The last Tiger talk . . . . Rare NBA talk: (UPDATE)

It came to my attention that, for the first time, I mentioned a face-saving, sincere (not PR spun) apology within the context of Tiger Woods yesterday in my discussion of Tim Donaghy. Yes, I called for a more sincere apology of Donaghy than a retail book -- and an apology unlike the one that I expect [sic] from Tiger. As I didn't want to go off on a (another, perhaps) tangent than I already did in my Donaghy column, let me expand now.

Tim Donaghy bastardized an entire sport; he brought a grease stain to the NBA, the City Upon a Hill for basketball in the world, the very symbol of basketball excellence. He brought a question to the integrity of the game that (whether you are one or not, whether you disapprove of them or not) fans have wept over, have laughed over, have spent their paychecks on, have raised their children on. Dongahy didn't have fans, but he, essentially, by definition of a referee, served as a moral authority for the game -- it was his duty to make certain that the players adhered to the rules of the game. He wasn't in a position to let fans down, but rather to tarnish the very idea of competition that fathers fan hood.

Tiger Woods let wife down, he let his mother down, he let his father down, he permanently embarrassed his children, but he didn't defecate on a sport like Donaghy did. Tiger has fans, but fan hood is a choice, not a mandate.

Maybe Tiger did ask us to stand beside him as fans, but it was our mistake in doing so. If we didn't, we may have compartmentalized him -- kept him as a golfing admiration; a mastery of a game that we love. But, if Nike was in our golf bags and draped our bodies because of Tiger, if we drove a Buick because of Tiger, that is our fault. We were suckers for a clever marketing campaign; a physically drawing spokesperson; an arrogance that we enjoyed, not loathed.

In twenty years, I will tell my children that I saw Tiger Woods play in his prime; that I saw the greatest ever dominate at a time in golf when it no longer seemed possible. I will pull out my 1997 Masters highlight DVD (or whatever tech format is in then), I will hand them my PGA Tour Media Guide chronicling every one of Tiger Woods' 135 (???) career victories. But I won't tell them to read the unauthorized biography of Tiger Woods.

Tiger doesn't need to apologize to me. If there's an altruistic response that I would accept, it would be that Tiger disappears from popular culture, that Tiger doesn't ask us to play Nike, that he doesn't ask us to drink Tigorade; that he simply wins, and wins, and wins. That way, I'll take something from Tiger; I'll be able to say that I watched, definitely, the greatest ever. That would be an apology worth accepting.

Let's not feel sorry for ourselves because Tiger dissapointed us; let's feel sorry for Sam and Charlie Woods -- they will never know a moral father, they will never say that their father is their hero, they are just another victim of an irresponsible father, another statistic in a broken home.

Rare NBA talk: David Stern's crushed PR problem just got real, again

Though I wouldn't ordinarily talk about the NBA or matters related to it, I just finished a column on the Tim Donaghy scandal, which I wanted to share because its message may be timely to the Tiger Woods saga.


My sporting passions are, obviously: golf, NBA basketball -- Chicago Bulls in particular and definitely not anything to do, even remotely, with NCAA basketball -- and European football (soccer for the haters). But, since I already write about golf, nobody wants to hear me talk about Euro football, and since stories about the Bulls like this are flooding the Internet, I don't mind providing my own NBA talk, I guess.

If he was watching CBS on Sunday night, I hope David Stern had a Macallan 18, a clean tumbler, and an ice bucket nearby. The NBA Commissioner’s once vitiated public relations disaster resurrected itself as an iconic Bob Simon interviewed disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy on “60 Minutes.”

As Tim Donaghy told his story of gambling addiction and blackmail, he attempted to repudiate any accusation that he may have fixed games. Far from disbeliefs in that truthfulness, are the allegations put forth by Donaghy that NBA referees are overtly biased in their relationships with players. More troubling, that referees behave as schoolchild vigilantes on behalf of their fellow comrades that have been embarrassed by a player. This, to extent that a handicapper with an intimate knowledge of referee concerns and tendencies can gamble on basketball with an 80 percent success rate.

Anyone with a NBA IQ above an infant is aware of preferential referee treatment of the league’s superstars, maybe even a preferential treatment of marquee teams, depending on your level of religiosity in the church of NBA conspiracy theory.

But, to say that referees exercise personal (or even communal) agendas, or that the NBA front office directs referees to lengthen playoff series through their refereeing, is like saying that the French judge was pressured to vote for the Russian figure skating duo at the 2002 Winter Olympics – oh wait, that did actually happen.

Donaghy openly admits to gambling and providing betting tips on games that he officiated, but is adamant in his denial of any game fixing.

Any reasonable, analytical person has to ask him or herself, “Can you really bet on something, possess the ability to control the outcome favorably, and not use it, even if it’s subconsciously?”

Donaghy was quick to point to the, now, infamous Spurs game where he ejected head coach Gregg Popovich, although he had instructed the mob to bet on the Spurs. Maybe it’s cynicism, but is it not overtly, almost unrealistically, ironic that Donaghy, who was being blackmailed through death threats to him and his family, stood up against game fixing by ejecting the coach of the team he told his blackmailers to bet on?

To me, that sounds like a guy being accused of tax evasion that, in defense, uses a receipt to show that he paid sales tax on his Ferrari, although he only reported an income of $35,000.

Perhaps, Donaghy was a gambling addict and he deserves a small pass, as addicts should receive. Perhaps, Donaghy’s downfall was actually that the Gambino crime family blackmailed him. Perhaps, Donaghy’s allegations surrounding the NBA are actually true. But, if they are, would they not be more seminal if he released them in a way other than a book at a suggested retail price of $25?

Why is it that Andre Agassi, who feels that he has a compelling life story to share, tells the world of his methamphetamine use in a book with a listed price of $28.95? Why is it that Theo Fleury tells his life story of vice that derailed his hockey career in a book with a listed price of $24.95? Why is it that Jose Canseco exposes steroid use in Major League Baseball in a book, and then a second book, at current listed prices of $15.99 and $25.99?

Is this a cultural expectation?

Do we now expect Tiger Woods to release a book, “Not in the Fairway, not in my Marital Bedroom: A Story of Majors, Machismo, and Promiscuity?”

Maybe Donaghy’s sincerity was meant to be illustrated on camera, with his Richard Nixon-esque upper-lip perspiration, his middle-America, Bob Newhart-esque tweed beige sport coat or his matching unbuttoned dress shirt, or maybe even the honest American, Sarah Palin-esque ambiguity and lack of substance in his responses?

If that was the case, then Donaghy is either not smart or is receiving bad public relations advice.

Dongahy apologizes by institutionalizing himself as a martyr. He is a victim – the NBA didn’t provide him with an education on the dangers of gambling; he didn’t do anything wrong, as he was an addict and as he wasn’t the only referee to lack quality judgment in his (or Violet’s) refereeing.

Honesty, compassion, and utilitarianism are the only face saving measures for an athlete –that, and winning again – and it’s even more difficult for a referee working in a profession often loathed by sports fans. I struggle to accept an apology or an altruistic expose that comes from a retail book. If it were heartfelt, if it were sincere, it would have been provided in a 5-minute YouTube video or a passionate letter posted on the Internet, for free, for all with an interest to suffer through.

Tim Donaghy, I guess, is apologizing to fans for bastardizing the NBA. But, only if they spend $25. Don’t call it capitalism; call it what it is, which, at best, is fraud in its idea and profligatory in its practice.

Because they deserve it, if anybody wants NBA talk -- don't come here -- but instead turn to these guys, all of which write better, are perhaps more intellectual, and are definitely more basketball savvy than I am: Bethlehem Shoals, Free Darko, Disciples of Clyde, John Hollinger, Kelly Dwyer, J.E. Skeets, Henry Abbott.

PGA Tour Blogging (I)

Last week when I recommended the creation of a sub-site to PGATour.com where PGA Tour created content would be housed, I mentioned the idea of bringing in Tour players to blog during events (and maybe even on off weeks).

On his website, Phil Mickelson last blogged on October 26 from China. He writes:

Greetings from Singapore, where this week we play the Barclays Singapore Open. It’s hot here again as it usually is this time of year, but Sentosa Golf Club is a wonderful venue and we have some of the best players in the world the entered, including Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington, so it figures to be another great week. 

  

Next week I’m playing the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, which is now a World Golf Championship event. I’m convinced that’s a great thing for our tours. It gives us one of the strongest possible fields in the fastest growing and potentially largest market. With golf becoming an Olympic sport, with China’s commitment to the Olympics and to golf, I believe the exposure of the world’s best players competing in Shanghai will drive the game in that country and throughout Asia. . . 

 

A lot has been said about my work with Dave Stockton prior to the Tour Championship and I’m so glad we had that time together. Dave was a great putter, and talking with him reinforced what I knew to be true about putting and the short game. It reaffirmed what I talked about in my short game DVD, the need for a scientific understanding as well as an artistic approach for short game success. 



In the DVD I talk about training my eyes for alignment, the importance of putter face alignment, the importance of reading the green properly. But to make putts in competition or away from the practice green you must develop solid fundamentals and practice properly but you also have to have feel and creativity to bring that short game out. That was the combination that I was lacking as the season wore on, and that I realized again with Dave. . .
 
 

I’m also excited about the release Tuesday of the companion book to the DVD, Phil Mickelson: Secrets to the Short Game. Guy Yocum and T.R. Reinman did a fine job on the writing and Golf Digest photographers Dom Furore and J.D. Cuban did in still photos what Terry Jastrow did in the video, which was a big success, too. 

 

My thanks to go to them and to Golf Digest for the great support they lent to the video and the book and, as always to you for your interest and support. 

 

On his website, Ernie Els wrote in his "weekly diary" December 7. He writes:

Although it's a pretty quiet time of the year golf wise, there's quite a lot to report from my first week back in South Africa. We flew from America last week and stopped off in Stellenbosch to visit the guys at the winery and see how things are in the Big Easy Restaurant, which opened last year. It's really buzzing, which was great to see. And our wines are doing extremely well, having picked up quite a few more international awards in 2009.

I also took the opportunity to meet up with Hannes van Niekerk, the CEO of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, to talk about what's been happening and to go through our future plans. Most importantly there is a change in the structure of the Foundation from 2010, which will allow us to expand our reach and help more kids. It's an exciting new phase and we're looking forward to helping change these kids' lives.

After all that I had a nice quiet weekend at the house down by the ocean in Herold's Bay. It was really good to be back. And there are exciting developments just down the road at Oubaai (pictured above). This was our first signature golf course in South Africa when it opened for play in 2004 and now there's a fantastic new Hyatt Regency Hotel & Spa ready for its grand opening next week.

Also at Oubaai is the upcoming opening of the South African Golf Hall of Fame, which will feature a library, lots of memorabilia, a Hall of Fame locker room, golf shop and putting green. I'm proud to be one of the 23 golfers inducted to this new Hall of Fame.

Anyway, back to this week's events. We flew up to Mpumalanga on Monday so that I have plenty of time to work on my game in the build-up to this week's Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek. I love this tournament and the golf course that it's played on. It has to be one of the most spectacular courses in the world, right on the edge of the Kruger National Park with the wildlife all around. It is pretty amazing. We have a house on the golf course, with lots of friends here and the family are staying, too, which makes it a great week all round.

As many of you will know, this is one of Johann Rupert's events; he's a great friend of mine and he does a great job looking after us all. I've won the Alfred Dunhill three times in all - 1995, 1999 and 2006 - although only the most recent of those was at Leopard Creek. That was pretty special, though. It was December 2005 and I was playing only my second tournament after coming back from ACL knee surgery in the summer of that year.

Obviously this year it is a significant week for other reasons. For one thing it's the first tournament in the 2010 Race to Dubai. And, as I was saying in last week's report, the rules on grooves have changed for the new season and in effect we're turning back the clock with irons that generate a lot less backspin. It's quite a big change at the top level of the game and it'll make a real difference, especially with shots out of the rough; you know, the players are not going to be able to spin the ball anything like we have done in recent years. So driving the ball in the fairway is going to be a bigger deal - no bad thing, to be honest.

Obviously I'm looking forward to the week. I'll write some more again next Monday and tell you all about it.

Bye for now.

In late November, several PGA Tour and Champions Tour players traveled to Iraq to visit with American troops. Tim Simpson, of the Champions Tour, wrote in the PGA Tour's Player Blog on November 26. He writes:

Last Friday, we all flew to Washington and joined each other at Walter Reid Hospital for an amazing afternoon with our wounded warriors, returning troops from Iraq and Afghanistan that have lost limbs. They hit balls on a makeshift driving range. We then visited a number of soldiers in their rooms. Their courage and desire to get back into battle as soon as possible was both amazing as well as humbling. It was a day that none of us will soon forget.

On Friday night, we boarded a plane for the 12-hour flight to Kuwait. After we landed, we were transported to our accommodations at Camp Arifjan. We all found it very hard to sleep with the eight-hour time change! We left the base early Sunday morning, then had lunch and did a clinic at Ali Air Base while on our way to our final destination of Camp Buehring.

We spent the rest of the day and evening with the troops and then were thoroughly entertained by county singer Matt Snook. Matt is a friend of Tom Watson's and is a great guy. We arrived back at Camp Arifjan at 11:30 that night and had to leave at 4 a.m. We were all exhausted but excited to meet more of the incredible young men and women that are fighting for our country.

We then boarded a C-130 transport plane and flew to Baghdad for our next stop, Camp Sather. While in flight, the reality of war hits us all as we were required to wear body armor and helmets. We hit the ground running, signing autographs and taking pictures, then held a clinic. Our group then went to one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, the Al-Faw Palace, where we met with General Anderson for a briefing, followed by a great dinner at the residence of General Odierno.

General Odierno is a four-star general and a hulk of a man at 6-foot-6. There were at least six to eight other generals in attendance at the dinner, so the room was full of stars from some of our most powerful leaders. All of them could not have been nicer and more supportive of our trip.

After dinner we held another clinic, where we hit balls into the lake behind General O's home. All the generals hit balls, then were thoroughly entertained by long-ball hitters Wilson and Boever as they tried to hit the Al Faw palace some 400 yards away. The evening concluded with a concert from Snook, or "Snook Dog," as we now call him. We all had a great time, especially General Odierno. Exhausted, we retired to our quarters for some much-needed rest.

Tuesday began with a briefing at General O's office, then we flew to the first of three bases that day on Black Hawk helicopters. The first forward operating base we visited was Hammer, where we ate lunch and did a clinic in the desert. We said our goodbyes to the soldiers there and boarded the Black Hawks for Base Carver. We did another clinic that culminated with a challenge by the base commander to Dan Boever that he couldn't hit a ball over the tower that measures incoming mortar fire. To our astonishment, he did it and set off an alert that we had "incoming" fire, much to the pleasure of the commander.

We boarded the choppers for base Cache South well after dark. We did another clinic there, much to the delight of the troops. When we were done we boarded the Black Hawks back to our base in Baghdad, all thoroughly exhausted and ready for bed.

The thing that continues to impress us all is the dedication of our young troops to fulfill their missions, and the joy that they derive from our coming over and letting them know that we support them all. They are amazing young men and women. Today we will hit several more bases visiting our incredible forces, so it is time to say goodbye for now.

May God bless all of our troops and our country on this day.

And, finally, the following is the first installment of Rickie Fowler's "video blog."




Of the four, Fowler's obviously provides the most personal insight. Where Mickelson's reads like a testimonial/advertisement for his short-game DVD, where Els reads like a well-crafted public relations message meant to show how nice of a guy he is, Fowlers is humanizing. Tim Simpson's piece is well-written and it clearly tells the story of his travels to Iraq, with the exception of the final pargraph we don't really gain an insight into Simpson -- other than the respectable nature of his travel.

While Fowler's "video blog" is obviously tailored towards young people, I see no reason why other Tour players couldn't use this medium to present their respective personalities (code word for older guys). Maybe Fowler's blog and general use of social media is too tailored for younger generations, but, then again, Rickie is only 20-years-old.

Sure, not every Tour player has either the interest in or the character capacity to have themselves and their family so exposed to the public, but, for those that do, the video blog is the ultimate social media means to provide visibility to fans.

For the Tour players with an interest in video blogging, the PGA Tour could provide a support staff to facilitate it.

However, a humanizing, written blog entry has similar capacitites. But, I searched throughout the Internet and couldn't find an easy access to any. I couldn't actually find Simpson's piece anywhere on PGATour.com, I google searched "PGA Tour players blog" and it was an early result.

On a side note, I found a blog that Ty Votaw, PGA Tour Executive VP of Communications and International Affairs, kept during golf's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games.

On another side note, I've been looking at the existing PGA Tour online video content. I'll be discussing it next week and making recommendations for it going forward. The best work that I've seen so far is the "In the bag" section. The clip is excellent; if anything almost too well produced. Here's the most recent installment.

A PGA Tour Response to Tiger (UPDATE I)

Just came across the PGA Tour statement regarding Tiger Woods' statement:

Tiger's statement speaks for itself. We offer our full support to Tiger and his family and will continue to honor and respect his request for privacy in this matter. We will have no further comment on Tiger's statement.

I consider this statement to echo some of the sentiments that I mentioned earlier, but more-well stated, perhaps, than the statement I recommended:

"The PGA Tour does not comment on the personal matters of its players. We support our players and if they desire will provide them with professional support. We will continue to support and privately provide them with any needs they may have in the future." 

I do like my sentiment about a comment pertaining to the general privacy of the Tour's players and I do believe from a public relations perspective the comment could have been written without mentioning "Tiger," but I really like the opening "Tiger's statement speaks for itself."

PGA Tour Created Content (I)

Going forward, I'll will be posting on potential content ideas for in-house produced content by the PGA Tour. Last week, I proposed a sub-site to PGATour.com where Tour players' social media would be syndicated, blog (diary) entries would be posted, and potential video blogging could be housed.

 As I'll regurgitate in the weeks to follow, technological advances have provided for an ease in producing in-house content. A single camera, with a single, skilled individual is capable of filming and producing revealing, humanizing pieces that can advance the story-telling interests of the PGA Tour. The ability to remove a journalist, mainstream media lens should be desired; the content can be controlled, a more uniform message can be relayed, and, most importantly, the right probing questions and direction can be managed and facilitated by an individual with an expert golf background that isn't looking for commercial success via readership.


Today, I'd like to discuss resurrecting the "In his Words" 1997 Tiger Woods Masters Special.

Following a PGA Tour event, the winner would be invited (depending on support, perhaps mandated) to give a 5-15 minute interview to the PGA Tour.

The interview, ideally, would be filmed with a single camera positioned over the shoulder of the interviewer -- perhaps catching a glimpse of them just as a means to keep direction. The interviewer probably should be shown a few times during the interview, just to provide that context, but the raw focus should be the event winner.

The interviewer would simply walk the player through their winning round (maybe multiple rounds depending on context), while guiding them with specific, probing golf questions. The respective shots would be spliced throughout the filming.

For instance, assume that the eventual winner made a crucial birdie on the 17th hole to take a one-shot (and ultimate victory margin) advantage. Here's a scenario Q&A:

After "player x" hooked it in the left bunker before you hit, what where your thoughts? Did you play a conservative shot? It looked like you tried to curve it left-to-right away from that bunker? Where you thinking about forcing a maybe two-shot swing here?

Response.

Talk about the birdie putt you had here. Slippery downhill left-to-right putt; were you worried about it getting away from you?

Response.

How did you re-focus after the birdie? Adrenaline running?

Response.

This type of interview would provide golf fans with the behind-the-scenes access their looking for, while also giving them golf advice and a better analysis of the game than they would traditionally find elsewhere.

Obviously, different players (personalities) would provide for better interviews, but its also likely that the quiet, soft-spoken, humble Tour player may provide a more candid interview than would be expected from, say, Tiger or Phil Mickelson.

Ultimately, the show is an exercise in creating precise, well-formed soundbites for syndication. Better interviews, more golf specific questions and comments than would be found in a press conference. Also, it is the type of content that, once one begins watching, I don't believe that they're likely to turn off. It is the epitome of a humanizing interview while relaying expert golf commentary and analysis, from the player themselves, that a journalist is unlikely to provide for.

In terms of monetizing, the obvious standard side-bar advertisements, or even the brief 15-second commercial interruption could be used for online viewing and, I'd assume, the same syndication policies for other media agencies would be applied.

A take on Tiger Woods

Ordinarily, I wouldn't post an article by a basketball writer, but, I believe Bethlehem Shoals to be one of the best non-mainstream basketball writers today in his style and in his undoubted intellect. He echoed several of my attitudes in the following piece and I believe that he wrote them in better style and cadence than I would have.

Will Tiger Take the Kobe or MJ Road to Redemption?

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Posted By Bethlehem Shoals 

I'm not sure if Tiger Woods even cares about the NBA. I know he's been known to roll with Jordan and Barkley. But if he wants to make it through this sudden rough patch, he'd do well to look at a couple of examples from basketball's not-so-distant past. The advertising cult of personality surrounding him seems straight from the basketball superstar playbook. Thus, any attempt to salvage his public image necessarily relates to what happens with disgraced NBA players.

The poster child for image rehab is Kobe Bryant, who went from top pitchman, to celebrity indicted on sexual assault, to the more subtle, less ostentatious corporate presence we see today. Bryant's earning power certainly took a hit, but he's reconstituted himself as someone more concerned with basketball than celebrity—exactly what his career arc needed, and in fact, great for the public perception of him. Yet at the same time, plenty of people reviled Kobe Bryant before the Colorado case. His squeaky-clean image always rang hollow; anyone could tell the man has issues. Now, he earns grudging respect, since his rep is based largely on his performance on the court.

Kobe had the advantage of only having so far to fall; you could argue that, had it not been for a certain massive criminal charge, his commercial viability would've collapsed at some point anyway. The bubble had to burst; there was too much tension between Kobe's supposed likeability and the vibe he gave off. The better point of comparison might be Michael Jordan himself, who incidentally, is the only living athlete who can claim Tiger's level of greatness. For advertisers, Jordan was the original anodyne African-American athlete, a man whose skin color never got in the way of his capitalizing on his achievements. In large part, that was because MJ portrayed himself as the nicest, and possibly most boring, guy you'd ever meet.

But for all that's come out over the court of Jordan's career—for starters, the gambling problem, womanizing, ruthless competitiveness and arrogance in every situation, and inability to accept failure in himself or others—that public Jordan has remained largely unchanged. To a large degree, MJ has served as a model for Tiger. And as with pre-Jordan Rules Jordan, we pretty much figured Woods was that nice guy. Hook, line and sinker, it just seemed to make sense. Unlike Kobe, who was miscast from the beginning, this week's revelations force us to rethink Tiger Woods. And that's never fun, or good for the famous person involved.

Why doesn't Jordan ever change his advertising face? He has nowhere to go. Those ads with Charlie Sheen today make him look like a boor, but to change course would be an admission of defeat—an admission that he'd lied to the public. He's just gambling on the fact that he can continue to keep enough people in the dark about what a difficult person he really is. At the same time, Jordan has taken things a step further than Kobe. Bryant seems to have issues that extend far beyond simply wanting to be the best. As Jordan showed at his Hall of Fame speech, it might be impossible to separate his bad behavior from his athletic excellence—the very same thing that makes people pay attention in the first place.

Jordan doesn't lose ground, but he makes us inclined to see athletes as pathologies, not heroes. And isn't that the slippery slope Tiger's so afraid of? That it could all come crashing down and we might actually be surprised? If he goes the Kobe route, he risks only his short-term reputation. But if he toughs it out, and glosses things over, like Jordan, then the ultimate prize might no longer be there when he finally works his way back.

My only qualm with the article, is that I don't believe he stated his conclusion well enough. I would have added:

"Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods share an uncommon competitiveness and self-confidence that has propelled them to achieve, perhaps, unprecedented success in their respective sports and commercial interests. Where their persona is the epitome of athletic excellence to some, it is viewed as narcissistic by others. Based on incidents in their off the course/court lives, it may be appropriate to say that they each struggle to turn their respective "game faces" off when not in competition -- it's as if they are always proving their infallibility, their superiority to themselves and whoever is watching in some fashion."

A PGA Tour Response to Tiger

As allegations have morphed into seemingly factual claims, the Tiger Woods aura going forward is going to be somewhat tarnished as he will likely go from a private family man to a man with a reputation of promiscuity and profligatory behavior.

Unlike team sports like football, baseball, soccer, etc., golf institutionalizes its players; where no single football player is larger than the NFL or no baseball player is larger than the MLB; the PGA Tour is not as much a "league" (in that sense) as it is a competitive home for the world's best individuals (golfers). Basketball and golf are related in that commercial success is found in its superstars (visibility, marketability, public perception). The revelations of a less-than sound moral compass for Tiger Woods is, obviously, a knock to the PGA Tour's marketability of its best player, most famous star.

Tiger will need to be active going forward in restoring his public perception; although I believe that this will be best accomplished by a strict "no comment" policy on the matter. When probed about it, Tiger should respond with ambiguous, bland statements; "It's a family matter between Ellin and I. I apologize. Her and I are working forward together."

But, let's not for a second forget the greatest recipe for alleviation in controversy surrounding sports, winning.

However, the PGA Tour will need a response. With calls for the Barbara Walters, half-hour prime-time tell-all, conversations breaking out in talk show and radio circles from The View and Glenn Beck to jokes made during half time of NBA games, with sports and editorial writers alike calling for a moral response from Tiger, the Tour has found itself in a public relations whirlwind -- one that I'm sure they are hoping fades further into the depths than the Tim Donaghy scandal, Kobe or Ben Roethlisberger's rape allegations.

The exact predicament that the Tour needs to avoid is the Pete Rose saga -- where a league related backlash and censure (band from the Hall of Fame) recycles the story.

Perhaps the Tour, if they haven't before, needs to set a precedent with regard to the personal lives of its players; "The PGA Tour does not comment on the personal matters of its players. We support our players and if they desire will provide them with professional support. We will continue to support and privately provide them with any needs they may have in the future."

Photo(s): Tiger Woods

Race & Gender in Professional and Amateur Sports Hiring (Class Assignment)

Professor Richard Lapchick’s 2006-07 Racial and Gender Report Card addresses the hiring practices of people of color in leading American professional leagues and college sports. Principally, it focuses on the lack of representation of people of color in coaching and administrative positions as compared to the high concentration of such demographics in composition of players.

While in my political beliefs I support affirmative action policies throughout education, in particular, I have generally believed that the persistent racial gap in sports hiring practices cannot be looked at through the classic affirmative action lens. Though same may argue, affirmative action policies in education are not aimed to produce a better product through the advantages of diversity, but rather to "level the playing field" in breaking down cultural socioeconomic barriers. Contrarily, in the context of sports, I believe such a policy to be designed to improve the workings of an athletic team and as a result improving that team's performance in competition.

Perhaps the most distressing find in Professor Lapchick's study is the lack of professional team ownership by people of color. As he mentions, Arturo Moreno is the only Latino majority owner in professional sports (Anaheim Angels) and Robert Johnson is the only African American majority owner (Charlotte Bobcats). Though, as of May, Johnson was looking to sell his majority stake in the franchise. In appearance, this phenomenon speaks greater volumes about cultural socioeconomic concerns of corporate success and social status than an under-representation of people of color in professional coaching positions. Where society welcomes a black man that can run a 4.4 second 40-yard dash, score 35 points in a game, sell jerseys; where a society welcomes a Latino man that can dominate on the soccer pitch or bat .300 for the season, society seemingly does not accept them to an equal degree in the conference room.

Though Lapchick doesn’t mention golf in his study, one can only take a glance at the PGA Tour to notice the remarkable lack of racial diversity. Where the PGA Tour is characterized by massive diversity in ethnicity and nationality, the same cannot be said for race. Where I’m aware of history of Charlie Sifford, Calvin Pete, and Jim Thorpe, in recent history I can’t recall many instances of African Americans in professional golf. Obviously, the Tour is currently dominated both on the course and in marketing success by Tiger Woods (who is bi-racial), but with the exception of Tim O’Neil – who was made famous by having Will Smith has a financial backer, but has not had any mentionable success – I’m not aware of any other African American golfers of note.

Unlike the leagues in Lapchick’s study, I’m not sure that professional golf can be scrutinized in the same fashion – there is a greater cultural gap in competitive golf participation that can be observed at the junior, high school, college, and amateur golf level. Where skill and talent in basketball, baseball, football, etc. are color-blind, in golf there, quite simply, have not been as many prominent African American golfers as there have been Caucasian golfers. Hence, the gap in golf needs to be addressed from a larger, cultural perspective than it does in a simple context of hiring practices.

My proposal: "www.pgatour.com/tour-zone"

As I enjoyed the Thanksgiving break and reflected on upcoming career conversations I'm hoping for, I spent a truly embarrassing amount of time playing with the Twitter application "Echofon" on my iPhone. For the dual followers of my @Michaelott23 twitter account and "Never Three Putt," you'll undoubtedly attest to the bombardment of tweets you got from me; although many of them were about European soccer.

Regardless, I noticed the --bordering on addict level-- twittering going on by some Tour stars; most noticeably Bubba Watson, Trevor Immelman, Paula Creamer, and Ian Poulter (future Tour star Rickie Fowler is worth mentioning as well). While their tweets ranged from Paula Creamer (and I'm not being misogynistic) talking about her new hair style, Bubba Watson talking about his Thanksgiving day charity work and religious services, to Trevor Immelman's fan hood of the Orlando Magic, each Tour star brought an interesting component to the twitter and social media world.


On Twitter, I currently follow:

Grame McDowell (@Grame_McDowell), Jamie Lovemark (@jamielovemark), Rich Beem (@richbeem), Kevin Streelman (@Streels54), Natalie Gulbis (@natalie_gulbis), Stewart Cink (@stewartcink), PGA Tour (@pgatour), Suzann Pettersen (@suzannpettersen), Annika Sorenstam (@annika59), Davis Love III (@Love3d), Geoff Ogilvy (@geoffogilvy), Trevor Immelman (@trevorimmelman), Paul Casey (@Paul_Casey), Peter Jacobsen (@Jake Trout), Chris DiMarco (@ChrisDiMarco), Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf), Bubba Watson (@bubbawatson), Rickie Fowler (@rickiefowlerPGA), Rory McIlroy (@rorsmcilroy), John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly), and more . . .

While at times I may over-discuss the Twitter phenomenon, its symbolic powers of transparency and fan-courtship are undeniable. Twitter is not alone in its powers from the social media world: Facebook, personal websites, video blogging, etc. each bring similar, but distinct, notions to the athlete/fan relationship.

With that said, my recommendation for a capitalization by the PGA Tour on social media, and similar online exclusive, player driven content is a sub-site to the PGA Tour's web site: "www.pgatour.com/tour-zone."

Create the exclusive home for Internet content created exclusively by PGA Tour stars. Just as I have on the upper-part of the right-hand column on "Never Three Putt," the site would have RSS feeds of the Twitter accounts of PGA Tour stars, links to their personal web sites, their Facebook accounts. That's the easy and perhaps most powerful part; providing a well-detailed access for fans to their favorite golfer's social media.

The next component would be an online diary and online video blog.

Each week, one to as many as is appropriate PGA Tour star would devote time to online blogging (100-300 word posts) perhaps as many as three times a day (before the round, after the round, and again in the evening). The posts would not need to be scholarly or literary works, but rather a brief, even run-on sentence of what the golfer is doing to prepare, where they had dinner, their thoughts on the round, what they worked on at the range afterward, what they were going to watch on television, etc.. Obviously these posts could be edited and uploaded by a single PGA Tour employee -- and probably should be.

For a video blog, one tour player would be selected each week and a single PGA Tour employee would shadow them and shoot raw footage to be uploaded to the site. While there may be some editing for fluidness and quality control, the raw nature of the video blog would be its most appealing attribute.

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday.

Look for a detailed post this week concerning the Nationwide Tour's eligibiliy requirements and field composition.

Do not look for a detailed post or commentary this week on the Tiger Woods saga. I have always disclosed my affinity for him; that he has been nothing short of a hero to me, and I adamantly refuse to comment on speculation -- particularly because it involves matters that are none of my business.

I'll be posting later today on a social media/player visibility proposal I have for the PGA Tour.

Lag it closer to the hole, assuming you're still playing golf. . .

-Michael

For those who follow me on twitter, sorry for the recent troubles.
Not sure why, but Twitter decided to revert me back to my old user name.

I've now updated the account and changed names, I can now be found @michaelott23

Tiger Woods' 2000-2009 Dominance. . . .

Great observation by ESPN's Jason Sobel on his twitter feed:

@JasonSobel: Tiger Woods led the PGA Tour with 121 top-10s this decade. Three more than No. 2 man Vijay Singh . . . in 95 fewer starts.

So, I thought I'd do a little research into the subject . . .

Tiger Woods:
       2009 - 17 events, 14 top-10s, 6 wins
       2008 - 6 events, 6 top-10s, 4 wins
       2007 - 16 events, 12 top-10s, 7 wins
       2006 - 15 events, 11 top-10s, 8 wins
       2005 - 21 events, 13 top-10s, 6 wins
       2004 - 19 events, 14 top-10s, 1 win
       2003 - 18 events, 12 top-10s, 5 wins
       2002 - 18 events, 13 top-10s, 5 wins
       2001 - 19 events, 9 top-10s, 5 wins
       2000 - 20 events, 17 top-10s, 9 wins

      * 121 top-10s in 169 starts (72 percent), 54 wins (32 percent)

Phil Mickelson
      2009 - 18 events, 7 top-10s, 3 wins
      2008 - 21 events, 8 top-10s, 2 wins
      2007 - 22 events, 7 top-10s, 3 wins
      2006 - 19 events, 8 top-10s, 2 wins
      2005 - 21 events, 9 top-10s, 4 wins
      2004 - 22 events, 13 top-10s, 2 wins
      2003 - 23 events, 7 top-10s, 0 wins
      2002 - 26 events, 12 top-10s, 2 wins
      2001 - 23 events, 13 top-10s, 2 wins
      2000 - 23 events, 12-tops 10s, 4 wins

      * 96 top-10s in 218 stars (44 percent), 24 wins (11 percent)

Vijay Singh
     2009 - 21 events, 3 top-10s, 0 wins
     2008 - 23 events, 8 top-10s, 3 wins
     2007 - 27 events, 7 top-10s, 2 wins
     2006 - 27 events, 13 top-10s, 1 win
     2005 - 30 events, 18 top-10s, 4 wins
     2004 - 29 events, 18 top-10s, 9 wins
     2003 - 27 events, 18 top-10s, 4 wins
     2002 - 28 events, 11 top-10s, 2 wins
     2001 - 26 events, 14 top-10s, 0 wins
     2000 - 26 events, 8 top-10s, 1 win

    * 118 top-10s in 264 starts (45 percent), 26 wins (10 percent)

Jack Nicklaus:
      1962 - 26 events, 16 top-10s, 3 wins
      1963 - 25 events, 17 top-10s, 5 wins
      1964 - 26 events, 17 top-10s, 4 wins
      1965 - 24 events, 20 top-10s, 5 wins
      1966 - 19 events, 13 top-10s, 3 wins
      1967 - 23 events, 15 top-10s, 5 wins
      1968 - 22 events, 13 top-10s, 2 wins
      1969 - 23 events, 11 top-10s, 3 wins
      1970 - 19 events, 12 top-10s, 2 wins
      1971 - 18 events, 15 top-10s, 5 wins

      * 149 top-10s in 225 starts (66 percent), 37 wins (16 percent)

Lessons learned:

- Tiger simply dominated the PGA Tour in the 2000s. Consider how often he won -- 32 percent of the time . . . are you kidding me?

- Don't ever say that Nicklaus dominated more than Tiger did; just compare the numbers. Oh, by the way, I chose Jack's best 10 year period of his career.

Side note:
 I wanted to compare the figures against Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, and Ben Hogan but I was unable to find adequate statistics. If anybody finds them, send me a link.

Statistics via: PGA Tour & Nicklaus

What to do without Tiger Woods . . .

VIEWERSHIP OF PGA TOURNAMENTS MISSED BY TIGER WOODS DUE TO INJURY IN 2008-09 (via: Nielsen)

TOURNAMENT	NETWORK	# OF VIEWERS P2+, 2007-08	# OF VIEWERS P2+, 2008-09	% CHANGE
BRITISH OPEN-SAT	ABC	3,040,000	3,278,000	7.8%
BRITISH OPEN-SUN	ABC	5,147,000	4,463,000	-13.3%
AT&T NATIONAL-SAT	CBS	2,630,000	1,442,000	-45.2%
AT&T NATIONAL-SUN	CBS	3,615,000	2,164,000	-40.1%
NEC WORLD SERIES GOLF-SAT	CBS	3,250,000	1,793,000	-44.8%
NEC WORLD SERIES GOLF-SUN	CBS	**4,541,000	3,018,000	-33.5%
PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS-SAT	CBS	5,947,000	^^1,298,000	-78.2%
PGA CHAMPIONSHIPS-SUN	CBS	**9,165,000	3,885,000	-57.6%
BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SAT	CBS	3,761,000	1,601,000	-57.4%
BUICK INV PGA GOLF-SUN	CBS	**6,193,000	2,868,000	-53.7%
DEUTSCHE GOLF CHAMP-SUN	NBC	3,658,000	1,960,000	-46.4%
DEUTSCHE GOLF CHAMP-MON	NBC	4,936,000	2,116,000	-57.1%
BMW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT	NBC	3,113,000	1,091,000	-65.0%
BMW GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP-SUN	NBC	**4,358,000	1,678,000	-61.5%
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP-SAT	NBC	3,573,000	1,372,000	-61.6%
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP-SUN	NBC	**4,231,000	2,183,000	-48.4%
TOTAL		4,567, 000	2,430,000	-46.8%
source: The Nielsen Company 2009 ** – tournament won by Tiger Woods ^^ – play suspended by inclement weather

As anyone who followed golf during the 2008-09 season can attest, the noticeable lack in the intensity of media coverage of the PGA Tour, the lack in water-cooler discussions about the PGA Tour, and the general dwindled interest of professional golf were directly caused by an absence of the world's number one player, who happens to be the world's most popular athlete, the world's first athlete-billionaire, and one of the world's most recognizable people.

But, none of this is news. 

As someone who came of age in the Tiger-era, witnessing, firsthand, the impact that he had on a generation of young golfers has been profound.

Where I started playing golf perhaps before I could stand, watching, as a child, as my friends became intrigued by the game, began to notice the game -- I should say notice Tiger -- and began to take an interest in a game so long associated with everything non-progressive and non-youthful. As a generation of fist-pumping golfers emerged, so did an obvious resentment from the golfing status quo. Where much of the ambivalence surrounding Tiger has since disappeared, at times a certain negative cloud surrounds him -- whether it's racial considerations, doubting his accomplishments as he's never faced, what many consider, a single formidable opponent (Hogan vs. Snead, Nicklaus v. Palmer, etc.), or questions regarding the contemporary, distance-driven characterizations of golf (while some say this is a transmogrification of the game, I consider it progress).

Yet, as golf's popularity has seemingly dwindled over the past few years, a certain question has arisen, at least in my mind. What is golf going to do when Tiger is no longer able to capture the world's youth?

In ten years, Tiger will be 44-years-old and, at least in the opinion of some, he will likely continue his worldwide dominance of the game. But, it's doubtful that Tiger will remain the imposing force in drawing new (young) golf fans that he currently is (although, arguably, he's already lost some of his allure). What 14-year-old is going to idolize a 44-year-old?

My question, and the basic premise behind much of the conversation on this blog, is how is the PGA Tour going to reestablish a youthful audience without Tiger -- someone that has escalated the PGA Tour greater than anyone before him, with the possible exception of Arnold Palmer?

Is Ricky Fowler, Anthony Kim, Jamie Lovemark, or Rory McIlroy going to fill his shoes?

This is a conversation that golf's leading institutions need to have.

It is my belief that the advents of technology in the media are going to prove to be the greatest tools in golf's arsenal, assuming that golf embraces them. Today, golf needs to establish young stars that are, at least in a small possibility, able to serve as a fan's "favorite golfer." These young stars need to have their characters established throughout the golfing community; they need to not have yachts named "Privacy,"they need to provide an unlimited access to their fans, and they need to embrace stardom in a fashion that both the young and old, progressive and conservative can invest themselves in.

Twitterific (Update)

Great example of corporate golf twitter use yesterday:

@nikegolf http://pic.gd/7e0f78 @suzannpettersen testing the Nike Method Putter, it reduced her skid distance by 3" as compared to her current gamer

Combining both the specifics of how the Nike Method Putter improved Suzann Pettersen's roll with the putter and providing insight into LPGA Tour star Suzann Pettersen, this type of tweet should, literally, serve as a paradigm for future corporate golf twitter use.

I was disappointed to see that Suzann Pettersen did not follow up on her Twitter account with any reference to the putter, although she did inform her followers that she would be spending the day with the Nike Golf department.

Well played Nike . . .

Anything less would be unexpected from the powerhouse that is Nike.

Twitterific

Last month, Ron Sirak published an excellent article on the use of Twitter by professional golfers. His major contention was:

"The main benefit players derive from Twitter is an immediate connection with their fans. This can also provide another platform on which to promote the various goods and services with which they have lucrative endorsement deals. That makes both the player and the sponsor happy, and it helps cement the bond between the player and the fan. The tweets help to humanize the celebrity."

With the advances of social media, individuals, corporations, and organizations are increasingly able to provide transparency for their constituency (fans). Traditionally, public relations practitioners strive to control the frame in which their organization is viewed; to manipulate, exploit, and portray their organization in a light that best advances a respective cause. In the case of individuals, the ability to send exact, well-conceived messages to an audience permits one to establish a lens for a constituency to view them through; a "cyber-personality" of sorts.



Ultimately, the content of a "tweet" isn't entirely significant, as long as it provides some sort of insight into a golfer's life that a fan wouldn't have access to otherwise. Rather, its significance lies within the perception that an audience gains from it.

For instance, yesterday evening PGA Tour player Bubba Watson (@bubbawatson) tweeted:

Meow a chip n on the plane! #yourwelcome ;-) http://tweetreel.com/?nmaxm

Not only does his "tweet" entail a comical video, but it's equally an advertisement for NetJets.


Similarly, LPGA sensation Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) tweeted after her recent victory:

wooooOoooooooooohooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She's also kept her fans up to date with her injured ankle:

Thank you all for your support. I was so sad to pull out from this tournament. I am going to go to my doctor tomorrow to get it checked out

Off to la to see my doctor today and take some Mris and scans. Wish me luck... Then I'm off to Stanford for the big game!! Cheeeheeee

Over the last five years, perhaps no athlete in this country has been vilified to the extent that Michelle Wie has. In her precarious position of maintaining the youthful exuberance which has brought her fame since she was 13 while balancing the desire to portray herself as a mature competitor, it seems that Twitter allows for this dueling proclivity.


I also found a list of the golfers using Twitter.

I can be found on twitter at Michael_R_Ott


Photo(s): Twitter