Just Poker Talk

I became a Niners fan in 1999, the year Steve Young took a concussion to the head. At some point in the second quarter Young dropped back for a throw and got blindsided by Cardinals DB Aeneas Williams. This hit ended his season and his career. Though it was possible for Young to make a comeback the following season, he risked death if he took another blow to the head and decided not to chance it. The game was televised on Monday Night Football, so the moment remains vivid, one of my few lasting memories of Young’s career, and I suspect that is the case for many fans across the country.

National television appearances for the Niners was a staple back in the nineties, and I counted the number of appearances to gauge the popularity and importance of my favorite team. For example the Niners were televised on Monday night three times that year, and that number was tied with the Cowboys, Dolphins, Packers, Vikings, Broncos, and Jets. Airtime on ESPN also acted as the consensus opinion for fans across America, at least that was my belief. The more airtime NFL Live and SportsCenter devoted to the Niners, the more proud I was of my team, even when the news focused on Young’s status and future rather than the Niners’ disappointing season.

Even though Young’s final game ended with him sprawled on the field and unconscious, his humiliation and fall from greatness was short lived. Sports fans only had to endure newspaper articles, talk radio, and SportsCenter coverage about Young’s concussion for one season.

Compare the end of Young’s career to Jerry Rice’s. I had stopped following Rice after he signed with the Raiders, but through SportsCenter I still heard about his exploits. In those years he went from being the first option to a fringe player that teams no longer valued. Greatness on the field wanes, no matter how many records were broken or Super Bowl rings were won. All that is the past.

Watching Doyle Brunson play poker has become painful. To me he is the past his prime athlete that loves the game too much to quit. I feel embarrassed for him when he gets knocked out on television, especially the WSOP. He always smiles nervously at this point, and then tips his cowboy hat to the crowd. Everyone applauds him and some people scream his name, “DOYLE!” as he makes his exit. This act is both condescending and desirable. On one hand, Brunson is getting applauded for losing and not even finishing in the money, while on the other, if no one acknowledges him, that can send the message that no one cares, that no one appreciate what he means to poker.

The rumor that Brunson was arrested and the withdrawal of Doyle’s Room from the US market made me realize how far he has fallen. This realization was made more apparent a few days ago when I watched an episode of Poker After Dark. Antonio Esfandiari was in a hand against Brunson. The Magician had A-10 and Brunson had A-J of diamonds. The flop came A-8-10 with two diamonds. The hand escalated to the point where both players were all-in. Brunson lost and got knocked out in sixth place.

Whether he made the right move or not is inconsequential. What matters is that Brunson lost and that his play once again failed to impress me. The stories of his past success create an image that Brunson, even in his prime, can not match, so when Brunson loses, I feel embarrassed for him and wonder if he feels humiliated. I wonder if he cares, if he has pride.

In the Brother’s Karamazov, there is a scene when Alyosha talks with Nikolai Ilyich Snegiryov. Alyosha is trying to get Snegiryov to take 200 rubles. The money could change his family’s life yet Snegiryov refuses out of pride for his family, especially his son. With the money, Snegiryov could hire a doctor to get treatment for his wife and hunchbacked daughter. His other daughter Vareva could go back to school in Petersburg. He could buy beef. By stomping on the money and running off, Snegirov continues the suffering of his family. What I learn from this scene is that humiliation is not a feeling to avoid, especially if it stops someone from doing what they believe is right or what they love.

Doyle Brunson’s life is poker, and he should continue to play no matter what the critics think.

Doyle Brunson, humiliation, Steve Young concussion, Jerry Rice retirement, Poker After Dark, Brother’s Karamazov