When we think about sports, we typically think of the team sports we see on TV. Football, rugby, basketball, we know that these are all popular sports to watch and play.
Even sports played by a single player are easier to define, such as tennis or swimming. But things get a little tricky when you get to the outer edges of the sporting sphere.
Darts, for example, is still considered a sport even though there isn’t much movement going on. Lots of people try and argue that dance should be considered to be more of a sport as it involves more vigorous activity.
So, when it comes to games like poker, the lines are even more blurry and undefined. Poker could be argued to be more popular than a lot of sports are. Millions of people play poker online and watch poker tournaments.
But when it comes to whether it should be called a sport, it gets more difficult to say for sure. That’s why we’re going to do a deep dive into whether or not we think that poker should be considered a sport.
What is the definition of a sport?
What is a sport? Even the definition is full of nuance and becomes difficult to answer. If we’re going by the dictionary definition, then it would be ‘an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.’
This seems to be a simple definition on the surface – that is, until you reach the ‘skill’ part of the definition. There’s no doubt that being able to play poker well is a skill. It’s something that you can learn but there are people who have a natural affinity to it.
But there isn’t much of an argument when it comes to the physical exertion element of the definition. Cards aren’t particularly heavy and poker is played sitting down so there aren’t really any physical elements to it.
That’s where we get into the arguments for poker being considered to be a sport…
Arguments for poker being considered a sport
There are many sports that are still considered to be sports even if there is hardly any physicality to them. Golf is the main example that we can all think of. Golf has never been thought of as not being a sport.
However, think of the main demographic who typically play golf. They’re typically male and of retirement age, where physical exertion isn’t top priority – or even part of their skillset.
Despite them not running about as much as people do in other sports, no one would think that golfers weren’t sportspeople. Golfing tournaments are huge events that people go and watch every year.
There are tournaments that make the winners considerable amounts of money and lots of golf players have long term sponsors.
A similar argument can be made for sports such as pool. Again, it’s a sport that is favoured by an older generation of men but it is still very much considered a sport. It’s covered by sports channels on TV and competitions can win big money.
At the end of the day, when it comes to being a spectator, all anyone wants is to see someone win. Poker tournaments are watched by millions across the globe – some even partaking in a wager of their own in regards to who the winner might be.
There is a huge amount of competition between the players during these tournaments. Arguably, even more competition than between sports teams. And all of this is with a lot of money at stake as well.
You can’t doubt that the competition and stakes are high, and that poker appeals to a huge audience. But there are still some valid arguments against poker being considered a sport.
Arguments against poker being considered a sport
Even though a lot of practice and training goes into playing poker, sportspeople tend to have spent their whole lives dedicated to their sport. They have typically played from a young age and have given up their childhoods in order to become the best.
It’s a daily dedication that keeps these people achieving their optimum performance level in order to stay on top. The same cannot be said for poker players.
A lot of poker players can be top of their game and still not dedicate their whole lives to it. Even though a lot of poker players live and breathe poker, it’s not a necessity to do well.
Some might call it unfair to call poker a sport, when there’s no physical exertion to speak of. Sitting around a cards table might be stressful, but it’s nowhere near as physically taxing as a sport where you’re on your feet the whole time.
It’s a tough one to call, but we reckon there might be more arguments for than against – what do you think?
