My Sportsman Choice: Greg Raymer

By Bill Syken

Greg Raymer finished on top of a record field of 2,576 players to win the World Series of Poker. AP  Chris Stone: Red Sox Nation, you've earned this one  Paul Zimmerman: Boy Wonder brought Boston a title  B.J. Schecter: Red Sox captured Boston's heart  Richard Deitsch: The Babe had a big presence in '04  Rick Reilly: Big Papi did it all for the world champs  Jeffri Chadiha: A reward for reversing The Curse  Lisa Altobelli: Ramirez never took anything seriously  • Sportsman of the Year archive

Earlier in my career I worked for Time magazine, and saw how they went about choosing a Person of the Year. They would identify the big story of the year, and then choose a person who represented it. So when e-commerce boomed in 1999, the choice was Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. Some complained that would look ridiculous in a few years when the Internet bust came. But the bust did not invalidate the choice -- who is more important than the man who inspired billions in bad investments? In the same spirit I will argue that the 2004 Sportsman of the Year should be World Series of Poker champ Greg Raymer.

Raymer -- you know, that guy with the funny glasses -- dominated poker's marquee event, knocking out seven of the eight players on the final table, but that's barely my point. What matters is how often you can see the tournament he won -- which is any night ESPN doesn't have a big game to show. In 2004, poker became the default sports program of choice. And people are watching -- more tuned into the World Series of Poker than The Stanley Cup.

My esteemed colleague Rick Reilly ripped poker a new hole card in SI last month, pointing out that the 2003 World Series winner, Chris Moneymaker, had only been playing for three years on the Internet. Wrote Reilly: "Can you imagine somebody taking up basketball three years ago and suddenly becoming the leading scorer in the NBA?" He's right, but poker's low barrier to entry are what make it, and it's attendant popularity, important.

The way to appreciate TV poker is to imagine how it must be viewed by male gymnasts, who have to hate it more than anyone. Gymnasts train from post-infancy to acquire a mix of strength and flexibility that makes them the most impressive athletes in any sport. And no one pays them any attention, except once every four years. Meanwhile, Raymer comes along with his Barney Gumble physique and his novelty glasses and wins $5 million in front of millions. And he's a hero to people who think, hey, that could be me. Those who cannot realistically dream of competing in the NBA or NFL or doing a floor routine at the Olympics can plausibly imagine that if they put up the money and catch a few generous flops, they could win a seat at the final table and be on ESPN.

I'm not saying it's a good thing -- especially for obesity-prone youngsters looking for shortcuts to money and fame. (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire actually devotes a chapter to the popularity of Tuscan Hold 'Em). But the ascendance of poker is the most important development in the sporting world in 2004. And that makes the poker champ my Sportsman of the Year.

Sports Illustrated will announce the 2004 Sportsman of the Year winner on FOX on November 28. Check back every weekday until then to read more Sportsman picks from SI writers.