So if it hasn’t been shoved down every sports fans throat by now, there was a fight last weekend after a NASCAR race between a driver and a pit crew member for another driving team. Really now? Have you seen the video? Of course you have…you can’t escape it. Of course, in every angle of the video, you can’t see a thing worthwhile happen. You can’t see a punch thrown or contact made. Nothing. But I’ll tell you what, NASCAR and they’re fans are eating it up.
Me, I couldn’t possibly care less about NASCAR. How anyone can sit for hours watching cars drive around in a circle (yes…I understand it’s an oval, but that doesn’t have the same ring to it) blows my mind. So to me, that’s why NASCAR fans are eating it up. It’s because something that could possibly be exciting, other than a car accident, actually happened! Can you imagine what fans of the NHL must be thinking about this?! They must be laughing all the way to the penalty box!
But of course, as I try to equate things in other sports to golf, I wonder if the PGA Tour could use something like this. Because lets face it, watching the PGA Tour is almost as dull as watching NASCAR. But what if Rickie Fowler was to, I don’t know…step in Rory’s line? Or cough during his swing? What kind of reaction do you think there would be if Rory blew up and smacked Fowler across the lips right there on the 13th green? I’d have to imagine that ESPN would be all over it! That footage would be on 24/7! And could you imagine if Tiger was involved?! They would start a new channel that night! And the first show airing would be ESPN Tigercenter!
But the real question is, would that be a bad thing? They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, but golf is so rooted in the “gentleman’s game” mindset that one would have to imagine the PGA would want this swept under the rug as soon as possible. But would they be making a mistake by doing this? Would the publicity do something to help bring in a younger generation of fans who typically find the game boring. Maybe it’s not a good reason to get them to watch, but at the same time, if it gets them to watch…isn’t that reason enough?
Swing ’til you’re happy!
Leave a Reply