https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQvEoihC4MQ
Golf is the game where you need motivation and inspiration to succeed. The inspirational story I share with you is the 3 year old golfer. Oh yeah and he only has one arm! Tiger woods made Tommy Morrissey's day by donating his time to hangout with this remarkable kid. Tommy Morrissey is 3 years old and is a pretty good golfer. What makes the New Jersey-born boy different is that he was born without a right arm under the elbow, meaning he swings the golf club with a righty stance using just his left arm. And he hits it 70 yards off the tee with a driver. Since his story came to light back in August, Morrissey's been all over the place, sharing his story and feeling the warm embrace of a golf community that has marveled in his resolve and talent. This week, Morrissey was a guest at the Hero World Challenge in Orlando, and he was treated to a surprise: a little time with tournament host Tiger Woods.Fox Sports filmed the interaction between the two, which included some time on the driving range and putting green. The important thing to focus on is Tommy and his enjoyment of not only the time with Woods, but also his zest for life. It's refreshing and uplifting.Tommy is an inspirational symbol for all sports fan. What he is doing is truly amazing. This story is touching because it just shows how happy Tommy is and it shows the love for golf. Golf is a sport that requires 2 arms, but Tommy finds a loop hole around the traditional swing and changes the game. His story will inspire anybody with a disability. People will start to do things they never thought they could just because this 3 year old touched everyone's heart.
-The link is the video to this remarkable story.
During the past two years, Patrick Reed has grabbed headlines through his brash antics on the course, as well as his bold statements to the media. Surprisingly, the young PGA Tour pro has been accused of cheating and stealing back in college. Patrick went to the University of Georgia and had a very successful, yet short career in Georgia. He won two national championships for Georgia before transferring to further his talent. The cheating scandal started during a qualifying round prior to a tournament, Reed hit a ball far into the rough. When he approached the spot, he found another ball sitting closer to the fairway, and was preparing to hit it when several of his teammates confronted him. Reed pled ignorance, but the other Georgia players were convinced he had been caught red-handed trying to cheat. That same fall, several items went missing from the Georgia locker room, including a watch, a Scotty Cameron putter, and $400 cash. When Reed showed up the next day with a large wad of cash, a teammate confronted him and asked how he’d come by the money. Reed said he’d played golf with a professor at the school and hustled him out of the cash. The player in question took this claim to the professor, who had no idea what he was talking about and it had been weeks since the man had played with Reed. Reed did not directly answer questions about the allegations when confronted. Controversy has followed Reed throughout his short PGA Tour career. After winning the WGC-Cadillac Championship in 2014, he claimed that he was a top-5 player in the world, setting off a social-media chain reaction that mainly portrayed him as a loud voice with no substance.But his four PGA Tour victories and standout performance for the U.S. in the Ryder Cup have pushed him to No. 15 in the Official World Golf Ranking, showing that his play does indeed deserve attention. Reed claims that the media makes him out to be a villain.
The PGA Tour is one of the few organizations that has not had a gay athlete come out openly to the public. Although the PGA Tour never had a gay athlete, the LPGA Tour had a few openly gay golfers. For example, Mianne Bagger had a sex change and she was on the LPGA. Jane Geddes, Rosie Jones, Muffin Spencer-Devlin, Meg Mallon and Patty Sheehan have all come out on the LPGA Tour. It is only a matter of time before the first male golfer comes out as openly gay. "I don't believe that at all," said Snedeker. "I don't think a gay golfer is going to be that big of a deal. It's not going to affect my life in any way, shape or form. Actually, if there is one, I would welcome him to come out if he felt comfortable doing it. I think it’s a personal decision they need to make on their own." Brandt Snedeker has an open mind for the first gay golfer to come out. He will accept them and not discriminate them at all. Unfortunately not every golfer feels the same way as Snedeker. Bubba Watson offered his opinion by saying that homosexuality was "a sin and a rebellion against God", after Jason Collins became the first gay basketball player. The fans of the PGA Tour would most likely not care if there was a gay golfer. The fans would not discriminate and they would accept them with open arms.
