|
 Reade rs, S&T’s salad days are now truly over. No, we haven’t suddenly given up vegetarianism after over two decades. The news is this. This latest missive to you is our 40th edition! Can you believe it? No? Are you calling us a liar? Would you care to step outside? Actually don’t bother, it’s too hot.
Anyhows, what better way to celebrate such a momentous milestone, than to check out what lies ahead for us now we are, ahem, ‘slightly more mature’ than we were last issue? So, in the name of science (due to a recent deedpoll mishap) and to escape the stifling heat in London, S&T dutifully travelled to Las Vegas, Nevada, USA for even more stifling heat (assuaged by lovely air conditioning; when are we going to get that in the UK?), and went along to see Menopause: The Musical, at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Ok, we were really in Sin City for both the trade show C4-Sports and the World Series of Poker, but the musical was on right next to the Las Vegas Convention Centre where the former was being held and we felt it was a sign. Well, more the case that there was a sign. Saying that tickets were available for the Sunday matinee.
Well, after watching that, S&T was a little depressed to say the least. Hot flushes (or ‘flashes’ as they are called in the US; flashing in the UK is of course illegal); insomnia, extra pounds (weight not cash), paranoia, and lack of libido to name but a few, all apparently awaited us.
And S&T is happy to report that indeed they all did, right down The Strip at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, home since last year to the World Series of Poker. The flushes in this case were of course of the Royal variety, and all the other traits belonged to the squillions of competitors, all playing their dandiest to progress to the Main Event on 10 August, hoping to mop up a few nice monetary prizes and bracelets (the poker equivalent of a belt in boxing) on the way.
S&T had never been to a live poker event before (unless you count playing around the table at ArkSports Towers for matchsticks), and certainly enjoyed the spectacle of watching hundreds of people raising and bluffing and the like (some of whom were even being massaged!) around oodles of tables on a scale not witnessed since the Weston Village (near Bath, Somerset) Whist Drive of 1977 (well, it was the Queen’s Silver Jubilee). Okay, perhaps there were a few more tables down at the Rio, and there were certainly a few more cowboy hats and plastic blonde women around than during the 1977 event….(although my Aunty Jacqui was going through a Dukes of Hazard phase back then).
Putting on a poker face But people-watching aside, S&T was in town for the serious business of interrogating a few last victims for ArkSports’ latest triumphant tome, The Global Business of Poker. We were therefore delighted to meet well-known poker player and good guy Jesse Jones, who has played the card game for over 20 years – with 15 years of those on the tournament circuit. He has recently founded the World Poker Association (WPA), a not-for-profit organisation aiming to bring together all the entities involved in the world of tournament poker such as players, event organisers, casino owners, dealers and fans.
So, why did Jones decide to launch the association and donate $100,000 of his own money for start-up costs? “There are no existing uniform standards for poker globally,” he explained, “so we aim to provide a system to standardise international rules and rankings. This has become necessary as the tournaments and events have become bigger.” The Swedish Poker Federation had recently joined the WPA at the time of writing, and Jones was already in conversations with federations in Australia and Denmark, among other countries. “We want to establish professional standards as well as a code of ethics, all voted on by our membership base. We want poker to become structured like the PGA Tour with several tiers of standards,” Jones added.
Once the WPA has attracted 1,000 members – and already it has signed up many leading professional players as founding members - the organisation will elect a board. Jones will enter the race to become elected to the board, but said he would abide by any decisions if he were not elected. “I am not paid for my efforts, nor do I ever expect to be paid,” he added.
Jones was hoping that the leading global poker properties – the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour would join the WPA. “We just need one of those big entities to join and that would bring momentum to our membership drive.”
Professional Poker player Casey Castle is a founding member of the WPA and the voluntary chairman of the ethics committee. “Poker has exploded over the last few years and outgrown itself before we’ve had the chance to create any level playing fields,” he told S&T. “Now the industry is trying to catch up and the WPA will give us a real chance to organise the industry sensibly.”
