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The Golf Pros Set The Pace

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Last week I read an article by Rick Reilly on ESPN.com about how slow baseball is despite the rules that are supposed to be in place to keep it moving along.  The article is funny, but true.  Sometimes, with all of the stoppages in play, it’s just tough to sit through an entire baseball game.  But what it reminded me of most was…golf.  In particular, going to a golf tournament and watching the pros.

Now we’re not the only ones to put some blame on the pros for the reason slow play makes it’s way onto your local course – this topic has been debated plenty of times before, so you already should know what I mean.  But the similarities between the two when it comes to slow play are pretty funny.

Watch the pro golfers wander around the green for as long as they do before a putt.  Now compare that to watching an at-bat for a major-leaguer.  The golfer looks at the green from every angle.  Sometimes twice, as if the green is going to move.  Then look at the baseball player and his at-bat.  Take a pitch, step out of the batters box to “adjust”, back into the box for another pitch.  Repeat a few times.  By the time it’s all over, we could have seen six or seven scoring plays in a basketball game.

At least on TV they can switch from golfer to golfer, so we don’t have to sit through the painful green-wandering, the conversations between the golfers and their caddies, the endless practice swings…you get the idea.  We’re stuck with all of the nonsense that Mr. Reilly so accurately describes.  It’s no wonder I don’t pay full attention to baseball until basketball season is over.  And my attention span is cut short once the NFL starts up.  Kind of makes that stroke clock idea look better and better all the time!

But seriously, how can you tell everyone to play their round in four hours when we all watch the pros take their sweet time?  I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be on a clock.  The pros, they should be.  But not us.  As long as we’re being considerate to other golfers and following the rules of etiquette, then screw your four hour time limit.  I’ll let people play through before I’m rushed.  Hey, they’re the professionals.  They set the example, right?

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Has Tiger Become Just An Average Golfer?

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I want to start by giving some praise to ESPN.  I’ve been tuned into Sunday Night Baseball for about 30-40 minutes as of right now, and the only time I’ve seen the word “Tiger” is in reference to Detroit. 

Not for nothing, but when a golfer finishes tied for 40th, fifteen strokes off the lead and doesn’t break par once in four days…that’s the way it should be.  I should see the names Watson and Oosthuizen more than any other name today.  I should see those names so often that I’ll actually learn how to correctly pronounce Oosthuizen! 

But that brings me to my actual point.  Has Tiger fallen far enough that he can now be considered not much more than an average golfer on the tour?  When you really look at it, the stats show exactly that.  Despite a second place finish at the Honda Classic and his win this year at The Arnold Palmer Invitational, that’s his only win since 2009.  Follow his win with a +5 showing at The Masters, and his last win at a major dates back to the 2008 U.S. Open, though he has had some strong showings in between.

Could it be due to the knee injury suffered in 2008?  I think many people would attribute it to exactly that.  Couple that with the distraction of his more recent off-course issues, and you can see an obvious decline.  Even worse is that he is now 36 years old, right around a time when most pro athletes begin, or are already into, a physical break-down.  Obviously though, golfers are in a different category as there is not the same serious physical strain on the body as with some other sports.  But with younger players joining the tour every year, Tiger appears more and more beatable all the time.

I’m certainly not saying that Tiger is done.  I believe he’s far from it.  But what I am saying is, though the media will have you believe we are still watching the Tiger of several years ago, he is no longer the threat to win every time he sets foot on the course as he once was.  But to me, that’s good.  I prefer to see a wide open field in a tournament that anyone can win on any given weekend.  With so many great golfers on the tour, it’s nice to see some attention being given to them rather than the guy who finished so far back that he didn’t even matter.

But I’m sure many will not agree.  Many believe there needs to be one dominant player on the tour for others to gun for.  However, I don’t believe it’s about the other golfers.  It’s about the fans.  The fans need to be introduced to other golfers on the tour.  And by having a field that’s much more open than it may have been in the past, what better time or way to get it done? 

