Every morning, I get up and ready my way through the offerings on NESN, Deadspin and ESPN. Like a moth to the light, I always find myself reading Rick Reilly's ESPN column. I fall into the category of someone who has enjoyed them for the most part over the years (I mean, his article on the little kid and Elway (http://sports.espn.go.com/
Reilly lambasted Tiger for his "behavior" at Turnberry this past weekend:
He'd hit a bad shot, turn and bury his club into the ground in a fit. It was two days of Tiger Tantrums -- slamming his club, throwing his club and cursing his club. In front of a worldwide audience. ... If there were no six-second delay, Tiger Woods would be the reason to invent it.
Sports today are different. Golf today certainly is not the gentleman's game it was even 10 or 15 years ago. But Reilly draws comparisons between Woods and golfers of a much different era:
It's disrespectful to the game, disrespectful to those he plays with and disrespectful to the great players who built the game before him. Ever remember Jack Nicklaus doing it? Arnold Palmer?
Yes, Nicklaus and Palmer were great, but they did not exist in today's sports world. A world of millions of sponsorship dollars, commercials, 24/7 sports news, a world where Woods reigns king. Again, this is the modern sports world, where playing without emotion is like not playing at all.
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3 comments:
I agree 100%. I would much rather see athletes showing emotion then running/walking around like they are going to be executed. No matter what the sport, it becomes much more entertaining when you know the men/women you are watching actually care how they are performing. This is especially true in golf, where most of the guys act like robots. BOO!... I say. We need some Happy Gilmore's out there.
Love the blog FWG!
I'll second that. Show me an athlete who doesn't critique performances, perfect
techniques and strive to be best...and I'll show you a hobbyist. Tiger's anger, frustration and displays were aimed directly himself and his game--nothing else. An athlete's ability to impose his/her will on opponents will most always affect the final outcome.
Great piece Rob.
fantastic blog.
wow gold
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