do you think poker is a sport?

[kingdeath]

lol no way its a sport. the only way it resembles a sport at all is the competivness there is no physical anything in poker. it may strain the brain after about a fourteen hour marathon sittin in a chair

 

[mt19135]

if it is a sport i think u can only consider live poker a sport, not online

 

[SavagePenguin]

I just noticed that the pokerstars commercial with the hockey player has has him saying something like, "Different sport, same rush!"

But I don't expect PokerStars to have an unbiased opinion.

 

[slipknot4life]

for the guy who said a sport is defined by something that is played by athletes, how many pro athletes are playing poker. I have seen Jose Conseco, Lennox Lewis. So by his definition, yes, poker is a sport. Some people should really think about what they say when trying to be so opinionated.lol

 

[TPC]

It is a sport, they have tournaments just like any other sport, not only that but how much competition is there in poker. I read about someone talk about the physical part, yeah not much physical talent needed, but were else can I play with a pro from the sport, I can not get on the field and go heads up with Randy Moss and have a shot in hell defending him.

There are also video game tournaments too, so you are telling me that playing video games is a sport???

 

[SavagePenguin]

If it's a sport because athletes do it, pooping is a sport.

 

[naruto_miu]

(According to my definition of a sport)


Absolutely not.

A sport requires participation by athletes, Poker players are not athletes.
A sport requires physical talent. Sitting in a circle for long periods of time does not qualify as physical talent.

Poker is gambling.

I hate when people try to call everything under the sun a sport. Activities do not have to be sports to make them cool. Golf is not a sport but its very cool. Darts is not a sport. Billiards is not a sport. Poker is not a sport. They are all fun activities that require skill, but do not require athleticism. Thats why they are not sports.

This is the example I always use. If the world was having an international athletic competition, and they did not tell anyone what games the people would be competing in, would you send a poker player or a football player to represent your country? A golfer of a basketball player? Sports are played by athletes. Poker players and golfers are in no way athletes.

It doesn't take anything away from poker to not be called a sport. Lets just leave at a card game. There is nothing athletic about playing cards.

Since when is golf not a sport? I always thought it was

 

[naruto_miu]

Poker's definitely not a sport. Go fish.. now there's a sport.

Hahaha

 

[milkman28]

poker isnt a sport no way

 

[CuteBot]

no, it isnt sport. Its something like hobby or smart games like chess.

 

[Xavier]

Pokers definitely a sport these days.
Its played on a huge global scale with so many tournaments and competitors, and its a skill game.
Thats what makes something a sport. A sport doesn't have to be athletic.
Bollocks to those who say poker isn't a sport

 

[A-RAG]

Anything without a ball (puck) involved is not a sport. Poker is a game.

 

[Detroitguy113]

What the second post said.. it's gambling.


Who cares if it's a sport or not though.. I'm fine with being a gambler. You'd have to be a moron anyway to claim to be an athlete after sitting in front of your computer and playing hours of internet poker.

 

[LvilleSlugr]

Personally, I think that sports are defined by competition. In other words, I feel that physical aspects do not come into play. Take WWF wrestling for example. Though this is obviously quite physical, the fact that it is rehearsed and the "winner" is determined before it even starts, I do not consider it to be a sport. On the other hand, poker, though not very physical, is a true competition and thus, IMO, a sport. I would also say that chess is a sport.

 

[terryfnsmif]

A sport is any event contended between two or more players or teams. Poker would be more of a mental sport like chess, or other games like that. Although it takes no athletic prowess it does take thinking and quick wits.the occupation of athletes who compete for pay is on of the definitions of sport. As in my sport is poker.

 

[LvilleSlugr]

Essentially, I would say that sports are defined by competition, not by their physicality. Sorry, just thought I would add this as a further clarification of my last post.

 

[str8__flush]

Football is what I would call a sport, poker is just a game.

 

[highway26776]

I think it could be considered a sport even if not in the true catagory of sport..... how many "sports" at the olympics are not athletic? ie shooting archery to name a couple .... the dictionary has a lot of definitions for sport and under some poker does qualify

 

[Divebitch]

If it's a sport because athletes do it, pooping is a sport.

Good answer. As is 'drinking milk'. I 'consider' poker to be a type of cat. There. I'm no more wrong than anyone who 'considers' poker to be a sport. We're flat out incorrect. You can create your very own personal definition of the word 'sport', but you'd be kidding yourself, no matter how many tables you play at once, and no matter what channel you watch it on. Don't be ashamed that it's the most physical activity you do all week, but it is simply a game.

BTW, I think it's a bad analogy to compare Michael Phelps to some fat linebacker and have him fall short in overall atheticism. If you want an athelete to represent your country for events to be named later, send a triathelete (swim, bicycle, run), not a football player. Some sports require more athleticism that others. But by pure definition, 'darts', 'bowling', 'golf' and even 'pool' are all sports - all requiring a degree of physical skill and dexterity in addition to the mental acuity.

 

[Netthug]

IMO it is a game, because sports have physical aspects to them. And also it is just weird thinking of Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow as atheletes or sportsmen lol

 

[t1tpfdc]

Froim dictionary.com
sport

-noun 1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc. 2. a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors. 3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime. 4. jest; fun; mirth; pleasantry: What he said in sport was taken seriously. 5. mockery; ridicule; derision: They made sport of him. 6. an object of derision; laughingstock. 7. something treated lightly or tossed about like a plaything. 8. something or someone subject to the whims or vicissitudes of fate, circumstances, etc. 9. a sportsman. 10. Informal. a person who behaves in a sportsmanlike, fair, or admirable manner; an accommodating person: He was a sport and took his defeat well. 11. Informal. a person who is interested in sports as an occasion for gambling; gambler. 12. Informal. a flashy person; one who wears showy clothes, affects smart manners, pursues pleasurable pastimes, or the like; a bon vivant. 13. Biology. an organism or part that shows an unusual or singular deviation from the normal or parent type; mutation. 14. Obsolete. amorous dalliance.


Tho myself, I agree with white_lytning.
Definitely Not a sport!

 

[colquhounx]

obviously,not,a,sport,otherwise,you,would,have,to,lump,in,monopoly,clue,
mousetrap,....etc.

 

[ArminDeluxe]

yes i defenetly think poker is a sport because its not only luck
its strategy psychology and discipline too
as you see chess is a sport too. Why shouldn´t poker be a sport?^^

 

[malice777]

Sport implies some sort of physical ability. Poker is a card game like canasta or bridge. Darts is more a sport so is croquet.

I disagree that sport must require physical abilty,there are many sports that require little or no physical or athletic ability,such as archery or shooting,or fishing,sport is defined as 2 or more people competing against each other using their particular skills,there is nothing in the definition of the word that suggests all sport must be physical...

 

[paumarhas]

my opinion: i prefer to consider it a sport rather then a game. sure it's not physically taxing as far as movement. but it is a physical challenge if your in a tourny. that's were the sport idea comes in. a lot of the pros will tell you you have to be in shape, let's look at gus hanson for example, he's built or rather his body is conditioned you can tell he works out. the long hours and stress works against the player who's out of shape, this could interfer with thier judgement. but this is just my opinion.

i just read an article if your interested here's the link:

ESPN.comage 2: does poker qualify as a sport?
this guy brings up some good points, it's well worth the read. i aggree with him also.