Pokermania had certainly hit the Rio in particular, and as one Stetson-hatted gentleman walking through the hotel’s lurid lobby remarked: “Poker is almost the new football”.
Poker-fever had also reached the Las Vegas taxi ranks, with S&T’s driver Cabbie Ken (as we’ll call him to protect his identity) telling us that he had been playing poker online for a few months now – starting with free sites – and had recently graduated to playing for real money. “I’m a bit concerned about its legality though and also whether I’ll get my money back if I win,” he confided in us, not realising his views would end up in a globally distributed online newsletter.
As he hadn’t actually won yet and in fact had run out of money to play for a few weeks, his latter worry wasn’t of immediate concern, although the legal question is one that was highlighted by the subsequent arrest of the BetonSports CEO, a few days after we returned to Blighty. For further details on that, you’ll just have to buy The Global Business of Poker. (That was the last plug for the report in this column we promise). C4-Sports launches S&T was also in Las Vegas of course for the inaugural edition of trade show C4-Sports which included an exhibition featuring many top technology vendors as well as a ‘Future Media Concepts’ conference, Sports Book Summit, ‘HD on a Budget’ production [isn’t that an oxymoron?], and session series ‘Introduction to Content & Delivery Fundamentals’. A kind of NAB meets NATPE or IBC meets Sportel if you will.
"Being leaders in sports and the technology of sports, we thought this show was a terrific way to interact with both suppliers and customers and just be a part of the community," said Brian Bedol, president and CEO of College Sports Television and keynote speaker at C4-Sports.
"The idea of C4-Sports to just bring the sports community together seemed like a very interesting idea, and the timing was right for this type of event. The show was a chance to meet new people, talk about what we are doing, and learn from others about the variety of solutions out there that will help us to make good decisions in the future," said Ken Adelson, NBA Entertainment's senior vice president of production operations and planning.
IT, broadcasting, and video directors from many sports teams and athletic departments attended C4-Sports, including collegiate teams such as Penn State University and Florida State University, as well as professional football teams such as the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills.
"With the advent of high definition and the corresponding impact that it will have on each team, I felt that it was essential that we explore and acquaint ourselves with the technology that is available today and also try to get a clear perspective of those future technologies," added Henry Kunttu, video director for the Buffalo Bills. "This show was an ideal learning opportunity to visit the technology vendors and listen to the leaders who are defining the vision of sports media. It helped us create our media goals for the present and the future." Blinded by the light Travelling back from C4-Sports to S&T’s hotel, we were treated to an amazing laser light show that lit up the sky as if it were the 4th of July all over again. S&T excitedly asked Cabbie Ken which hotel was putting on the illuminating treat so that we might zoom over there for a close up. “Honey,” he said (what with us having bonded over his poker problem), “That’s what we call in the States, a ‘lightning storm’.” Well, stone us if it wasn’t just a good old fashioned electric storm rather than the usual Vegas-style wizardry. (Actually, don’t stone us, that might hurt).
Finally readers, before we pootle off for the start of the proper soccer season here in the UK (and by that we of course mean the Football Conference, not the Premiership) with an away trip for Exeter City at York City’s yummy KitKat Crescent (scene of last season’s grumpiness in the hospitality box over S&T’s use of the innocuous phrase “take his legs out” in reference to an opposition player), we would like to thank all of you who made it to the second networking event of the Sport and Technology Executive Club (STEC). The evening was hosted at the beginning of August by The Sports Recruitment Company in Covent Garden, London and members from as far afield as the Netherlands and Switzerland attended. Our favourite post-event feedback came from one member who declared the morning after: “Good do as always. Fell asleep on the train and woke up in Guildford.” Nuff said. Rachael Church
Editor Do you think poker is the new football or does it depend on whether we mean gridiron, Aussie rules or soccer? If you have any comments or feedback on this article or any of the features in S&T, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please e-mail your comments to editor@sportandtechnology.com. Or watch television instead. S&T is currently enjoying The Ghost Whisperer on E4 although there are a few too many scary bits for our liking for a 9pm show.
This article was seen first by people who receive the monthly newsletter, join them.
|