While other major sports such as the NFL and NHL are taking steps to address the serious issue of concussions, the PGA Tour has been slow to adopt protective measures — and critics have started to take notice. "Of all sports, the PGATour should be leading the way," said New York neurologist Michael Aziz, who has done research on the effects of concussions suffered by athletes. "The ball travels faster in the sport of golf than in any other. A golf ball can hit speeds of more than 200 mph off the driver. Yet nothing by the PGA. It's unconscionable." PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem insists that the Tour has not taken steps to protect its players because there have never been any concussions suffered during play. "We've only ever had one, but it wasn't really golf-related," he said. "That was when John Daly was drunk and walked into a tree and then fell into a pot bunker. But as long as players avoid getting hit in the face by shots, I think we'll continue to be okay."http://www.sportspickle.com/2010/03/pga-tour-dragging-its-feet-on-addressing-concussions
Concussions are a serious topic when involved with sports. Luckily the PGA Tour never had a golf concussion while in an event. The only time a golfer got a concussion is when John Daly walked into a tree. The PGA Tour sort of looks past all the concussions because they never have serious meetings about concussions. Although a concussion never happened on the PGA Tour, it is still a dangerous and serious topic that should come up on a monthly basis.
Every sports reporter looks past some big sports stories every time it threatens to ruin the sports popularity. This happens a lot in golf. For example this happened with Rory McIlroy with his drunk driving incident, and most common issue is Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods was caught with the affairs, but the story did not come out immediately, it was delayed to save the sports popularity. If sports reporters ruin and expose the biggest stars career, the sport is just asking to struggle. The PGA tour is not the same without Tiger Woods. Also Tiger has been accused of cheating many times on the course. Tiger has been accused of moving his ball and improving his lie. No sports reporter has ever really been serious of getting Tiger banned or publicized for his cheating. I know he has been accused for cheating, but no one wants the star of the game to get in trouble. The popularity of the sport would decline if Tiger was exposed for everything he does. To maintain the sport and keep the sport alive, the main thing to do is keep the stars active and have them compete on regular weekly basis.
If I was the king of youth golf, I would change it all for the better. I would like to get more kids involved with the game at a younger age. I would do that by promoting and advertising golf to all the young age groups. The country clubs would have to help me out by running fun camps and getting kids involved. I would also like to start YGDA (youth golf development association) instead of the PGA youth program. I believe that the PGA program is to much pressure because of the actual title of the league. The YGDA sounds more appealing to parents and kids. Golf needs to be more youth oriented, so kids can start at young age, and get better as the years go on.
Every year at Augusta National the Masters golf tournament is played. There are a few other events played during Masters week such as the par 3 competition, many practice rounds, and the youth Drive Chip and Putt. Every year kids from all kinds of age groups compete in the long drive, closest chip, and longest putt. Eight former Masters champions and eight 2015 Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals champions all assembled under the iconic oak behind the Augusta National clubhouse on Sunday and it was hard to distinguish who was more excited. Every kid dreams of competing in the event, but you have to be invited to compete and pay a lot of money to compete. “Being here at Augusta National is a big deal,”said Bubba Watson. “I would have tried to compete in this when I was young. This is an honor.” Both gender groups compete in the event. Morgan Goldstein stood out from the winners in four different age groups, becoming the first competitor to win all three disciplines for a four-point victory in the Girls 12-13 division. “When I stepped up to the first tee I was really nervous, but I calmed down,” said Goldstein, who won the driving portion with a 244-yard drive, chipped in and made a 15-foot putt for the victory. Jay Leng Jr. from Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., who won the 7-9 age group, was almost as impressive in his victory, holing a winning putt in a playoff after finishing tied with Peyton Blackard and Logan Medcalf. “Putting is my strength,” Leng said. “I’m a natural putter.” Effie Perakis from Glenview, Ill., won the Girls 7-9 trophy; Lydia Swan from North East, Pa., the Girls 10-11 division; and Alexandra Swayne from Maineville, Ohio, won a playoff for the Girls 14-15 division title. Jack Peacock from Alpharetta, Ga., won the Boys 10-11 division; George Duangmanee from Fairfax, Va., won a playoff for the Boys 12-13 division title; and Toby Wilson from Bartlett, Tenn., took the Boys 14-15 division crown by a half a point. Every kid watching the Drive Chip and Putt at home wishes they could be competing. This event inspires kids to get out and play.
Should NCAA golfers get paid for winning a tournament? This question comes up more often than not when talking about college golf. People think that no college athlete should be paid regardless of the situation. On the other hand many people think the opposite and think that college athletes deserve to be paid. I think that college golfers should receive prize money if they win a tournament or place in a tournament. I am not saying that they should receive the amount PGA Tour players receive, but if they win a tournament they deserve some money. If the golfers are dedicating 4 days during the week to play in a tournament, I think they deserve some money. The student athletes are supposed to be "students" before athletes, but if you have a golf tournament every week then I do not see how you can be a student first. The golfers are pretty much employees of the college. Although most of the golfers are going to school for free, I still believe they need an income. There is no way a college golfer can juggle school, golf, and a job all at the same time. So if college golfers were rewarded for their great play, there would be no dispute. A small amount of money for the each golfer who wins a tournament would not be a crazy thought. If you are dedicating many hours to practice and not school work, you should be declared as an employee to make the colleges look better. The least the NCAA could do is come up with a small amount of money for the individual golfer who wins a tournament.
