WSOP: more popular than LPGA and Indy car racing

WSOP commissioner Jeffrey Pollack.

According to a poll of 12,000 sports fans, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the 11th-most-admired sports league in North America.

The poll was conducted by market research firm Turnkey Sports & Entertainment early last summer.

Sports fans in the 47 North American markets that are home to at least one NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB team were asked to identify up to three leagues they admired most from a list of 24 U.S-based sanctioning bodies.

WSOP was ranked 11th overall, beating 13 traditional sports leagues including the National Hot Rod Association, Indy Racing League, Professional Bowlers Association, Arena Football League, LPGA and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

The NFL, Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, and the PGA Tour were among the top 10.

"We're honored to keep company with the best sports brands in North America," said Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the WSOP.

"Thanks to our players, sponsors, media partners, fans and staff, we've entered the mainstream in another new way."

The WSOP was the only poker franchise included among the 24 leagues fans could choose from in the study.