Pokeroni

Why is it that everytime I turn on ESPN, I see poker championships? Since when did poker become a sport?

This made me wonder...what constitutes a sport in the first place? So i decided to consult the beloved dictionary.com to find the official definition of the word "sport":

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.

Judging by that definition...I wouldn't say that sitting in a circle at a table, holding cards, (shuffling, if you are the dealer) and putting in chips an "athletic activity" requiring any real physical prowess... Perhaps the poker face requires some physical prowess? I mean, you gotta know how to control those facial expressions and little fidgets and movements we all do when we are excited...

And of course it is very competetive...heck, back in the wild, wild west a whole gunfight could have started due to someone's poor sportsmanship in the game. But what separates this from other games people love? With such vague logic, almost anything can be considered a sport: shopping, video games, chess, etc. etc.

It just drives me crazy how this popular card game, (its a card game for Gods sake!), has made its way into the sports world and is receiving such massive coverage. Sure, watching people play poker is interesting to some, but not on a sports channel! You don't see Shop Til You Drop on ESPN...