The Ultimate Sports Villains

I suppose that it is not a surprise to stumble across a published article which bashes Phil Hellmuth. Phil's televised rants and undeniable cockiness make him a frequent target for bloggers and writers who are looking for an easy target when crafting a story. Since I've been able to spend a lot of time with Phil over the past couple of years when there were no television cameras nearby, I can attest that much of his bravado is deliberately crafted to market himself by grabbing more TV time for his ventures and UltimateBet.com. It seems that Hellmuth's efforts are working. One of the latest Hellmuth haters came from a "mainstream" media outlet - FoxSports.com. Writer Kevin Hench usually spends this time of the year cranking out articles on the baseball season and the NBA playoffs. Recently, though, he compiled his list of the top 10 sports villains of all time. I could not believe my eyes when I read the number 9 name of the list and saw the "Poker Brat!"

While some sports folks would cringe to be labeled a villain, I would wager that Phil will simply have a wry smile displaying his satisfaction when he reads the list. After all, his name appears in a who's-who list of sporting greats such as Barry Bonds, Bobby Knight, George Steinbrenner, Mike Tyson, Ron Artest, Terrell Owens, and Wilt Chamberlain. Even non-sports fans know these names, and could probably recognize most of their faces. Grandmothers who never watched a boxing match still know about Mike Tyson. Bookworms who hate football still are well aware of T.O. and his exploits. The appearance of Hellmuth's name must mean that even non-poker fans are aware of who he is and how he acts, which must warm Hellmuth's heart. Phil knows what he is doing, folks. The Yankees get the best TV ratings as their fans watch and haters tune in to root for a loss. We can be certain that the Dallas Cowboys will have more TV coverage than any other team this year with Bill Parcels coaching the combustible Terrell Owens. Villains are watched, talked about, written about, and always seem to be in the spotlight.

In his article, Hench does not exactly give poker a glowing review with his opening sentences: "One of the ways you know a guy is a villain is by how much joy it gives you watching him lose. I absolutely hate myself when I waste time watching poker on TV, but it's always worth it if Hellmuth loses." But let's take a moment to really break down the message in this sentence. Obviously, the writer is not very keen on watching poker on TV when he calls it a waste of time. So why is he watching? Oh, he is watching only to see Phil Hellmuth fall. He is watching to see what Phil says next. He is watching in anticipation that Hellmuth might explode, whine, or have one of his infamous (yet entertaining) self-pity episodes. Hench goes so far as to write, "I would like to have Hellmuth losing poker hands playing on a loop in my house, office and car so any time I need a little pick-me-up I can just glance up at the screen and see the brat throwing a tantrum."

Although many poker insiders like to spend time bashing Phil Hellmuth, you'd have to be a fool to argue that he is not good for poker. He brings eyeballs to the television screen that otherwise would not be interested, and he brings about press coverage from mainstream media. Since even non-poker fans love to hate him, he is propelling the game forward! Anytime a list with huge names like Wilt Chamberlain and George Steinbrenner includes a poker player (even in a list of villains), it signifies just how far the game has come and how bright the future will be.

Note: In addition to being a columnist for many of the top poker magazines in the U.S. and Canada, John is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) in America. He has a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from West Virginia University, and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Lock Haven University. You can arrange for interviews, speaking engagements, or find out more about the psychology of poker by emailing carlisle14@hotmail.com.

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