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-ncaa-athletes-be-paid
http://www.newhaven.edu/20719.pdf
Every sport in the NCAA always has an illegal scandal almost every year. In 2013 the NCAA golf program was accused for gambling. Golf is the leading sport for all divisions in college sports for gambling. Betting is a large part of country-club culture, and a recent NCAA survey shows that also is the case among college golfers. The total number of athletes both male and female who report wagering on sports has decreased or remained stagnant in all three NCAA divisions since the 2008 study. Men’s golf, however, stands out at every level for high numbers in gambling cases. 1/5 of male D1 golfers reported wagering on sports. Among the men’s golfers surveyed, 56 percent admit to wagering on personal skill, which includes on-course bets. It’s the most frequent betting activity among men’s college golfers, followed by purchasing lottery tickets 45.7 percent, and playing cards for money 43 percent. The Virginia Tech head coach Jay Hardwick does not think on course betting is a violation. “I don’t think it’s a thing that’s out of hand,” Hardwick said. “I've never had guys betting on football, basketball. We’re very adament about that. I think kids going out and playing for a soda, for a dollar, on their own ability, it’s a way to kind of challenge themselves.” He believes that the betting is form of competition. The SMU freshmen were surprised to hear that on course gambling ids prohibited. The SMU team thinks that everyone plays better when money is on the line. To solve all of these problems the college teams are all having compliance meetings every month and the main focus is gambling and wagering. The college teams think the gambling issues are ridiculous, but they are going to follow by the rules.
http://golfweek.com/news/2013/may/09/ncaa-report-gambling-most-widespread-mens-golf/
The fans in Philadelphia are the toughest to please. One minute you can be a hero then the next you are afraid to show your face. Over the years, Philadelphia fans have booed Santa Claus as well as their own star players. They've even booed a guy who just helped the city win a World Series title—while he was getting his ring. Even though Philadelphia fans might be the toughest to satisfy, they have the heart, passion, and determination.
The Philadelphia Eagles owe the city a Super Bowl. The Eagles have been way too close way too many times and still no Super Bowl. The Eagles have lost and gained many supporters throughout the years. This upcoming year is a big test for the Eagles. The Eagles have brought in many new players and got rid of many a couple valuable players. The Eagles in the 2015/2016 will either gain support or lose support by failing or achieving the ultimate goal. A step short of a Super Bowl will be declared a failed season, and Chip Kelly might be on the move if a Super Bowl is not won. Even when the Eagles had a great season and lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, so many fans were beyond disappointed. Every Eagle fan is tired of being almost successful. The entire Eagles organization owes a Super Bowl to the fans of Philadelphia. The drought of no Super Bowls for Philadelphia has to end soon!
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/
There have been many incidents where a fan has crossed the line. A fan might have said something to a player during a game, made racial comments, went streaking on a field, caused violence and disturbance in the stands, or interfering with play during a game. The following rights should be followed by every fan when entering a sporting event.
1. Do not say any comments to a player during game.
- There have been many cases where a fan gets thrown out of a game for saying a comment to a player. Just last year a fan from Texas Tech made a comment to Marcus Smart during the game when a play ended up near the stands. The fan called Smart inappropriate names which offended Smart and led to Smart pushing the fan. "My actions last night were inappropriate and do not reflect myself or Texas Tech -- a university I love dearly. I regret calling Mr. Smart a 'piece of crap' but I want to make it known that I did not use a racial slur of any kind," Orr said in a statement released by Texas. Tech. http://espn.go.com/dallas/story/_/id/10429666/after-marcus-smart-incident-texas-tech-needs-suspend-fan-jeff-orr-rest-season The fan was suspended for the rest of the season from entering the stadium and Smart was suspended 3 games.
2. Do not run on to a field/course/court while a game is still in progress.
- Although it is very funny when you see a fan go streaking on a field during a baseball game and get tackled by security guards, it is disrespect to the sport and game being played. It is against the rules to run onto a field during play. In 2012 at Olympic Club the U.S. Open golf tournament took place. The event resulted in Webb Simpson winning the tournament. During his post victory trophy ceremony, a fan came onto the course and interrupted the ceremony. You very rarely hear of a fan misbehaving at a golf event, but this fan did a very odd thing. The fan ran in front of the camera and started making bird noises. The man was quickly arrested, but he now has the reputation of the Birdman. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_rR6j4flbw&noredirect=1
3. Do not interfere with play.
-This rule usually applies to fans at a baseball game. The fan reaches over the fence to catch a home run and interferes with play and the umpires award a home run when the ball was clearly not going over the fence. This happened to Derek Jeter when he hit a ball that seemed to be short of the fence but a fan reached over to touch the ball and the ump awards a home run. That home run tied the game and even Jeter said after the game that it was interference, but Jeter did not care. http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v3345251/bb-moments-96-alcs-gm-1-fan-helps-jeters-homer. The most famous case is the Steve Bartman incident. Steve reached over and touched a foul ball that eventually cost his team the playoff series. This case was different than the Jeter case because the fan that touched jeters home run helped out his home team, but the Bartman case was completely different. Steve was tormented and he eventually went into hiding after this incident happened to him. Every Cub fan hates Steve Bartman because he put a curse on the team and the entire organization. http://m.mlb.com/video/v3188917/2003-nlcs-gm-6-bartman-interference
Many people know Johnny Miller as a professional golfer back in the day. Johnny was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 US Open, and he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. Miller won 25 PGA Tour events, including two majors. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998. Although Miller was a great golfer, he is still one of the best golf analysts of all time. He is currently the lead golf analyst for NBC Sports, a position he has held since January 1990. Johnny Miller is famous for calling the play by play for the US Open every year. Unfortunately no one will be hearing Miller's voice or anyone's voice from NBC during the US Open, due to FOX sports taking over the US Open starting this year. We may not be hearing Johnny Miller's voice for the US Open, but his broadcasting career is surely not over. NBC will still cover the Ryder Cup and the Players Championship. Many fans will miss hearing Miller talk about his 63 in the 1973 US Open, but we will still hear Miller criticize fashion choices and question USGA pin placements. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/06/johnny-miller-nbc-goodbye-us-open Many people have mixed feelings about Miller. Usually every article about Miller starts off with "love him or hate him". Johnny Miller loves to point out the weaknesses of golfers. When a player makes a mistake on Sunday, Miller is quick to say "That's nerves". Sometimes it may be nerves and sometimes it might of just been a poor golf shot. Johnny Miller is the only guy to be able to criticize a golfer and get away with it because hes Johnny Miller and no one is going to tell him different. The players should have been thanking Johnny all along—he was helping them by illuminating to the viewer the exquisite torture of tournament golf. Johnny wasn’t a critic, he was a serial empathizer. http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/johnny-miller-case-him-golfs-best-announcer. All in all Johnny Miller is the perfect analyst for the game of golf.
The media is a vital aspect to all sports. The media covers all sports and gives an input on every game or big story. Golf has a major TV contract with the Golf Channel, NBC, and CBS. The golf majors like the Masters, the U.S, the British Open, and the PGA Championship are covered on NBC and CBS. Most of the golf tournaments on Sunday are aired on NBC and CBS too. Recently Fox sports signed a TV contract with the PGA Tour. Fox now gets to broadcast the US Open starting in 2015. "Though financial terms weren't disclosed, a person with knowledge of the
negotiations said the Fox bid was in the neighborhood of $100 million a
year, more than double the previous contract." "NBC Sports had been televising the U.S. Open since 1995 at Shinnecock
Hills, with Miller as its shoot-from-the-hip analyst who became as much
of the show as the golf itself." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/07/fox-sports-us-open-golf-nbc_n_3722695.html
Besides the major TV companies covering important majors, the Golf Channel airs on a daily basis. The Golf Channel was founded in 1995 and was co-founded by Arnold Palmer. The Golf Channel was the first single-sport cable network. Tournaments, TV shows, and analysis on players are all shown on the Golf Channel everyday. The Golf Channel plays one of their most famous shows Big Break, and the viewers sky rocket every time the show plays. The ratings have spiked a tremendous amount the past four years. http://www.golfchannel.com/news/press-releases/golf-channel-posts-four-best-years-network-history-highest-rated-and-second-most-watched-year-ever/ The Golf Channel is a very popular program and important information is covered everyday.
Although TV is the main source of media there are other types of media in golf. The main secondary source of media is the popular magazine, Golf Digest. Golf Digest covers every aspect of golf. The magazine was founded in 1952. Golf Digest is famous for their hot list. The hot list tells you about all the new clubs, and what the ratings are on each new club. Golf Digest also gives out golf lessons in the magazine. There are pictures of the lessons and what to do and not to do. The magazine advertises all the golf equipment, which leads the many companies benefiting from the magazine. Golf Digest is very popular and useful for all the fans of golf.
