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 The Ruder Cup responses
Posted: Thursday October 07, 1999 05:15 PM
Regarding, as Flemfiler John Raikes puts it, the RUDER CUP: The hundreds upon hundreds of e-mails I received about last week's United Slobs of America, indeed column ran almost 3-to-1 in support of my stance that the U.S. team's behavior on the 17th green after Justin Leonard sank a 45-foot putt was ugly and inappropriate and marred an otherwise wonderful event. Hey, I'm as surprised as you are. But as you probably know, I am absolutely huge in Canada, and because these readers are close enough to have been paying attention (but removed enough from the situation to be impartial), I thought I'd let them be the first to rule on the subject. O.K., ready? Tom Clark, from Verdun, Quebec , writes: Glad to know there's still a member of the sports media in the U.S. who tells it like it is. I must admit that I truly admired and respected the PGA alumni. Now, I can't help but see things in a different light. Last Sunday's ugly scene threw me for a loop. Even the amateur golf circuit around here steadfastly upholds all due respect and honor given other players. It's the essence of golf in all its splendid glory. No other sport allows an athlete to express this politeness and etiquette. Ya know somethin' Flem, I believe José María Olazábal could've put that 25-footer away if common courtesy had been granted. It's damn refreshing when someone these days says what he believes. Doug Wilson, from Calgary, Alberta , writes: God bless, Dave. You were bang on with your "Slobs" article. Living in Canada, I was pulling for the Yanks right up to that disgusting display on the 17th green. It's been said that you can learn as much about someone watching them win as you can watching them lose. There is nothing worse than sore winners. True class is such a hard thing to achieve, yet is so easily blown. It will be a long time before I look at the American team of golfers and see anything other than arrogant, classless jerks! I will not remember the great golf they played. Congratulations for having the guts to call a spade a spade. Every other U.S. media representative I've read is too busy waving the U.S. flag to admit what a screwup Ben and the boys were. An anonymous Flemfiler from Toronto writes: I agree 100% with your opinion regarding the celebration on the 17th green at the Ryder Cup. As a docile Canadian (neutral in this whole Euro-Yankee golf fiasco), I wasn't that shocked to see the over-excited American golfers prematurely celebrate a victory not yet won. However, I was extremely shocked to see a member of the media actually condemn this behavior. Attaboy, Flem! It's great to be patriotic, but it's another thing to give excuses for bad etiquette. If you get booted out of the States for your views, come on up to Canada ... we don't get angry that easily! Fred Hermann, from Victoria, British Columbia , writes: Unfortunately Mr. Fleming, yourself and most other media -- including the European press -- have been caught up in the rhetoric surrounding the Ryder Cup. The issue is not that the U.S. team displayed emotion on the 17th green any more than it is that Sergio Garcia displayed emotion by running around the green and jumping into Jesper Parnevik 's arms. Emotion is good for the game, it is what makes watching the Ryder Cup enjoyable. It is what makes watching Garcia and Tiger Woods enjoyable. What makes the Ryder Cup different is that emotion does come into play. What happened on the 17th green was not poor sportsmanship. Most fans would prefer that it had not happened. But there was no deliberate attempt to interfere with José María Olazábal, no deliberate attempt to influence the match or the outcome. It was a legitimate, if ill-timed, outpouring of emotion coming on the heels of a magnificent performance. Sean D. McGratten, from Toronto , writes: Having just read your commentary regarding this year's Ryder Cup, I am moved to respond. As a Canadian, I am privy to both mainstream American and international media; yours is the first editorial, at least that I have seen, to properly characterize the issue raised by the behavior last weekend. As you wrote, the issue is about simple sportsmanship; it is about competing to one's utmost ability while displaying respect for an opponent's right to do the same. The display on the 17th green and other sundry acts last weekend sully this ethic, and I fear that this respect is an increasingly alien concept in today's athletic arena. In short, there is a valuable lesson to be gleaned from the Ryder Cup. Unfortunately, the mainstream message is that winning is everything, that results absolve boorish conduct. Regardless of the eventual outcome, there were no winners at The Country Club last Sunday. Rosh, from Toronto , writes: I agree with you 100% about the reaction on the 17th hole. I was rooting for the U.S. all weekend but what I saw after that putt was disgraceful. Mark, from London, Ontario , writes: I'm glad to hear that someone on this side of the Atlantic has finally found the courage to speak out and tell it like it is! I agree that the U.S. team was out of line on the 17th green and your "baseball" analogy put the whole U.S. argument into its proper perspective. At the same time, the European team has no reason to perpetuate this discussion, since they need only look at their own fans and how they treated the U.S. team in 1993 and 1997. This lengthy debate is unfortunate, since it takes away from the more appropriate memories that we should have about the 1999 Ryder Cup: an exciting and entertaining display of match play golf. Here's a sampling of the rest of the letters from elsewhere in the world: Steven Cuevas, from Seattle , writes: Thank you for your outstanding article on the embarrassing antics the Americans displayed on the 17th green. You were able to clearly sum up what I feel on this subject -- sportsmanship and etiquette is not subject to situational implementation. Either you have it or you don't. Mike Thomas, from Portland , writes: Hey you piece of (do-do) geek!!!! I would love to