles allowed, just animals like horses, camels, doneys, sheep etc. Everything they eat must be killed naturally in the wild. No guns - I would allow bow and arrow or slingshots made from scratch. All materials like extra clothing, containers etc. must be made from natural substances. Winner gets a free 6 month stay on top of the Mongolian mountains. All you can catch buffet, and absolutly no communication with the civilized world. Now this would a gajillion times more exciting than the World Series of Losers.
I must disagree guys. I thoroughly enjoy watching WSOP on ESPN. I love watching the strategy of someone bluffing an all in on nothing more than a pair of 8's with that assumed flush on the board and pushing out the trip jacks. I love watching while someone goes fishing on the river and then hits that money card. Jamie Gold was all passion as he won his way through the tournament several years ago and propelled himself into WSOP stardom.
That being said, I will concede your point about it not being a sport. But this comes from the same network that makes up shows about sports to fill its dead air space while it continues to expand its grasp on the airwaves with such channels as ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN 360, and dare I mention ESPN 8 (The Ocho)? Okay, the last one is a vague reference to a hilarious movie about an actual sport (can you dodge a wrench?). I don't think it should be surprising to see that ESPN has nothing better to show us than billiards which is hardly physical other than walking. Why don't they just show us speed walking?
I can solve this, I can. All ESPN needs to do is create the channel ESPN ACE, for it truly is the prettiest card in the deck. They've created every other way to demassify sporting, why not make a channel dedicated to cardgames?
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