TIGER VS. PHIL: DID ANYBODY REALLY CARE?
By Bruce Penton
Chances are good that you’re $19.95 wealthier today because you didn't plunk down that amount to watch the Tiger-vs.-Phil pay-per-view golf extravaganza — “The Match” — on the Friday of the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend.
Call it what you want, but in my book it was the Friday Folly.
This is being written a few days before the 18-hole event in Las Vegas with $9 million scheduled to go to the winner, but it would be a surprise if the pay-per-view telecast generated $9 million in revenues.
This has to go down as the ultimate ‘Who Cares?’ event.
Tiger Woods is the biggest draw in golf, and his presence on the PGA Tour undoubtedly hikes ratings; viewing numbers skyrocket when he’s in contention.
Phil Mickelson has been a big name in the game for the past 25 years, but the narrative of this event shouldn’t have been a battle between two titans but a blast from the past — the Has Been (Mickelson) vs. the Best Player Ever (Woods, 10-15 years ago).
Any golf fan worth his sleeve of Titleists has seen far more of Woods and Mickelson than they’d ever want. The networks key on the two of them when they’re in competition, no matter their position in the field. It’s certainly understandable the networks go overboard on Tiger airtime, but it’s hard to believe too many people would spend $19.99 to see the two of them play when they’re visible in excessive amounts for free 12 months of the year .
Youth has taken over golf — Rory, Justin, Jon, Dustin, Rickie, Jason, Bryson, Jordan (last names not needed for the true golf fan) — yet the pay-per-view event features two guys in their 40s. Woods is still relevant — in fact, his comeback situation is one of the sport’s most intriguing stories — but Mickelson’s best days were about five years ago. As Rory McIlroy said, if this was 15 years ago, this head-to-head battle might be interesting, but excitement? Drama? Intrigue? No, no and no. I can think of nine million reasons not to care.
• Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: “In the Panther's 52-21 loss to the Steelers, Carolina's Kyle Love fell asleep on the sideline. Love will be fined $5,000 and charged with impersonating a Cleveland Brown.”
• Steve Burgess on Twitter: “I'm hearing the Calgary Olympic bid was doomed by the unpopular plan for a vape torch.”
• Norman Chad on Twitter: “Real reason (Chiefs vs. Rams) game was moved out of Mexico City? POTUS feared The Caravan might hop a ride into U.S. on team charter flights.”
• Chad again: “(Raiders moving to Las Vegas) is also the best fit imaginable, unless Mark Davis moves the team to a stadium-on-wheels that travels from town to town like a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus troupe.”
• Comedy writer Jim Barach: “Earlham College in Indiana has suspended its football season after 53 straight losses. To which the Cleveland Browns are saying ‘Cowards!’”
• RJ Currieof sportsdeke.com: “Winnipeg Blue Bombers coach Mike O’Shea called RB Andrew Harris’s work this season a ‘masterpiece.’ If Montreal QB Johnny Manziel’s work was art, it’d be taped to a refrigerator.”
• Mike Hart of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the 1-8 Raiders visiting the 2-7 Cardinals: “Scalpers in Glendale, Ariz., will have to get a second job this week.”
• Headline at Sportspickle.com: “The one likeable thing about Draymond Green is that he hates Kevin Durant.”
• Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner on the 18-inning Game 3 of the World Series: “I think my beard got about three inches longer.”
• Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown when once asked why he refused to block with the Cleveland Browns: “Do you ask Liberace to carry his piano?”
• Spotted on a gamer’s T-shirt: “I went outside once: The graphics weren’t that great.”
• Dwight Perryof the Seattle Times: “Seasonal Affective Disorder — the ‘winter blues’ — is real, saysDr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News’ chief medical correspondent. ‘Tell us about it,’ said Bills fans in unison.
• Perry again: “A Red Sox fan won a $100,000 Mass Cash lottery prize by playing the jersey numbers of Rafael Devers (11), Andrew Benintendi (16), Jackie Bradley Jr. (19), Rick Porcello (22) and Steve Pearce (25). ‘Is there a lottery that only uses one number?’ asked an Orioles fan.”
Kevin Cusickof the St. Paul Pioneer Press, after Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell sat out the entire NFL season, forfeiting a $14.5 million salary: “Most analysts agree the decision will go down as the worst of Bell’s career … unless he signs next year with the Jets.” Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca
