People are actively trying to kill poker in America. The entire world is looking at us.
And we look like shit.
As I’ve said before, we seem to be the only industry that actively drives away sponsorship and audience growth by dressing and speaking immaturely. We wouldn’t go to the office wearing hoodies, flat-brimmed hats worn sideways, sunglasses and an iPod, but that’s exactly what we do on television in front of millions.
It’s costing us millions.
Want proof? More than 2.2 million people watch the World Series of Poker Main Event. The show delivers literally the most desirable advertising demographic: males, 18-35. Moreover, that audience is known to be willing to spend money, and have more education and discretionary income than the norm. Even better, that audience is mobilized efficiently because so many of them congregate in common places online; thus, you don’t need to overspend to attract them to watch. Finally, the poker audience is not passive. We feel misunderstood and have an underdog mentality that leads us to not just watch these shows, but advocate for them.
So who is the presenting sponsor for this event? Cadillac? Nike? Bank of America?
Nope. Jack’s Links. The WSOP delivers one of the premier audiences in sports, and it’s sponsored by a beef jerky company. Our demographic is not too much unlike golf’s — in fact, I’d bet the average poker viewer is more likely to spend money with advertisers than the average golf viewer. Yet to look at our sponsors you’d think we’re the redheaded stepchild of NASCAR’s bastard cousin.
Poker is big business, and the business is suffering. Ratings were down for the WSOP last year by 30%, and that’s the least of our problems. We have an image problem. This is a chance for us to alleviate our image as a bunch of guys who looks suspiciously like the Unabomber. Part of treating your poker like a business is dressing like you’re at your job. Why not look professional instead of like someone who might have a body in the trunk of his car?
Most of you know that I come from the golf world, but please don’t read this as me projecting my values on you. I love hoodies. My wife will tell you I’m the last guy who dresses to impress.
I feel like I’m merely stating the obvious. Historically, dressing well and behaving with kindness have attracted sponsors. Call me a sellout; I don’t care. I don’t know about you, but I got into poker to make money.
Now that poker is on the lips of the secular media, you have to imagine marketing officers with major potential sponsors are looking at us closely, thinking, “If this game goes legal, we need to know if we should get into striking position. Ratings will go from good to great and the demo will only get better. But look at these characters…”
The biggest sponsors are by nature conservative. In golf, those companies have no issue aligning themselves with top players because their odds of snapping are remote. (Tiger being the great exception.) Meanwhile, one of our lead spokesmen throws chairs across a room and collapses on the ground and cries for seven minutes. We are not a slam dunk for Audi or IBM.
I think the WSOP needs to take the lead on this in lieu of our having a governing body and establish a dress code. Since Black Friday, it’s possible that all the other poker shows will soon go away because they were either PokerStars or Full Tilt-sponsored. They’re not going to market to U.S. customers who are no longer served. The best chance to reach the general public is through the WSOP.
While I would support the WSOP implementing a dress code, the WSOP shouldn’t even have to lay down rules of behavior, but rather do as they do in golf and get the top 15-20 players in a room and explain how good decorum translates to dollars. They explain that if you want to make money, don’t throw clubs and please sign autographs. The PGA Tour is peer-led, as is the poker community, and if the top tier of players are aligned, the rest will take care of itself.
Poker is a strange animal in that we’re trying to be accepted and build viewership, but we need to ask people to take care of these basic things that should be obvious. This is a guy with a great education and real talent begging for an interview with your company, then when you get it for him he shows up wearing flip-flops and snapping a can of chew.
I’m not asking anyone to sublimate his personality. To me, the ideal persona is Daniel Negreanu’s. He’s clean cut and respectful, but also has a huge personality and keeps the table chatting. He talks a lot, but nothing he’s saying is bad for poker. There’s a good reason he’s among the highest paid poker players in the world: he’s a smart guy with a common touch.
Let’s turn that on its head. Do you know of a single player who wears a hoodie and talks trash constantly who has succeeded long term? I’m not talking about a flash in the pan, one-weekend wonder. I’m talking about a player with longevity who’s on one of the elite teams.
I’m something of an authority in this field. I’ve been ripped as much as anyone. I’ve had trash talk directed at me in quality and in volume. And I can tell you one thing I know for sure: I have never, ever been publicly blasted by someone who makes more money than I do at poker.
I understand that online poker grew into a multi-billion-dollar industry off the labor of hoodie-wearing trash talkers. I just want the game to remain a place where all of you can continue to thrive and make a good living, which will be impossible if we continue to behave the way we do.