Euro Media Trying to Defend Their Tiger

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 1:04 AM EST Comment 25 comments

John Huggan, like most British sports journalists, is an unapologetic in his bias when it comes to European golfers. European journalists generally first rail the American player, the American tour - and then their own.

With Rory McIlroy on a roll of late thanks to his maiden European Tour victory in Dubai, a small number of American writers like me have been mildly saying to hold the breaks up on the Rory worship. Sure, the kid is 16th in the world at age 19. Those of us looking to hold up the hype, though, need not point to any of a number of examples - including Sergio Garcia - of how youthful brilliance does not necessarily translate into a timeless golf legend.

Well, as I saw from Geoff Shackelford's site, Huggan got upset about all that.

Interestingly – and tellingly – the flurry of banner and admittedly over-the-top headlines that duly followed O'Meara's remarks set off something of a backlash across the Atlantic. Perhaps feeling a little touchy over the almost complete and continuing lack of excitement created by homegrown players on their own tour, a few American journalists felt able to pooh-pooh any comparison with the incomparable Woods. What courage! What insight! If only some of them had actually seen the young Irishman play even once.

Yup, no one has ever heard of Anthony Kim. He won twice last year and soundly whooped the aforementioned Garcia at the Ryder Cup. And the best player alive is American. And 48 year old Kenny Perry is arguably more intriguing than most Euro Tour players.

Ridiculous comparisons are what ESPN does here in the States. Most fans find them tiring. Hasn't that trend away from unsubstantiated projections hit Europe yet?

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Whoa.

by AussieGolfer on Feb 9, 2009 6:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

It's how the media works...

…they take the hot story – build it beyond any hope of living up to the hype, then tear the person down. Think back on the guys who were supposed to be the next Nicklaus…and none of them ever lived up to the hype – not that it was the players’ fault – they were who they were and there was only one Nicklaus.

Luckily for most of golf, wins by players around the age of 20 are extremely rare, so they don’t have to put up with the “here’s the next Tiger” garbage.

Huggan is wrong for putting a tag like that on McIlroy and I hope he has the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the avalanche of nonsense stories that will come next. The guy can play and he will collect some wins on this side of the pond before too long…and who knows – maybe a major or two – but putting this kind of pressure on someone is ridiculous and lazy.

God I love the media. (all sarcasm intended)

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Feb 9, 2009 10:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

That's not how

the British media works. They always feel offended when anyone talks about reality that doesn’t fit in their world.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 11:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

mcilroy

just read huggan’s story….nowhere in there does he hail mcilroy as the “next tiger.” in fact, he points out that the young lad has a ways to go. by all means disagree with the man, but please don’t misquote him. all that does is ruin your own argument.

by hibbyfan on Feb 9, 2009 12:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I didn't say Huggan

did any of the writing. He is defending his colleagues that did the writing. But, I am accurate in saying that Huggan is unapologetic in his bias. It’s a different style of writing in the UK.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 1:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

it was me...

…my bad…typed that sentence wrong – didn’t mean to say that Huggan was calling him the next Tiger

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Feb 9, 2009 2:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

following the latest "apology"...

…“I was young and stupid….it was just the fashion of the time…” (how’s that ? pretty close to A-rod ?) :-)

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Feb 9, 2009 3:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Seriously

A-Rod is a freakin’ idiot. Why would you give a crap about playing well in Texas? No one was watching!

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 3:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

why ?

you play well in Texas so you can get OUT of there !!

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Feb 9, 2009 3:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

True, but @ $25M/season

I would play there for as long as you would like.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

and he would have...

…remember – he was traded to NY – he wasn’t a free agent. The is a hard working, proud player who does want to do his best. Unfortunately, the ownership didn’t have the cash flow they thought they would have to keep paying him. Now, we have to wonder if he was run out of Texas over steroid use. Hmmm. I have no doubt that he would have played just as hard as he could in Texas through that contract.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Feb 9, 2009 8:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

mcilroy

interesting….how much of Huggan’s writing have you read? in this part of the world he has at times been just as scathing re the euro tour, monty and any manner of non-US organisations and golfers….none of which backs up your “biased” theory.

by hibbyfan on Feb 9, 2009 1:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

He has gone on a recent string

For the past several months, John has had scathing remarks about the PGA Tour and the European Tour perhaps “surpassing” the US circuit. I read his writing regularly because – while I disagree with him a lot – he is a good writer.

Just go to the press tent at any major golf tournaments and see the Euro journos cheer when Euros do well. That doesn’t happen here in the States. It is against journalistic standards. The old saying is, “There is no clapping in the press box.”

I’m not saying that Huggan isn’t critical of Europe or its players. Hardly. Again, where did I say that? Rather, I said that European journalists are biased and they are first likely to rip on the United States and its Tour before the European players and their Tour, given the choice.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 2:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

mcilroy

interesting again! how many times have you entered a european tour media centre? i suspect not often….your sweeping generalisation re the european journos seems to be routed more in ignorance than anything else….maybe you should stick to commenting only on things you know even a little about! your present “arguments” are both lazy and ill-informed….if travel really does broaden the mind, it is time you did some!

by hibbyfan on Feb 9, 2009 2:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

what would you suggest ?

I’m not sure what being in a European Tour media tent has to do with anything – people on here read what is released. Are you saying that what they talk about in the tent is different than what is written for public consumption ?

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Feb 9, 2009 3:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

hibbyfan

I say we get this huggan fellow together with young ballangee to talk about this stuff! there seems to be a huge breakdown in communication here!

by hibbyfan on Feb 9, 2009 3:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

now that would be fun...

…and I don’t mean to speak for RB – but I don’t think he is a detractor of Huggan. Huggan gets a lot of positive words around here.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Feb 9, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I did a post once

Saying that Huggan and I should do a friendly debate on the Race to Dubai v. FedEx Cup. I thought it would be a blast. I may completely disagree with Huggan’s opinions from time to time, but he always writes well. And there’s a good chunk of the time that he’s dead on – just like anyone else.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 3:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

hibbyfan

my point is that RB too often misrepresents what the euro writers do and say….mostly because he doesn’t know enough about them and hasn’t spent enough time around them….more communication would help solve both problems

by hibbyfan on Feb 9, 2009 3:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I can agree about that

I only know and/or speak to a handful of the Euro journos. I’ve had several on the podcast before, but not the entire troupe by any stretch.

I think they would agree with me that the European style comes into conflict with American style when it comes to golf writing. Their writing is allowed to be a little more biased, not to say that guys like Steve Elling aren’t biased in what they say. We just “pooh-pooh” it more.

I will give a lot of the Euros that I have met credit as being way bigger partiers than any American journalist. At the end of the day, they’ll debate you over a beer.

by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 3:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs