ESPN, I Still Love You, but Poker Needs to Go.
Posted: Tuesday, September 01, 2009
by Ryan Stroud
I have a bone to pick with ESPN.
First off, let me say, I love that you are brave enough to show soccer games when not many other stations will. And I also am a huge fan of "Sports Center." Not a day goes by where I don't check ESPN for the latest news on Sports Center. From the latest NFL gossip to Tiger Woods, you get it all on Sports Center.
So, please tell me why, ESPN, when I turn on my TV to channel 21, looking for a baseball or football game to catch, I find "poker?"
Since when was poker a sport? Isn't ESPN a sports network? Do card games qualify as sports? Does this include board games like "Monopoly" or "Sorry?"
Now, I fully understand games like poker and "Texas Hold'em" are fun and appealing to the masses, but at the same time, do they count as sports? My answer is no, they are not sports, they are games, thus, they should not be featured on ESPN or any other "sports networks."
I've written an article in the past distinguishing the differences in sports, races and games. I suggest everyone take a moment to read that piece ( /swa460927-Races-Games-And-Sports-The-Difference-Between-The-Three.htm ) and then continue on here I'll wait.
Ok, you're back.
As you see from the previous story, these "games" do not belong on a channel where people are expecting to find hockey or basketball games being played. When I tune to ESPN, I want to hear about the Red Sox creaming the Yankees, how UNC plans to defend their NCAA basketball title, if the Florida Gators or Oklahoma will take the BCS crown, but I don't want to hear about some guy who won money sitting on his bum playing a hand of cards.
I will continue to watch ESPN even if they never remove poker from their programming. Why? Because ESPN is amazing. But no one is perfect, not even you, Alex Rodriguez. This flaw in ESPN's programming is the only thing keeping me, and many other males and females out there, from permanently staying glued to our screens watching the channel.
ESPN, I still love you, but "poker" needs to go.
This Article has been viewed 286 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Great point--what's it doing on a sports network. I have a lot of friends who like poker and watch it... but for me it's like watching grass grow, nevertheless, to each is own, but not on ESPN.Thanks Steve for the comment!
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.