Leisure It has taken decades for the worldwide popularity of bridge to diminish yet, despite its decline, the game is far from dead. Granted, its global population of loyalists is markedly smaller now than it once was, but passion remains high among those still “turning tricks.” In spite of game faithfuls, some say that bridge has simply gone out of fashion, however, various studies see it otherwise. It’s commonly believed that the game’s change in status is a multifaceted shift wherein no single issue can be named as the direct cause. The question, of course, is its future. If bridge is to maintain traction, or even gain ground, there are difficult challenges to overcome including its unfavourable reputation as distinctly an “old person’s game.” While the assumption is harsh, it is nevertheless based on irrefutable observation. Scan the room at almost any club and what’s typically seen is a sea of mostly “white cap” seniors – a clear sign that the altered state of the game is generational in nature. The three local clubs to which I belong are good examples. Consider my friend and fellow player Josephine, who repeatedly states that she would play five days a week if the opportunity existed. This spirited, sharp-witted woman whom everyone calls Jo has been playing bridge for at least seven decades. She plays three days a week and remains a card-savvy force to be reckoned with, notwithstanding the fact that she is 93 years old. Moreover, Jo is not the only nonagenarianmember of my clubs. Others include Jim, Olive, Muriel, Elsie and Edith, who all also share an unwavering passion for the game. While this group generally tops the upper age bracket of people who regularly play, in the majority of clubs across Canada and around the world, players are often in their sixties, seventies and eighties with a smattering in their fifties. Therein lies the problem. It’s difficult to dispute the claim that bridge is an old person’s game when there is little evidence to counter it. However, the problem goes even deeper. It’s obvious that the elder population of players cannot perpetuate the game forever and, seemingly, there are insufficient new joiners to sustain it as it once was. For the most part, bridge clubs worldwide are bemoaning the absence of young players. Take my own clubs, for instance, at which almost all members are over the age of 65, with many in their seventies and a waning percentage in their eighties and nineties. The demographics were not always thus. There was a long stretch of time when playing bridge (or some form of it) was a favourite pastime of adults of all ages. by Donna Carter The Rise and Fall of Bridge Once the most popular card game on the planet, today it’s fraught with a damaging image and debated relevance. 38 | www.snowbirds.org
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