Thanks, Olympics: Golf Is About To Get Slung Through The Mud
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 18, 2009 1:24 PM EDT
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PrintWe all knew this was coming. All of us who had been paying attention to the drive led by Ty Votaw to get golf into the 2016 Olympics. If golf was recommended for the Games - and then got in - it would bring out the game's harshest critics in droves. And, now, it's starting.
Randy Cohen writes about ethics and current affairs for the NY Times. In this week's column, he takes to the question of golf's ethical nature. It is a pretty poor argument as far as it is structured.
Somehow he equates ethics with the PGA Tour's heavy political leanings to the Right - and the players' penchant for not having Brokeback Mountain in their Netflix queue.
But, he hits on some points that one would expect. Golf's environmental record is pretty poor, as I talked about at length after the industry collectively patted itself on the back for Justin Timberlake's achievement of greening his own course in Memphis.
The social equality record in golf is also not quite equal to the Olympic standard. Of course, the stock example is Augusta National's membership profile - one that lacks a female member. Nevermind that the International Olympic Committee seems to have no problems with Iran, Burma (Myanmar, my ass), North Korea and a host of other nations that have drawn the aire of the international community.
That seems like an awfully bigger deal than Augusta National's membership decisions - particularly considering that Augusta never said it was aiming to be a mirror image of the American melting pot. I suppose the ironic fact that Augusta has been such a supporter of Olympic golf will draw some considerable attention in the months to come.
Perhaps most troubling of all is that Cohen turns to Venezuelan dictator and certified nutjob Hugo Chavez for his argument that golf is not a sport of the people. Chavez's labeling of golf as a "bourgeois" activity appears enough for Cohen to dismiss the game as one not really played by the middle class. He probably could have made the point a whole lot more effectively using actual data about the income level and golfing habits of social classes, but instead he chose to take the lazy route. He makes casual mention of the 16,000 public courses in the United States, but then a joke as well about it.
Still, Cohen's decision to structure his argument as he did serves as a perfect example of the kind of social battle that golf can expect to contend with for the next seven years.
Look, golf has some serious flaws. Its socioeconomic status around the world is generally regarded more in line with how Chavez views the sport than how the millions of middle-class Americans that play golf view it. The gender equality angle of the sport - hardly unique to golf - is going to draw criticism. In an age where the impact climate change is now being considered in Pentagon war games, the environmental destruction done in the name of a white ball on a wooden tee will be revisited time and again. Don't even open the can of worms on corporate sponsorship, especially that whole Race to Dubai thing. The Emirates leave the IOC kind of wanting in terms of human rights policy.
What does golf have as an answer? It's charitable record, certainly. But what else? We need to articulate that.
People who play it do so with incredible passion, but rarely does golf have the kind of introspection that it needs to face a community of critics that it will now see. Golf is perceived by many outsiders as a sport that has no regard but for itself and that turns a blind eye to its shortcomings. My hope is that these next few months will provide the sport and industry with a chance to show that golf truly is a global game, fitting in the mold of the Olympic mission.
Otherwise, it will have a fate way worse than what baseball experienced. The game will be further tarnished in the process.
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oh please – a 50 year old argument on race…a political argument based on jealousy and class warfare with a complete disregard for history and even modern courses…and an enviromental claim that has been disproven time and again.
What IS funny is that Cohen is a left leaning media wonk who writes unethically about ethics. He knows nothing but rumor concerning golf – yet he condemns the sport without finding the truth.
Ethics indeed.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
What's funny to me...
…is when people try to personify an activity that is completely neutral to race, gender, and economic status. Yes, I said economic status.
All of these negatives of golf were imposed or created by people. My golf bag is indifferent if women join my club. My putter doesn’t know how much money the guy who putted the green before me makes. My Nike driver is oblivious that the best player possibly ever is bi-racial and one of those isn’t caucasian.
Whether or not golf should or will be added to the Olympics should have zero to do with the people that have surrounded the game over the decades and the barriers they have created. It should have to do with whether hitting a ball with a crooked stick into a tiny far-away hole is a good competition in which players from various countries can represent their countries with honor and sportsmanship, whether it is feasible for the host countries to host and whether it is feasible for the participant countries to participate. Beyond that, I won’t even entertain the ridiculous criticisms about the history of golf.
