Monday, May 5, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
A Good Walk Spoiled: Chapters 19-Afterword, Pages 531-634
If I had to compare golf to one other sport, it would have to be NASCAR. While these two sports may be very different at first glance, the history of these two orgainzations are very similar. The big problem is with the racial aspect of both NASCAR and the PGA Tour. While NASCAR has never had any black driver that's has been successfull, the PGA Tour has had a very non diversified group as well. Before the emergence of Tiger Woods, only a handful of African-American plaers have made any sort of an impact in terms of winning PGA tournaments. With NASCAR's roots in the south, it's obvious to see why there is a racial aspect to the sport. Meanwhile, the PGA is a country club sport with very few blacks available to join or even attempt to join with some clubs excluding blacks from memberships, as well as Jewish people and women.
Not all of the similarities are negative. The recent boom in popularity in both sports have vaulted them to the #4 and #5 spots in the major American sports scene. NASCAR is trying to get away from the southern stereotypes by expanding their fan base to big cities such as Chicago, L.A., and soon New York City. On the other hand, the PGA Tour has been turned around by one person, Tiger Woods. The prize money has tripled in the time since Tiger started. Overall, I give the book an 8.5 out of 10.
Not all of the similarities are negative. The recent boom in popularity in both sports have vaulted them to the #4 and #5 spots in the major American sports scene. NASCAR is trying to get away from the southern stereotypes by expanding their fan base to big cities such as Chicago, L.A., and soon New York City. On the other hand, the PGA Tour has been turned around by one person, Tiger Woods. The prize money has tripled in the time since Tiger started. Overall, I give the book an 8.5 out of 10.
A Good Walk Spoiled: Chapters 16-18, Pages 435-530
One thing that I have found interesting while reading this section is the gambling aspect of the game with the players. For example, before the British Open Championship, a foursome of players thought that they would get together a make a practice round more intersting. They did this by putting $1,000 each for the player that could finish the entire 18 hole round without a single bogey, one over par (+1). This would be unheard of in any other sport. I could think of NBA players possibly putting some money on pick-up games, but that's about it. The NFL is against gambling, but the sports would not be as popular without the point spreads. Even though the NFL trys to push itself away from the Vegas sports books it still allows their primary partner in television, ESPN, and other networks to show the point spreads on their scroll on the bottom of the screen and when the experts make their picks for the upcoming week.
Major League Baseball has a zero tolerance policy on gambling. If MLB was as strict on steroids and other performance enhancing drugs as they are on gambling, then the sports image wouldn't have gone through the ringer the past couple of years. Unlike with steroids, if a person associated with MLB, expecially an on field member, is caught gambling they are banned for life. Even if you are Pete Rose and supposedly bet on your team to win, you still get the boot from the sport. Their should be no excuse of gambling anyway considering that it's listed on a sign in every Major League and Minor League clubhouse.
Major League Baseball has a zero tolerance policy on gambling. If MLB was as strict on steroids and other performance enhancing drugs as they are on gambling, then the sports image wouldn't have gone through the ringer the past couple of years. Unlike with steroids, if a person associated with MLB, expecially an on field member, is caught gambling they are banned for life. Even if you are Pete Rose and supposedly bet on your team to win, you still get the boot from the sport. Their should be no excuse of gambling anyway considering that it's listed on a sign in every Major League and Minor League clubhouse.
A Good Walk Spoiled: Chapters 12-15, Pages 314-434
Golf, like with all sports, has seen a fair amount of changes over the years. With new clubs that are stronger and made from metal instead of wood, the distances that a player hits the ball has greatly increased. A player that was one of the top ten hitters in driving distance at the start of his career would likely be one ofthe lighter hitters if they are still on tour today.
Another major change is the way the players look. Today, the guys and the girls are more fit than they were even 10 years ago. Many of the players start working out so that they can play better, longer and have much more stamina while traveling across the country each week playing anywhere between 36 and 90 holes of golf. The first golfer to take serious the training that needed to become a better golfer would probably be Tiger Woods. When other players saw what Tiger was doing off the golf course and the results he was receiving on it, it was only natural to think that players would pick up on this and hit the gym more themselves. This reminds me of the way that the NFL has changed over the years. Before, it used to be that players had the spring and summer to rest. Now, the spring and summer are used for building yhour body up and getting the extra edge when training camp rolled around in late July. Training camp used to be the place where the player got in shape for the season. Today, if you don't come to camp ready to play from day one and slacked off all summer, then you'll probably find yourself seeing a lot less playing time during the season.
Another major change is the way the players look. Today, the guys and the girls are more fit than they were even 10 years ago. Many of the players start working out so that they can play better, longer and have much more stamina while traveling across the country each week playing anywhere between 36 and 90 holes of golf. The first golfer to take serious the training that needed to become a better golfer would probably be Tiger Woods. When other players saw what Tiger was doing off the golf course and the results he was receiving on it, it was only natural to think that players would pick up on this and hit the gym more themselves. This reminds me of the way that the NFL has changed over the years. Before, it used to be that players had the spring and summer to rest. Now, the spring and summer are used for building yhour body up and getting the extra edge when training camp rolled around in late July. Training camp used to be the place where the player got in shape for the season. Today, if you don't come to camp ready to play from day one and slacked off all summer, then you'll probably find yourself seeing a lot less playing time during the season.
A Good Walk Spoiled: Chapters 9-11, Pages 212-313
I have found out that most of the players written about in the book had a good family life when they were children. A lot of the time you hear about living in a poor community and how they only way out is to succeed in their chosen sport to make the big money. The fact is that golf is a rich mans sport. It's not life basketball where you can put a hoop up at home and play by yourself. To play golf, you need the hundred dollar clubs, the balls, clothes and golf course membership. That's why it is weird reading about someone who made $1.165 million one year finishing 53rd on the money list back in the mid '90s and then fall the next year to $320,000. I would just like to make the difference off of the two years and be happy with that.
That doesn't tell the whole story. A player that finds himself having a breakout year will get invited to these unofficial big money tournament overseas or in a make for T.V. event competing against a handful of other top players for hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, the next year the player may not finish as well as he did the year before because all of the extra golf played and the extra attention that they are getting. If a sponser comes up to a player and offers a player $5,000 a week to wear a hat with their logo on it, it would be impossible to turn them down. The real problem is when a golf club maker asks you to switch to their clubs for double the money you were making using the other guys clubs. Players cash in on this possible once in a lifetime opportunity and switch clubs without even thinking. Most of the time that player will struggle with the new clubs, so the money that's being gained off the golf course through sponser is being lost on it with new, unfamilar equipment.
That doesn't tell the whole story. A player that finds himself having a breakout year will get invited to these unofficial big money tournament overseas or in a make for T.V. event competing against a handful of other top players for hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, the next year the player may not finish as well as he did the year before because all of the extra golf played and the extra attention that they are getting. If a sponser comes up to a player and offers a player $5,000 a week to wear a hat with their logo on it, it would be impossible to turn them down. The real problem is when a golf club maker asks you to switch to their clubs for double the money you were making using the other guys clubs. Players cash in on this possible once in a lifetime opportunity and switch clubs without even thinking. Most of the time that player will struggle with the new clubs, so the money that's being gained off the golf course through sponser is being lost on it with new, unfamilar equipment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)