have my foot come into contact with your teeth-you worthless "american"!!!!!!!!! Anytime you want to talk about that ryder cup I would love to back your (homophobic slur) ass down!!!!!! You see! To all the people who wrote in begging for me not to stop running all those hilariously illiterate diatribes from pro wr------- (I swore I would never mention that crap again in this column and I am a man of my, uh, word) fans I came very close to breaking down and adding some more, but who needs that when you've WHYLOS like Mike Thomas? Evan Sorensen, from Los Angeles , writes: When I was eight years old I attended a free junior golf clinic at a local public course. The very first event during the clinic was a 20-minute video on something called "Golf Etiquette." I do not profess to be the arbiter of golf etiquette, but I do know that it is shameful to spill out on the green in the middle of the match. I was cheering for the U.S. but I am afraid that this match will always be marred by the abuse piled on the Europeans and culminating with the celebration on 17 -- the complete breakdown of all civility. Thanks for articulating so well the problem with "The Gentleman's Game." Matt Lewis from Trenton, N.J. , writes: YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. GET A CLUE ABOUT THE RYDER CUP AND GO MOVE TO STINKIN' EUROPE IF YOU DON'T LIKE AMERICANS. John Purcell Jr. , writes: I couldn't agree more about your view on the Ryder Cup. The majority of the U.S. team showed its true colors on the 17th green. Do these guys not remember what their fathers told them a million times, Golf is a game of etiquette ? I do imagine that Ben Hogan was rolling in his grave at the poor spectacle our team displayed. Michael Miller, from Okinawa, Japan , writes: Dave, shut up about the Ryder Cup. Enough is enough. We won, they lost. Maybe they should use "choke" rather than the celebration as the reason they lost. Ron, whose e-mail address is Grumpy1, from Inverness, Fla. , writes: Hey Dave: what the hell do you know about golf anyway? Have you ever played the game? You probably couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a 2x12 let alone a golf ball!!! If you feel that way about the Ryder match, why in hell don't you go work for the London Mirror ? Your comments on the match just shows your ignorance for the game and the pressures of such a match. We beat the Brits in the 1700's, saved their butts in WW1/WW2 and kick their ass in 1999. Your a first class jerk!! John Shields, from Glen Mills, Pa. , writes: I have to agree with some of this week's e-mails, you are obnoxious. But I differ on one point -- thank God for it. I completely agree with your view of the Ryder Cup. It's nice to see an American journalist finally accept that what took place was absolutely out of line. The comeback was amazing, but don't pull a Tonya Harding on the guy -- let him putt. Keep calling it like it is, Flem. Ron Gabrysch, from Victoria, Texas , writes: Flem, as much as I hate to admit it, I read your column faithfully. Usually, it is only to see how mad you can make me, as I rarely (O.K., never) agree with you, UNTIL NOW!! The actions of the U.S. Ryder Cup team were genuine, heartfelt and spontaneous -- these are things that I think all sports need more of, not just golf -- BUT, (and here is where we agree) try and wait until the freaking match is over. Thanks for having the guts to say what I have yet to see any other American journalist say, that the U.S. team screwed up. Brian Rolfs, from "AutoNationUSA" , writes: Your comments about the Ryder Cup do not surprise me. You are the worst type of American, unfortunately -- and I don't mean a journalist. You are an apologist. The type always looking for a way to criticize and condemn. Maybe mommy didn't hug you enough, I don't know. The comeback by the USA was fantastic, the celebration at 17 was not ideal, but the tape showed noone stepped in his line. Jose had absolute silence for his putt and plenty of time to gather his thoughts. When we lose, we say we lost because we stunk; not because of slow play, celebrations or galleries. Maybe it is just the nature of your business to find fault in everything, and bash Americans at every chance. I don't hate people like you, I feel sorry for you. To go through life with that much bitterness must suck. I'm sorry that you were always picked last to play sports, then took your ball and went home. Anyway, good luck in finding your happy place. I am sure you are busy though tracking down D-day veterans to ask what it is like to be an Imperialist killer. Curtis C. Smith, from Seattle , writes: I don't know if you coined the phrase or just repeated it -- "... athletic competition doesn't build character, it just reveals it ," but it really hit home, personally, as an athlete. Not to mention you're dead-on in regard to the U.S. players at the Ryder Cup, and too bad. It was one heck of a comeback. Then again, they're pro athletes, and I haven't met too many who are very humble. Sportsmanship gets way overlooked nowadays. I would rather lose and be a good sport than win and be a poor sport. I don' know why, but I always thought about "character" and sports the other way around. Not any more. You can bet I will be watching myself from now on and correcting myself when my character is out of line. Thanks! Mark Gilberston, from Mt. Juliet, Tenn. , writes: I agree with you about the poor sportsmanship displayed on the 17th green before Olazábal could putt. I believe someone should have stepped in and realized what was happening (preferably Justin Leonard or Ben Crenshaw ) and told Olazábal to pick up his ball and go on to the 18 tee with the match all square. Now that would be sportsmanship. Yep, Mark, and not only would that have solved everything, it would have restored my faith in humanity. Oh well. Sports Illustrated staff writer David Fleming explores the sometimes weird and wacky side of sports every Thursday. Click here to send an e-mail to Flem, or address it yourself: flemfile@aol.com. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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