|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
The world according to Tiger Off-key Woods misses the green with recent comments
Sometimes Tiger Woods really acts his age. His recent comments calling for golf's inclusion in the Olympics and for a slice of U.S. television revenue from the PGA Tour help remind us that he is only 24 years old. They aren't the kind of opinions you'd expect from a classy player aiming to be the greatest of all time, but the immature and misguided ramblings of someone with self interest at heart. Golf, with its dozens of multi-millionaire professionals, has no place in the Olympics. Already, the traditional sports of the Games aren't given the recognition or exposure they deserve. The inclusion of golf would merely further deflect attention from the wonderful Olympic disciplines like track and field, swimming, and cycling. Golf already gets more than enough global exposure with its big events, including the four majors and the Ryder and Presidents Cups. 
It should learn the lessons of Olympic tennis, which in many ways, is an unwelcome addition to an already busy season. The Sydney tennis event was marred by withdrawals and poor performances by the top players. Without belittling the achievements of Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Venus Williams, no one could say an Olympic singles title goes close to equaling a Grand Slam victory. Would, for example, a patriotic nationalist like Australian Patrick Rafter trade one of his U.S. Open titles for an Olympic gold medal? I doubt it very much. Thankfully, the closest that Tiger Woods will get to being crowned Olympic champion is wearing the gold medal of British rower Matthew Pinsent, as he did recently at a promotional day in London. The word is that the sport will never be part of the Games. Not so certain is the PGA Tour's struggle to stop Tiger and the top players getting a share of revenue from television profits. Tiger would point out that TV ratings double in the United States when he is playing in the weekend rounds of a tournament. He's also furious that his image is used without his permission in "congratulatory" advertisements of companies sponsoring major tournaments. But the world No. 1 must remember that no one is bigger than the game. He should also not forget that these sponsors pay the tournament prize money that has become so inflated in the past couple of years. The PGA Tour provides the stage on which Woods has become so successful and famous. He must abide by its rules. And remember that without the Tour, deals like Tiger's $100 million Nike endorsement would never happen. There's no doubt that Tiger's remarkable achievements on the golf courses of the world helped make 2000 a sporting year to remember. But far less entertaining have been some of his demands away from the fairways, which merely detract from his undeniable charisma and appeal. Australian-born Jason Dasey is an anchor for World Sport, a 30-minute sports news and highlights program shown on CNN/SI and CNN International.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