In sports, professional athletes are supposed to be the hero and a role model for every kid. All kids look up to the greats of the game. As a kid I looked up to Allen Iverson, Terrell Owens, Chase
Utley, and Tiger Woods. My favorite athlete and role model was Tiger Woods. Although Tiger has had some terrible off field issues, but he is still my favorite athlete. Although many people stopped liking Tiger after what he did to his wife, I stayed with him the entire way. Many people began to drop Tiger as a role model and think of the new young golfers as role models. For example, many people converted to Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler. When Rory was winning all of the tournaments everyone became a Rory fan. Everyone looked up to Rory and there was talk he is the next greatest golfer to ever live. The biggest role model to kids was Rickie Fowler. Rickie Fowler is young golfer who makes the game more exciting. He wears flashy clothes and all the kids want to be Rickie. A lot of kids buy Rickie's famous Puma, bright, flashy clothes. Role models in sports are important for the game and for fans of the game.
In professional sport leagues there are some of the greatest athletes in the world competing against each other. Although the athletes are great on the field, there are many cases where athletes have off field issues. Most people think that there would never be a professional golfer with off field issues. Little do people know golfers have been found guilty for cocaine usage, alcoholism, gambling, and cheating on their wives. Tiger Woods is most famous for having off the course issues. Tiger has been found guilty for cheating on his wife. In 2009 Tiger Woods career went downhill after he got caught sleeping with 121 girls. "Woods shocked fans in December 2009 when he publicly admitted to cheating on his now ex-wife Elin Nordegren."http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/10/tiger-woods-reputation_n_3417137.html Tiger was in the prime of his career before his cheating scandal took place. He was winning all kinds of tournaments and majors. Everyone thought he was going to be the greatest golfer to ever live. Tiger still to this day is chasing Jack's record of 18 majors. Tiger stands at 14 majors and as sad as it to say I do not think he is going to break the record. Tiger does still have many opportunities to break the record, but he is running out of time due to his injuries. Tigers last major win was the US Open in 2008 and that was before he was caught cheating. Sports writers who say "Tiger can't win without his girls" might have been joking, but Tiger literally can not win without his girls. According to the numbers, Tiger has not won a major after he was caught and only won 3 tournaments since being caught. Tiger Woods has been in the decline of his career ever since the big cheating scandal in 2009.
The Super Bowl is the most watched sports event every year. Even if your not a fan of the game, or your team isn't in the game, you still end up watching the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is filled with entertainment, leading to the many viewers of the game. Many people watch the Super Bowl for the commercials and the half time show. So I think the way to bring in more viewers and revenue for the game of golf is to make the commercials better. A lot of people do not even know how to the professional golf league works. So I think the PGA tour should advertise better. The PGA tour needs to tell viewers when the US Open, the British Open, the PGA Championship, and the most watched tournament the Masters. Some people would not bother watching any of these major tournaments. By making the commercials funny and entertaining, golf would be revolutionized. As of right now golf is depicted by having old people be the only viewers. By adding entertaining commercials the viewers would change from old people to modern day viewers. The ratings would increase tremendously along with the viewers. Sunday at Augusta would be compared to the top sports events of the year.
The most viewed event in sports entertainment was played this past Sunday, February 1st, 2015. The Super Bowl is the biggest game throughout all sports. The ticket prices show for the popularity of this huge event. The New England Patriots representing the AFC faced up against the defending champs the Seattle Seahawks from the NFC. The ticket prices sky rocketed as the date of the Super Bowl came closer and closer. By the Saturday before the Super Bowl the cheapest ticket a person could buy was $11,505.Even if my favorite team made the big game I would never consider spending that money. Not only are the tickets ridiculously priced, but you still have to buy a flight ticket and a place to sleep and stay. Imagine if you buy the tickets 2 weeks before the Super Bowl for $4000 and you think its a great deal. So you catch a flight to Arizona to receive your tickets from your broker, but unexpectedly your tickets are unavailable because your broker sells your tickets tickets to another customer for double or triple to money. This is what happened to a fan named Phil Villareal. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” wrote the broker. “This is what happened. Terrible for both of us. Your tickets are still in New England. The guy who was bringing them to me can’t get a flight out due to the terrible inclement weather.”http://consumerist.com/2015/02/04/ticket-broker-cant-deliver-customers-4k-super-bowl-tix-until-local-news-gets-involved/ Phil could not get in touch with his broker or UberSeat. Phil decided to go to the news about his story. Miraculously once the news got involved UberSeat found two tickets for Phil. To avoid Phil's situation and many other unfortunate fans, you should go to reliable source like Costco. Instead of a broker who could get rid of your tickets faster than you can ask why, buying a Super Bowl package at Costco is a better plan.
