Advertising And Poker

My frustration today is in the commercialization of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). The WSOP has been going on for decades – three to be more precise – without any recognition or public annoyance. It was gradually growing in popularity with appearances by Amarillo Slim on the Tonight Show and the $10,000 buy-in becoming easier to come by as the years progressed, but it was still a poker tournament controlled by the pros and it meant something to win the Main Event.
Yet, in the new millennium and the emergence of the ideal that “Anyone can win” following Chris Moneymaker’s triumph, amateurs and Internet qualifiers have swarmed the playing field creating a minefield of bad players that is almost impossible to get through unscathed.
The event is becoming comical in its size, which leads to advertisers wanting in on the popularity. It is impossible to avoid new wave ideas such as the “All-in moment brought to you by Degree.” That is just something we will have to get used to. Someday everything will be sponsored. In football, the replay will be sponsored by Budweiser, the play clock will be sponsored by ESPN and even the tackle will be sponsored by something like Timex, takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
Back to poker. This kind of advertising is already there and we can’t avoid it, however, I have noticed a new physical feature making its identity known on the felt. Besides having the casino’s logo plastered on the green fabric for constant exposure during a tournament, other sponsors are getting in on the action.
Certain advertisers are having their logo painted on the felt during tournaments so that every community card will be purposefully placed right below, giving the company endless publicity without ever needing a creative commercial or page design for a magazine.
I don’t remember exactly which tournament I saw this at, but it is a beating. I will equate this to having the outfield wall in a baseball stadium covered in advertising billboards. I know some of you agree that this lowers the park's respectability to a minor league level.
I am a purist when it comes to the game and I always want to see a professional poker player win the Main Event. With that said I also don’t want to see advertising on the table, people jump around like idiots after winning a pot or sunglasses worn inside. These are just opinions but they are my opinions, which makes them more notable.