How can this be?!!?

It's like when they have billiards. That's not a SPORT...not an ESPN/OLYMPIC level one anyway. You have to draw the line somewhere.....otherwise next you will have Monopoly in there. I don't think anyone would watch MOnopoloy, but A LOT of people watch poker on TV. I bet it gets better ratings than FNF

since when does ESPN have an obligation to only show sports? ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network this shoud help ya out meaning if someone finds it entertaining theyll show it hence poker and bees and all those other guilty pleasures

Poker is not a sport because it doesn't involve any physical skill. Darts and snooker are sports, but poker and chess are not.

u guys wouldnt be bitchin if it was STRIP POKER and it was pamela anderson vs carmen electra vs scarlet johanesson vs jennifer love hewitt or maybe thats just me lol ofcourse we wouldnt but it isnt so we are fuk poker nah not fuk poker cuz it is fun but fuk poker being considered a sport chess aint a sport monopoly aint a sport you just sit there a sport involves athletes in who physically train dont gimme that mental training BS either ath·lete /ˈæθlit/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill. this is just to let the fat kids that grew up to stay fat and lazy to not feel bad about themselves all of that no kid left behind and that non sense its called thinning of the heard if lil johnny is gettin left behind its cuz hes meant to be eaten by the wolves fukem were better off without them idk how this came out cuz of poker but in conclusion poker players are not ahhh thaaa leetssss

It was bigger in the eighties.

What about darts? Definitely a sport. http://www.chessbase.com/news/2005/kosteniuk07.jpg Such poise. Such grace. Such atheleticism... Darts is absolutely massive now though. You get thousands going to all the big tournaments.

I am watching ESPN tonight and they have poker championships on there? Prime time TV coverage?? On E...S....P....N???? WHY? Man, seriously, card games are on ESPN and the players are getting profiled and covered like they are Floyd Mayweather, Derek Jeter and Barry Sanders all rolled into one? What's next... Poker in the Olympics? I woul dsay that any "sport' that you could be 1- 200 pounds overweight 2- Smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol and smoke dope on a regular basis in preparation for the event 3- Be a senior citizen and 4- You could never have jogged, lifted a weight or done a push up or sit up in your life yet you can still be the worl champion of the event..is not a SPORT!!! What about darts? Definitely a sport. http://www.chessbase.com/news/2005/kosteniuk07.jpg Such poise. Such grace. Such atheleticism...

I don't get this thread. No way. Not YOU!!

I don't get this thread. Maybe 0.00001% of the population of the world thinks poker is a sport (personal definitions). That being said... since when does ESPN have an obligation to only show sports? THey're a network more based around anything competitive. They've had scrabble tournaments on dating back to the 70's practically, spelling bee's, Magic tournaments, juggling shit, movies, etc.... Further... get with the fucking times. It's 2007 and the poker Boom happened years ago... if you're just figuring this shit out now then you've been living in a hole.

Biliards = GAME. (like shuffle board, etc) I mean, can you imagine Minnesota Fats on the medal stand at an Olympiad? Listening tot he Natinal Anthem as he gets his gold medal placed around his neck??? you already mentioned in your previous post its a sport although not olympic level sport ...now why degrade the sport to just a game?? present time I cannot imagine fats to win the gold medal, maybe during his prime years he can give it a run, but competition now is in such a high level, i doubt he can dominate, fats would most probably be just a regular contender... "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 and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors." oh cr_p ... with this definition poker is in as "mind sport"!?

Sorry guys...but ESPN SPELLING BEE CHAMPIONSHIP rules!

like it or not poker is a sport because its a game more then one person plays that involves competition... besides the majority of people would rather watch poker then boxing for some reason It's not a sport. There's no athletic element, aside from the ability to sit in a chair all day long. It is, however, competition, a game that requires strategy, skill and luck. It fits in with ESPN's "Entertainment" aspect, on a family of networks that has also shown dominoes and the spelling bee. It's a huge ratings hit that has led to a major boom in poker around the world. I'd imagine it pulls in much higher ratings than either boxing or hockey.

like it or not poker is a sport because its a game more then one person plays that involves competition... besides the majority of people would rather watch poker then boxing for some reason

From the day the network first went on the air, the "E" in ESPN has stood for "Entertainment."

Most definatly agree. Poker a sport? Fuck off!

i actually like the WSOP. it can be entertaining sometimes

They've shown rock paper scissors championships, hot dog eating championships, and scrabble championships among other things.

Biliards = GAME. (like shuffle board, etc) I mean, can you imagine Minnesota Fats on the medal stand at an Olympiad? Listening tot he Natinal Anthem as he gets his gold medal placed around his neck???

It's like when they have billiards. That's not a SPORT...not an ESPN/OLYMPIC level one anyway. You have to draw the line somewhere.....otherwise next you will have Monopoly in there. i agree with POKER not being a sport but billiards is "big sport" in lil country like mine ... Billiards in Asia have reach mainstream level and is included as a MEDAL sport in the ASIAN GAMES ... i am sure somewhere someone is lobbying this sport to be included in the Olympics ... although i guess it will also fall short to be a regular olympic medal sport like what happened to bowling... but Billiards is a SPORT maybe not olympic level but still a sport not like POKER..

True, that it is not a sport. However, it is my second love to boxing, so I'm not going to bitch too much. The way it has changed since they started covering poker though has made it damn near unbearable.