The Editor’s Blog–Poker And The Olympics

By Eric Raskin
Aug. 14, 2008

With the Beijing Olympics in full swing, this seems as good a time as any for me to weigh in on the talk that occasionally crops up about making poker an Olympic sport. My opinion on this matter is very clear: There’s no friggin’ way poker should be part of the Olympics.

Look, I love poker. I play a ton of it, I watch a ton of it, and it ultimately pays my bills. But it simply isn’t a sport. It’s a game. The argument that it requires physical endurance and is therefore a sport is flimsy at best. Hey, studying for exams in college required a lot of physical endurance, but that didn’t make Econ 101 a sport.

My father is a world-class bridge player, and I remember him telling me in ’92 that bridge was being considered for the Olympics. The mental image of my out-of-shape dad wearing a red, white, and blue warmup, walking alongside Michael, Magic, Larry, and the rest of the Dream Team during the opening ceremonies, was just too much to handle.

And it would be similarly absurd to see poker players competing in the Olympics. International competition in poker is wonderful, but the idea of someone who can’t even necessarily do a sit-up getting a gold medal draped around his neck is ridiculous.

On a side note about the Olympics, the Michael Phelps watch has been pretty absorbing … but if it’s a race he’s not involved in, I have to say, swimming bores me. It seems that around the country, Phelps has increased interest in swimming, and that’s great for the sport. (Yes, swimming most definitely is a sport.) But in my household, he’s increased interest in exactly eight races, and that’s all.

And lastly, on an unrelated side note, don’t forget about the ALL IN Free Poker Challenge tonight at 9:00 EST. Thanks to our friends at Wicked Chops Poker (www.wickedchopspoker.blogs.com) and Tao of Poker (www.taopoker.blogspot.com) for giving us a little plug this week. Definitely add their blogs to your daily surfing list if you haven’t already, and then join us tonight to win your share of $2,500 in cash and prizes in the free roll.