Traditionally, baseball has been seen as the sport of the American people. It is considered by most to be the national pastime and to encapsulate some essence of the American dream. But, attendance at baseball games is in the decline and Americans seek new sources of entertainment. One of the new types of entertainment that is cropping up with a vengeance is poker. In fact, a strong case can be made that online poker, both played online and in casinos, is actually the new American pastime.

To support this conclusion, let’s look at some recent statistics. During 2003, the typical American went to the casino three times for every one time that they went to a baseball game. When you average that out over a whole country, there is definitely a strong case for poker being the new national pastime based on the sheer numbers of attendance alone.

The image of online poker as a new national pastime can be further corroborated by the amount of television time dedicated to the game. It is a well know n fact that poker is becoming increasingly televised, but has anyone thought about what that does to the other televised sports? Of course, their viewing audience is split. If Americans go to the casino three times more than the ballpark, it seems the next logical step to conclude that they will watch three times more poker if given the opportunity. Baseball is on its way out as a new set of superstars take center stage.

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