Tiger worked miracles for the PGA and they have reaped the benefits for sixteen years now.  But sooner or later, he’s not going to be there anymore.  So before it’s too late, they may want to take action to promote these many other golfers who have caught, and soon, will surpass the great Tiger.

Swing ’til you’re happy!
                     

Tiger Wins! Now How Long Will We Have To Hear About It?

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He won. And for real this time. This time it wasn’t just an over-abundance of highlights showing the third place finisher. This time it wasn’t the media basically handing him the win after the second round. He actually won this time! And I gotta tell ya, I’m not looking forward to hearing about it.

I can picture it already. ESPN will be dropping to their knees (as usual) for Tiger. They can’t wait to just ram it down our throats. As a matter of fact, I think I’m going to just avoid watching ESPN for the next couple of days. Well, outside of Monday Night Football of course.

But seriously, Friday night ESPN was already handing the tournament over to Tiger again! Do they understand there are four rounds to a golf tournament? Watching SportsCenter, I saw one of their sidebar stories state that Tiger had a “Big Lead” after the second round. So I stuck around to see how big it was. Three strokes. Really? Three strokes is considered a “Big Lead” halfway through a tournament?! Well, I guess when Tiger holds the lead it is. Even after the third round, when he lost the lead, it was still all Tiger high-lights. Zach Johnson was just an after thought.

Seriously, come on. When is that stuff gonna stop? People were growing tired of Tiger before his “transgressions.” More were sick of him afterward. And now, even more are just sick and tired of him and the media who continues to just shove him down our throats! I know it’s going to be all over ESPN, so the only saving grace I have is the NFL.

One place where ESPN has not lost any understanding is that the NFL comes before just about everything else. It comes before baseball. It comes before basketball. It comes before college sports (obviously this does not include World Series games or college championships and bowl games). And it certainly comes before golf. Of course, at the time of my writing, SportsCenter has yet to air. But if history is any indicator, Tiger’s victory will not lead after a day an NFL Sunday. But, I can only hope.

However, could you imagine if this victory came outside of football season? I think I would physically choke on the coverage. Add another reason to the list that football is my favorite sport.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Chicks? No. Dudes Dig The Long Ball!

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Quick, name five players on the LPGA Tour. Ha! It wasn’t as easy as you thought, was it? Don’t worry, it wasn’t for me either. As a matter of fact, I scrolled down the money leader list and by the time I reached the bottom, a list of about 150 names, I was only familiar with eight or nine of them.

So what’s the problem here? Is it the same as the PGA Tour? Well, yes and no. I guess the actual problem is the same, but how they got there is a bit different.

We all know about the PGA’s player recognition deficiency. And we all know about the lack of player promotion by the PGA, the sponsors and the media. But this problem is compounded for the LPGA by dealing with the problem that any women’s sport deals with. That problem? Simply, it’s not a men’s sport.

Take a look at the WNBA for a second. These women are some of the best female basketball players in the world. The last player on the bench on a WNBA team can destroy me, and most men for that matter, in a game of one-on-one. As a matter of fact, some of the women who have been cut by WNBA teams will destroy most men in a game! But despite the fact that these women can play, the game isn’t as physical (and subsequently isn’t as exciting) as the NBA – and that causes a lack of viewership, a lack of support at the gate and an overall lack of interest.

This same problem transfers over to the LPGA. Forget for a minute the fact that any one of the women on this tour will beat you. But take into account that, again, these are the best female players in the world! But when it comes to viewership, tournament turnout and sponsorships, that’s not what matters. It’s a female sport, so what matters again to viewers (especially male viewers) is the longball.

The old joke was “Chicks dig the longball.” Well, guess what…dudes love the longball as well. This is why guys carry big drivers in their bags. It’s why we watch the long-drive contests when they’re on TV. It’s the reason we watch the Home Run Derby. It’s why we prefer men’s sports over women’s. It’s not right. But that’s the way it is. But what can be done to change this? Actually, is there any way to change it at all? Well, the way I see it there are two. However, one is highly unlikely and the other is just not a good one.

Idea #1 – The media needs to start pushing some women’s sports to the forefront. I understand that this is a long shot, but no one is asking for it to be permanent. It just needs a little more attention. We Americans want to see excitement and physicality. We are not so much interested in the fundamentals, even though they are the foundation of the sports we love. But if ESPN would take the time to make the WNBA Championship games, or women’s golf tournaments a little bit earlier in their broadcasts, it may do something to help attract more attention to sports that deserve it. However, I understand that this is highly unlikely.

Idea #2 – I’ll go on the record as saying that I hate this idea. But it’s an idea nonetheless, and one that has worked in the past. Maybe the LPGA needs to sex it up a bit. Again, I don’t like the idea of using your appearance to somehow boost attention to your sport, but you can’t deny the effect. Looked at women’s tennis. Anna Kournikova became more well known for her looks than her game (or lack thereof). Ever since then, many of the women of tennis are given a fair amount of attention for what they look like. And guess what, it’s been good for viewership and attention to the sport.

Want the perfect example? Think of some of the best women’s soccer players in recent memory – Marta, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Hope Solo. But years from now, just as it is currently, one name will always be remembered right alongside these – Brandi Chastain…and we all know why. That one celebration is now a permanent highlight of any women’s soccer promo. And the stir that moment caused did wonders for the sport. Again, is this the right way to gain attention? Probably not. But will it work?

I guess the bottom line is women’s sports in general, but golf in particular, need a boost and it’s got to come from somewhere. Is the media going to do it? I doubt it. The leagues themselves? I’m sure they’re trying. But if not the media or the leagues, then where? The answer is, it has to come from us, the viewers. But are we going to do it? Well that remains to be seen…

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Tiger’s Back…And The Media Sure Is Letting Us Know About It!

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So it looks like Tiger finally put an end to that 20 tournament losing streak. He wrapped up the WGC-Bridgestone, like he has so many times before. The longest winless streak of his career is over.

Now maybe he can just get back to his normal routine and just go back to being the same player he always…What? What do you mean he didn’t win? I saw him on every sports news show on TV. I saw Tiger on ESPN constantly! He must have won!

Adam Scott you say? Well I knew he was playing well, but he couldn’t possibly have beaten Tiger. 17 under?! He finished 18 strokes better than Tiger?! Well then, what the hell was I watching?!

Nope, my eyes and ears did not deceive me. Tiger was never really in the hunt after Day 1, but that doesn’t stop the sports media. Rather than focusing on the guy who led the tournament from start to finish, we’re focused on the guy who, after the first day, was never closer than six strokes back. Rather than pay attention to the guys who finished tied for 2nd (each shooting a final round 66), we’re worried about the guy who only broke 70 once in the four rounds.

I get on the PGA’s case for failing to properly promote its players on the tour. But I guess that’s only part of the problem. Just as much of the problem, if not more, is the media. No matter what happens (on the course anyway) the media just can’t get enough of Tiger. It’s been 21 straight winless tournaments, but the media acts like it’s just the opposite. Once again, it’s “Tiger, Tiger, Tiger….oh, and by the way, blah blah blah won.”

Need an example? Friday night, I tuned into Sportscenter. Before they even showed the results of the second round, there was an entire segment on Tiger’s second round struggles, even though he was only three strokes off the day before. A few segments of the show later, we get to the actual highlights of the round. Here, we see a few more strokes and reactions from Tiger before we get to see anyone who is actually in contention. Need further proof? Check out this clip

Still leading off with Tiger. We have to wait through three of Tiger’s putts before we hear about the guy who won. And there’s barely even a mention of either Luke Donald or Rickie Fowler, who finished tied for second. And people wonder why the sport is in the shape it’s in…

So here’s a bit of a plea to the mainstream media – do the sport a favor and start focusing on some of the other great players on the tour. Please realize that, until he shows otherwise, Tiger is no longer the elite player he was. Until he shows otherwise, he is a middle-of-the-pack player. OK, benefit of the doubt due to his accomplishments…he’s still a top-tier player. But he is NOT the Tiger of years past. And until the time comes that he does show otherwise, why not take the time to introduce us to, and promote the other great, young talent on the tour. It can do nothing but help the sport as a whole.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

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