The problem is that the Olympic credo doesn’t really sport as pure competition. It views it as part of a social structure to promote equality, etc.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 18, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
How does skeet shooting fit?
Sorry, I know I’m speaking to the choir, but sport is inherently unequal—favoring large, rich, first world countries moreso than small, poor, third world countries. Just like every other facet of life.
Perhaps that's a line of defense for the warlords on trial in The Hague
They weren’t arming 12 year old kids in Sierra Leone to terrorize the local population, they just wanted to promote an Olympic sport in the interests of social equality.
Right, and...
…as you said everything in life is unequal in that regard. There is a cost to doing anything including owning a car or home or playing golf and tennis. The point was, golf (the game itself, not the country club atmosphere), doesn’t care about your “class”. Obviously you need the money to play, but it doesn’t matter if you’re a CEO or a janitor. If you can spare the money, the game doesn’t care, at least in the U.S.
Now, there are clubs that care, but that’s totally different to me. Some of the greatest players in the history of the game were dirt poor when they were learning to play.
by Double Eagle on Aug 18, 2009 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
that’s the BS spewed by the modern heads of the IIOC – especially Juan Antonio Samaranch. Most of the heads of the IIOC have been from socialist / communist countries and they are the ones who have politicized what was once a great forum for international relations.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
What better way to promote equality...
…than to take a sport whose image has been smeared by people who don’t know better and to make it completely multi-national and multi-cultural as part of the Olympic Games? As we all know, it is already multi-cultural and multi-national, but why not take it to that next level?
If we’re looking at it through the lens of social equality, I don’t ever remember riding through a ghetto and seeing a ski jump or a luge track or an equestrian course.
by Double Eagle on Aug 18, 2009 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Amazing
A kid who was guarding a naval port in South Korea and took up the game at 19 just won a major championship last week, and he’s suddenly a part of the socially unequal bourgeois? This in the same season that an caddy from a rough neighborhood in Argentina won the Masters? If we are going to disallow sports because the players drive nice cars and eat expensive food then we should probably get rid of just about every sport in the Olympics.
Yang and Cabrera are excellent examples. So is Woods. These are people who came from awfully humble roots to become superstars.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 18, 2009 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions
I would suggest to Randy Cohen that he head over to Ireland, Scotland or parts of England where golf is most certainly an activity that any can take part in, that many of the great courses in those countries are actually — gasp — publicly owned venues that have been in their citizens’ hands in some cases for well over 500 years.
Just because I ride my bicycle for exercise does not confer me the privilege of being a member of an elite riding club, nor does the fact that I fish from time to time confer me the right to wet a line at a private hunting club that has a nicely stocked pond for its membership.
Many of golf greats past and present came from humble roots, and in fact, the very roots of the professional game are centered squarely in second-class citizenship. From the days of the “cracks” — Willie Park, Old Tom Morris, others — to Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen, who were treated like second-class citizens at clubs where they competed thanks to their professional status, golf’s roots have too many people who made something of themselves thanks to the game, not vice versa.
Even Mr. Eldrick Woods was not born with a silver spoon and a private jet, those things he earned through a life’s work of dedication and excellence.
Methinks that Mr. Cohen must have been inspired by the recent squealings of Bill Maher, who said that golf is a sport of “”http://oldmanpar.blogspot.com/2009/08/by-way-youre-on-lipitor-and-like-white.html" >white color criminals." And when he uses Hugo Chavez to fortify his point, he loses any and all legitimacy.
The Olympics lost credibility to me when they made trampolining a sport in the Games….and they wonder why ratings are so low.
Been a Reds fan since 1996 and am desperate for a playoff run.
A lot of the events are completely dumb
I know some people disagree, but race walking? I mean, come on.
by Double Eagle on Aug 18, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Golf's Reputation Management Skills Are Sometimes Lacking
In today’s world managing one’s reputation is a necessary evil, or you suffer the consequences.
Fair or unfair, justified or not, it’s true, and the PGA Tour, the USGA and the traditional golf press have often done a poor job with this. Most often it’s a result of cluelessness …just not realizing that it’s important to emphasise the admirable things about the sport (the huge charity component, the amazing players – pro and reacreational – of varying backgrounds – who are passionate about the game, and the honorable values golf teaches) and de-emphasise the the things that “don’t look so good” (environmental issues, single sex clubs, a history of discrimination).
I’m often baffled that this isn’t done in a more methodical way. It’s quite simple. Positive PR and reputation management shouldn’t be that difficult or that expensive. One just needs to accept the fact that it’s a necessity if you wish to be well received by a larger audience. Which probably you do.
Oh, and add Vijay Singh to the Yang / Cabrerra list. He may not exactly be warm and fuzzy but his humble beginnings story is one of the most remarkable ones ever.
Very occasionally the bad reputation is result of an actual arrogant belief that it’s better to be exclusionary.
The thing is that there is no one body that speaks for all of golf. The R&A has their say everywhere but the US and Mexico, the USGA in those two countries. Add in the PGA Tour, the European Tour, the LPGA, heck, all of the constituents of the World Golf Championships, IMG, etc. and you can see how the message can get muddied quickly when it comes to speaking as a unified entity.
by Charles Boyer on Aug 18, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
It is my hope that Ty Votaw and the IGF put in the time needed to do the PR that golfgirl correctly IDs as a major culprit.
OMP, you make a great point about how golf is viewed as a game for the people in the British Isles.
Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.
by Ryan Ballengee on Aug 18, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I still don't understand why...
…the “history of discrimination” should apply. Restaurants had discrimination. Government buildings had discrimination. Government itself had discrimination. Baseball had discrimination. The PGA Tour had discrimination. It ended in certain places before others. But it ended. I’m sure other nations had similar issues and that they were ironed out at some point.
But why is US history the measuring stick for all of golf? The game didn’t start here and while it may be bigger here than elsewhere, why does that attach a stigma to a game that is already truly international on a huge scale? If anything, it should say something about Americans, not about golf.
And frankly, I don’t need Ty Votaw and the IGF to “fix” the image of the game. It is what it is.
by Double Eagle on Aug 18, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Re: I still don't understand why...
Well Double Eagle… whether the history of discrimination should apply or not, isn’t really the point. It does apply because …at least here in the US…it’s still quite strongly associated with the sport, rightly or wrongly, by many people.
As such it can… and arguably, does…hamper the growth of the game. That said, US History should not be the measuring stick for all of golf, and I’m not sure it is in other countries.
But here , if we actually want the game to grow and be more inclusive (and admittedly, I know some people who don’t want that) we need to address those issues whether we feel they’re valid or not. Like so many things PR is about perception. Again, it’s not brain surgery either…just takes a measure of awareness and the willingness to address the real or percieved issues. ;o)
symbolism over substance does not work
As Vince (old man par) so elequently said, golf is the game – and while there may be small pockets of people who use the trappings of the game for their own pleasures to the exclusion of others – the game remains above these small pockets.
I don’t understand this female need to believe that there is some way to make the entire world love and enjoy the game we enjoy. The world doesn’t love and joy anything. No single sport is loved by every sports fan. No person, no book, no food, no car, no country…nothing. I have met people who don’t like golf expressly for the fact that golf is not a game for cheaters. (in all honesty – NO true sport is for cheaters – the cheaters have made cheating a part of the game)
You complain about “single sex” clubs that do not break any law – yet you never raise your voice against clubs or businesses or schools or organizations that are female only. You invent reasons to say that it is wrong – but there is no real reason for your complaints. You say women need places for themselves – yet deny men the same need.
Of COURSE people with money congregate together – people of all economic and social areas congregate with similar people. Yet you, a person of above average financial means yourself, condemn people with money – saying that they discriminate and despise the “lower class” people. Yet, you would find the “lower class” people doing the same thing against the rich.
“Fairness” has nothing to do with it. “Fairness” is relative. “Fairness” does not exist in any form that would include the entire world.
The USGA, R&A, PGA Tour, LPGA, Euro Tour, LET, or any other Tour around the world cannot spend their time wondering why the entire world doesn’t love them or wants to play the game.
People come to the game because they choose – they come to love it because they enjoy the game – some come to it to have a beer with their friends and leave the world behind for a few hours – some come to the game to bring the world with them either for business or family or whatever they bring – and some come to it because they like the cute clothes and trappings.
GG – I would suggest that you are looking at the situation from the wrong end. You look at small problems and condemn the game instead of looking at the game, knowing that imperfect people play it – yet the game is open and accepting to all people who play it…except the cheaters, of course.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Re: symbolism over substance does not work
Actually Court, my point was simplky that if we want to grow the game, we need to manage golf’s reputation. I fully realize that there are people who don’t feel it’s important to grow the game … who feel it’s fine the way it is and should not be adapted or spun in order to attract a broader audience… and of course they would find what I’m saying ludicrous.
Personally I have no problem with a private club choosing who it’ll let in and who it won’t… as long as the public doesn’t have to pay for it in any way…I happen to hate single sex environments, be they all women or all men, however I know lots of folks who like them, and that’s fine as long as I don’t have to participate in any way.
Basically, this all comes down to whether you see golf in a more "purist – beauty of the game " light, or a “recreational – commercially viable entertainment” light. Over the past several decades a huge, multi-faceted industry (that generates employment + revenue) has built up around golf, and in order to keep this industry viable, certain traditions of the sport may need to be adapted to our changing lifestyles. It’s a matter of opinion as to whether one wants this to happen or not.
Oh, and BTW, I cheat too, but only when I’m playing with my husband. ;)
The game will either grow or it won’t grow. The game’s reputation is upheld day in and day out on courses around the world and on TV every weekend with the pros.
The people who choose not to see the game for what it is will never have their minds changed.
Tell me one thing that is correctly in public today that puts a bad face on the game of golf. Augusta National ? Nope – that was/is a smear campaign from a group of idiots. Inner city kids ? Ummm – cities don’t have large expanses of grass to play golf, be serious. It’s an expensive game ? It can be – no doubt – but it doesn’t have to be. It’s not an honest game ? Be serious. It’s a hard game ? Definitely – but just because a game is too difficult is no reason to put it down…how’s your chess game these days ? I’m terrible at video games – they’re too hard for me…yada yada yada.
Manage the game’s reputation ? You can’t MAKE people like you. The game has a great reputation for people who see the truth and not the lies.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
You...
could not be more right on this IMO. And when I see the quality of so called ‘story’ pitches that land in the inbox for our lil ole golf blog it is clear why golf is failing in this regard.
They (meaning the orgs, the players et al) employ a “smile & dial” approach to telling their story. Massively distribute a release, photo, other and hope that you get some nominal % of pickup from lazy media/blogs etc.
I think Higdon at the LPGA has a clue (though was hamstrung by some questionable leadership decisions and is in a holding pattern until the new Commish is hired).
But I’m thoroughly unconvinced that a vast majority of players on either the PGA or LPGA and the PGA itself have groked the value of truly integrated and strategic communications.
The days of ’let’s just issue a press release’ have been dead and gone for some time.
Sailing and Dressage.....
always strike me as sports “of the people”. What a joke.
What interesting comments...
It’s always good to start the day with some thought provoking commentary, and reading this definitely challenged my thoughts this morning…great points my many posters. A few things that stuck out to me…
When we say – “if we want to grow the game” – what does that really mean? Just increase the numbers of people playing so that courses can remain viable and available to us? Create more fans of the professional tours? To expose more people to the joy that “we” experience out on the course?
Do we have a sense of responsibility to correct negative perceptions and steer people to “the good of the game”? Personally, I agree with golfgirl – it wouldn’t take much from the large professional organizations to just throw out some examples of how positive the game can be to counter things like the article we’re discussing. Do we need to care about the narrow mindedness and less than positive portrayals that will trickle into the media world? Maybe not, but to me it sure wouldn’t take much to counter those things.
I’m laughing to myself right now as I am remembering court golf lamenting about the little “puff pieces” that were in the Olympic coverage and also show up during golf telecasts – clearly that strategy to draw in the viewer doesn’t work on him, but frankly, I love that part! And I know that my friends who are casual golfers, or don’t golf at all have stayed interested in watching golf because of those things too – so while golf doesn’t need to work to make a lot of us fans (so we see that stuff as useless) it really does work.
I can see where Double Eagle is coming from, and honestly, I agree…“the game” is what it is…except that the game would be nothing without people – yes, millions are already addicted, but in order for the industry to continue to provide all of us with opportunities to be out doing something we love, I think we need to maintain or even grow the player base. I think we all can share in the effort to correct misconceptions, steer people away from the negative aspects of the sport, and promote all of the great things golf can give. It’s what passionate people do.
Golf can absolutely choose to ignore the blithering of folks that want to create a debate or focus on the negative – but rather than addressing it as “damage control” why not just use this as a reminder that we can all be ambassadors for this great sport.
