Why is it always us against them?

[slickpitt]

Kelly Tilghman drove me nuts today on the coverage of the Match Play. Kept making a big deal of whether or not an American was going to win, or how many Americans were going to be in the quarters. Bla bla bla bla... on and on and on whenever it was a US player vs. an international player. Personally, I don't root for players based on where they are from. I have players that I like and am big fans of. I pretty much always root for Poulter... Cink, not so much. Ryder and Presidents cup is of course a different story, but during normal tournament play I could honestly care less where a golfer hails from. Seems like more and more since the Ryder Cup in '08 these commentators are making more and more of where a player hails from. Is it just me?

 

[SilverUberXeno]

I haven't watched any of the coverage but I agree completely with your frustrations. I realize there's no condemnation in what they're doing, but it's that sort of classification that inspires uglier forms of discrimination. Kelly, shut up about where someone is from and watch them play golf.

 

[Augster]

I hate that too. These are the best 64 players in the world (that showed up for the tourney). Everyone that is watching these telecasts know who these guys are.

I think the push on the American telecast for Americans to make it through make a huge difference in the weekend ratings.

The vast majority of people that MIGHT watch a golf tournament aren't going to watch if Tiger isn't there. Add in that Phil isn't there either. THEN subtract out all Americans on the weekend.

No "casual" golf fan is going to watch, and this scares the hell out of the networks. They'd make more money putting on a series of ShamWow and Snuggie infomercials.

I may watch, you may watch. I would say that anyone posting to a golf forum isn't a casual golf fan. We are atypical, and frankly, there aren't enough of us to move the network needle. The networks NEED to ensnare the casual fans, and a non-US weekend definitely isn't going to do that.

So I do understand WHY she pushes the US players so hard. Like you though, I don't like it. I have my favorites and I have my heels and I'll root for and against them on that basis. Not on the basis of what country they were born in or play out of.

 

[slickpitt]

That is a good point, I never thought of it from a ratings perspective. Your average once in a while golf viewer probably wouldn't have a clue who Jeev Singh and Tongchia Jiadee(sp?) are.

 

[Augster]

I know I get excited to watch Ryo. He's the real deal for sure. I didn't think he was, then I watched every minute I can of him this year. He's the real deal.

But, he's not American. If there was an American that was 19 with his skills, the US Media would be pumping him ala Michael Phelps. Especially in a non-Tiger year.

Ryo is huge in Japan, I guess, just not here. And Thongchai smoked him.

So the only American left is Cink. Yawn. They are totally going to be pushing Cink and Sergio tomorrow. No thanks. Two of my least favorite golfers.

On the plus side, Cameron Beckman is in the hunt in the Mayakoba, so I'll have that to watch.

I would have loved to see Ryo against your boy Poulter. And I'll be pulling for Casey over Cink for sure.

 

[Clugnut]

Not to stick up for Tilghman, but they are competing with the Olympics, which is the ultimate in national identity sports. Plus, looking over who is left, they need to make it interesting somehow. As was said, the real golf person love great golf no matter who or where it comes from, but the casual fan that pads the ratings needs something more. It seems to me that there isn't a single star pairing in the semifinals. Cink/Casey is the closest, and that isn't exactly Mickelson/Tiger.

 

[Clugnut]

Looking over the bracket again, this is going to suck. Everyone I want to see is gone. Ryo, Rory, Alvaro, Zach, the list goes on. Bummer. I love to see Casey take it all the way. he's fun to watch when he gets hot. I have a lot of respect for him after the way he handled that Ryder Cup/media thing a bunch of years ago.

 

[LizardKing]

This used to be a big deal back when American golf started. The English took the game away from Scotland in the early years, and coincidentally we took golf away from England when Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen kicked it in gear. When Francis Ouimet beat Vardon and Ray, the English took it as an act of war almost. The Ryder Cup used to be a scary competition in its early years. Golfers nowdays don't pay attention to it much because Jack and Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer were so good that there were no English, Scotish, or anybody that could stand up to them. The same holds true today with Tiger, he obliterates records and it totally smashes through the barriers of country internationalism.