The house "edge" is the rake. Some people argue that the rake alone is often unbeatable for low limit holdem players. (Especially the rake at a B/M casino.)
On to the analogy. I don't like it only because *I* think it's faulty to compare athletics (a game of skill dealing w/ a person's physical attributes) to poker. Compare poker to chess. Backgammon. Possibly pool/billiards - but even then we veer off into another realm.
Obviously I've gambled at poker. (Everyone at this forum has...) But I've also gambled at chess and pool. A lot. Naturally, I am a gambler. I'll bet DCopper at the SuperBowl, and I'll also bet I make it to 1000 before anyone else does. But, when it comes to poker, something intrinsic tells me there is less of a risk. It's less of a "gamble" and more of an investment, like PShabi pointed out.
And just for the sake of argument, you're not going to find a good baseball and basketball player. It's two different body types. Someone can be "good" at both, but you're not going to find someone who can make good money at baseball and then be the best at basketball. Or vice versa.
I'm thinking of MJ off the top of my head.
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