I agree completely that we should be ambassadors of the game. I personally think it’s great for golf to grow and am happy to personally share it with everyone I can, but at the same time, I don’t feel the need to shove it down anyone’s throat just so that the business of golf can remain viable.
It’s also about not living in the past. Yes, things were bad and maybe there are a few isolated pockets where it still is. But, generally golf is becoming very diverse, not just within the US, but on an international scale.
People should take it for what it is now not what it was then. If we as players have to do our part to welcome people and show them times have changed, I’m for it. At the same time, this should just be a natural thing for us, not something we do to show ignorant writers that it’s not 1930.
by Double Eagle on Aug 19, 2009 8:59 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
red – here’s the thing. When you run the “puff pieces” in a golf broadcast, you are preaching to the choir. People don’t tune in for those, they want to see Tiger hit some miracle shot.
The puff pieces for the Olympics have backfired. They lost a lot of the male audience when the “stories” took precidence over the games. Then the women, who were watching with the men, stopped watching because the men stopped watching and they found out that they really didn’t care about the “stories” during the games. Now, the Olympics is struggling for viewership because they tried to attract an audience that really didn’t care about the games outside of figure skating and gymnastics.
I seriously doubt that you and your friends watch a broadcast for the puff pieces. You watch because you play the game – you love the game – and you enjoy the things associated with the game. If you didn’t play – you wouldn’t be tuning in for the stories.
Golf is a niche game for a lot of reasons – it is passed on from generation to generation or from friend to friend…sometimes it is passed on as a business obligation. Occasionally, the game gets a boost in popularity because of someone like Nicklaus or Woods, but a lot of those people who buy into the excitement give the game up because it is too difficult, too time consuming, too expensive, etc.
There are people who hate soccer because it’s a European game, or a “third world” game…whatever. There are people who hate baseball and basketball and football and poker and chess and video games – but you don’t hear those games worrying about the people who don’t like their game. They just play.
Golf and baseball are slow games in a fast game society. There will always be people who don’t like the game and will come up with all kinds of excuses not to give it a fair shot. You can’t worry about those people or you’ll lose sight of the good we get from the game.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
You’re probably right about the Olympics – honestly, I didn’t watch much.
And maybe I’m the small minority that appreciates finding a connection to someone. I watch golf because I enjoy rooting for my favorite players and seeing good shots – I also appreciate the dynamics of competition, how players handle pressure and the conditions. I don’t watch golf to see Tiger hit great shots…although I appreciate his talent. I’m a complete sucker for getting some insight into the players, or the golf course, or a fan that has a connection to the game. I believe my friends appreciate it, too, because that’s what we talk about when we talk about golf…but again, we’re women, so we’re a completely different mindset…is it the “reason” we watch, no, but I don’t often turn the channel when they come on. I don’t think the puff pieces “preach to the choir”, rather, I think they give us a little bonus insight because we’re interested in learning more…it’s like getting the director’s cut, out takes, or deleted scenes on a DVD – I watch all of those, too. : )
You don’t think soccer used up about every inch of media it could when the US Women were successful or the popularity of Beckham (sorry, don’t know all that much about soccer)? I watched those soccer games and I had no history or interest in it…I got sucked in to the players, who they were…what they were trying to accomplish – their PR definitely worked on me.
I’m not worried about golf and I’m not really worried about those who choose to stick daggers into it – I was hoping my point was that why not throw a little positive spin out there and keep what’s great about the game in the headlines rather than letting some goofball have the stage. I don’t expect anyone will be shoving golf down anyone’s throats, but I think we find ourselves with an opportunity to open the golf door to people that might just consider it.
What were they trying to accomplish ? THEY were trying to win a gold medal. If they had some affect on girls playing soccer – fine. But they were there to win a medal because that is the pinnacle of women’s soccer.
Maybe it’s just semantics – but “spin” is artificial. If you “spin” something one way, there will always be someone standing on the other side pointing out the opposite end of what you are saying. It’s propaganda.
Truth isn’t a “spin”.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I’m sorry – I meant I was interested in what they were trying to accomplish – I didn’t mean to imply that they were trying to accomplish some PR feat (my dots were not in a good place!) I realize the players were trying to win…but I also believe they were all smart enough to realize that the more people that were interested meant more success for them off the field and for their sport in general.
I’ll take back my use of spin as well – replace it with information.
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