Sponsored Poker Player’s Tweet Lands Him in Hot Water with the Press
Sometimes even the biggest stars and most seasoned pros with a very public persona can get themselves in hot water. In the world of poker, this is equally true, particularly since big name media organizations such as ESPN are now in on the games and players are getting very large sponsors to chip in and help their pro careers. At the 2009 World Series of Poker, 2 brothers had stepped into the lime light and gotten major media attention for their skill. Dan Bilzerian, who took 180th place with $36,000 at the Series, and his brother Adam Bilzerian, who climbed to 47th to pull down $138,000. Together the duo had been known to fans as the Flying Bilzarian Brothers, a reference to their unusual last name. Unfortunately for Dan, one tweet he made over the micro blogging service Twitter got him into a conflict with a a reporter for the poker world, Joy Miller. The journalist took major exception to a remark that the poker star had tweeted which was, in fact, a quote from the Clint Eastwood movie Gran Torino – a joke that Miller deemed not becoming of a pro in the media spot light.
After angry calls which the poker star recorded and posted on the video sharing site YouTube, Miller took her case to the next level, talking to the CEO of the company that sponsors Bilzerian and threatening to go to ESPN to request they no longer cover the star. The star refused to issue an apology for what he had not intended as a disparaging comment, but it still created a stir for the poker media. Despite the potential negative exposure, no real damage appears to have been done to the star and he has since clarified his understanding of the Eastwood joke for the public, but experts say the incident goes to show that poker is maturing as a sport with major media attention.