Poker News / Short-Stacked Shamus / 13 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

The National Football League playoffs are in full swing, with the final eight teams competing in playoff games this weekend as the march continues toward Super Bowl XLVI on February 5. All four of the upcoming matchups are intriguing, but by far the most buzz has surrounded the game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots on Saturday night. There are a variety of reasons for the increased hype for this particular game, although the primary source of interest is Denver quarterback Tim Tebow.

As an NFL fan I've been as fascinated by Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos' story as anyone. But as a poker player and fan I've been equally intrigued by a kind of cultural phenomenon developing around the 24-year-old star.

A lot of talk this week regarding the upcoming game and the public's fascination with Tebow has included references to the fact that non-football fans are starting to tune in to watch Tebow play. Such talk has caused me to think of efforts to promote poker as a spectator "sport" -- that is, to attract so-called "casual" fans or even those who haven't been interested in poker previously to tune in to televised events or otherwise become part of a growing card-playing community.

Might there be something in the Tim Tebow story worth consideration by those engaged in such efforts to bring poker to wider audiences?

An Unorthodox Star

It has been a remarkable year for the second-year quarterback and the Denver Broncos. Projected by most to finish last in their division, the team began with a miserable 1-4 start, at which point new coach John Fox made the decision to bring Tebow off the bench to start at QB. The team immediately began to win games, with several of their victories finding Tebow leading the Broncos to fourth-quarter comebacks in dramatic fashion.

Despite losing their last three games of the regular season to finish 8-8, Denver nonetheless managed to secure a playoff spot by winning the relatively weak AFC West. Then last week Tebow led the team to another thrilling 29-23 overtime victory against the heavily-favored Pittsburgh Steelers, thereby extending their season to Saturday's matchup against the New England Patriots. Denver will again be a huge underdog against the New England, with Betfair currently listing the Patriots as a 13½-point favorite.

Of course, it hasn't been just Denver defying predictions this year, but Tebow, too. Following a stellar college career at Florida in which saw Tebow win two national championships and a Heisman trophy, he wasn't considered a strong pro prospect thanks in part to his large size (he's built more like a running back) and relatively slow (and not always accurate) delivery of passes. Even so, he was drafted in the first round by the Broncos, then was used sparingly during his rookie season in 2010 and the first five games of this year.

Also part of Tebow's story is his Christian faith, including his readiness to demonstrate and speak about his faith publicly. In college, Tebow took to wearing biblical references ("John 3:16") on his eye black, prompting the NCAA to institute a rule prohibiting players from including any words, logos, or symbols in such a way. (The NFL already has such a rule in place.) And before, during, and after games Tebow frequently can be seen taking a knee and praying, a practice that has been dubbed "Tebowing" by others.

All of which is to say, Tebow's stands as an unorthodox figure amid the world of professional sports. He doesn't drink. He's humble despite his success. He's praised by teammates not for his abilities but for his passion and leadership. He's possessed with a unique skill set that still has some observers baffled at why exactly he's enjoyed success in the NFL thus far. And by most accounts he's an especially cordial, likable person.

As former Broncos quarterback and current executive VP of football operations John Elway was quoted saying in a USA Today cover story this morning, "Is he too good to be true?"

"Moving the Meter"

That USA Today feature -- appearing in the main section, not the sports page -- is just one indicator of Tebow's story having grown to capture a wider audience that extends beyond NFL fans. Other mainstream outlets such as People magazine are now reporting on the quarterback, further spreading interest in his story and the Denver team.

As an indicator of how widespread the phenomenon has become, last week's first-round playoff game between Denver and Pittsburgh achieved the highest television ratings for a first-round NFL game since 1988, with 42.4 million viewers tuning in.

"We talk a lot of times about stars in sports 'moving the meter," said Mike Greenberg this week on ESPN's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" show, noting how players like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods would attract viewers who weren't otherwise interested in the sports they played.

However, Greenberg continued, the NFL hasn't really traditionally worked that way. "Pro football's a sport where I don't care how popular you are, more people don't tune in to watch [a particular player].... [But,] Tim Tebow is that guy. I can't think of any other guy who creates that. More people are tuning in because of him than would otherwise."

Greenberg's co-host Mike Golic agreed, pointing out how "people who are not traditionally watching football are tuning in to watch this guy.... I don't know if you want to even call them the 'casual fan.' He's bringing the non-football fan into this to check it out and see what's going on."

David-vs.-Goliath

Turning our attention back to poker, while there have been a few players over the last decade who have achieved significant attention and interest from "casual" fans or even those otherwise uninterested in poker, the only player whose fame and story could be said to be analogous to that of Tim Tebow would have to be Chris Moneymaker, the amateur player whose surprise victory at the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event was a catalyst for the poker "boom" that followed.

The common thread, of course, between the two is the underdog-beating-the-odds narrative followed by both. Or the "David-vs.-Goliath" element, to evoke a biblical reference, with Moneymaker somehow taking down the wily professional Sam Farha heads-up as important a part of his story as his uncanny name.

Tebow's faith no doubt adds an additional, not incidental factor to his rise in celebrity, a genuine cause for some to have become fans. But most are intrigued by his having won despite coming to the table short on "chips," somehow finding a way even though behind on the scoreboard and/or in terms of the skills he brings to the game.

If you think about it, poker is a game that is especially well-suited for creating such come-from-behind, zero-to-hero dramas in which someone with whom many can identify -- an "average Joe" -- somehow thwarts expectations to emerge victorious.

That said, the majority of poker tournaments of late have produced stories containing a couple of other, oft-articulated "messages" -- (1) the winners were highly-skilled, and (2) they won a lot of money. Both of these stories are interesting, although perhaps have become less so after many repetitions. But neither are likely to "move the meter" all that much anymore, nor "move" those who aren't already hardcore fans.

No, it's going to take something more extraordinary to get non-poker people to feel the need "to check it out and see what's going on." While it would require a number of converging factors surrounding a necessarily unique individual to do so, poker could do worse than to discover a Tim Tebow-like star to reignite interest in the game.

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