Because the United States can afford it.
Many apologies for going off track slightly, my love of amateur sport has blindsided me to the subject of poker as a sport. I believe there is now a Chess Olympiad, so it seems only fair that poker should have its own Olympiad too.
If poker were truly a sport then I would agree with you. I guess that’s why we have the world poker tour instead.
Ok, back to topic.
Grapevine, I have to go with craig here.
Have you recently looked at the basketball teams the US is sending to the Olympics?
NBA stars played in the Olympics for the first time in 1992 when the ‘Dream Team’ was assembled.
Happy New Year,
David
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Watched it on ESPN must be a sport. 
Of course they televise Spelling bees, cornhole, and hot dog eating contests too.
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Ahaha, ahaha, good one 
I could be mistaken but I remember as a kid, (70’s & 80’s) people complaining about the fact that the Olympics were supposed to be amateurs, but that Russia and Eastern Block countries were sending the same people every four years. I thought that was what pushed the Olympic Committee to change the rules.
By the way:
Poker is not a sport.
FIKAYAK,
I agree about the 70s & the 80s.
I also agree that poker should not be listed at the Olympics as a sport.
Besides, who would want to enter if they could not drink alcohol at the table? LOL
By 1986, the IOC’s long fight over amateurism was waning. Rules were put in place that shifted control of determining who could compete in the Olympics from to the respective sports’ international federations.
“I don’t want to see the Olympics degenerate into another forum for professional sports,” said Robert Helmick, then the president of the United States Olympic Committee and International Swimming Federation (FINA), at the time the rules changes were being contemplated. 'And I don’t like the present archaic rules. There’s a middle ground. We say each sport should look at itself independently, make its own eligibility rules and enforce them.”
It was initially thought the Olympic spirit would be lost once professionals were allowed to participate, and although many favored changing the rules, the change to the institution as a whole was significant.
This led to the influx of individual trust funds to help support amateur athlete competitors in non-traditional sports such as skiing. It opened the door for runners and others to accept prize money, sponsorships and endorsements to fund their training.
It also led to some impactful sports moments and teams, such as the fabled USA’s men’s basketball “Dream Team” in 1992.
The long history of amateurism as an embodiment of the Olympic spirit was an idea engraved in the roots of the modern Olympics.
By the 1968 Mexico City Olympics however, issues surrounding eligibility, anti-doping and altitude forced a complete revisiting of the ideals of amateurism, one of the more intriguing policies at the Olympics’ core and one that couldn’t survive the modern era games that Mexico City ushered in.
Poker is NOT a sport !
Live poker can surprise you sometimes! Hope your shoulder feels better soon. It’s amazing how unexpected things can happen even in non-traditional ‘sports,’ right?
If Chess is a sport, Poker is a sport.
Compared to the average athletic output of outfielders over nine innings, poker is definitely a sport.
lol
