When I wrote a column calling David Duval the Mike Tyson of golf, I knew someone would come flying in with an outraged, “How can you compare the princely, good-guy Duval to a convicted rapist!”
If anything it surprised me how long it took. It wasn’t mentioned until the eighth upset Duval fan’s letter. And then the writer Stuart seemed more upset that Tyson had his face tattooed than raped Desiree Washington.
Which proves the point.
No one’s booing Tyson because he has a rape on his record. Sadly, that wasn’t what outraged sports fans who attended the first stop on Tyson’s exhibition “tour.” No, fans in Youngstown, Ohio let loose because Tyson’s exhibition turned out to be exactly that - an exhibition, not anything resembling a fight.
In other words, Tyson gets scorned for doing the same thing that Duval’s doing - wringing a few more paychecks out of the public’s overblown memory of him in his prime.
Only, Duval gets cheered because of his phony-ringing supposed love of the game.
Both Duval and Tyson are hanging on long after becoming competitively irrelevant.
There’s one major difference. Tyson acknowledges that’s exactly what he’s doing. He admits he’d consider fighting a woman for the right amount of cash. He probably wouldn’t rule out a horse. Tyson endlessly analyzes himself in public, baring his soul and whatever weird state it’s in whether he’s talking to a national TV pundit or a reporter from some podunk paper.
Duval makes it out like he’s this tortured inner artist, playing for the love of the game now that the really big prize checks are a thing of the past. He’d rather be home with his wonderful wife and kids of course, but something’s driving him to keep pushing through an aching back. Not that he wants to talk about it. If this Duval sounds like every character Kevin Costner’s ever played in a movie, there’s good reason for that.
One of things Duval conveniently never wanted to talk about was the huge dollar Nike contract he signed back when he was good that ran through this season. The contract that gave Duval millions of reasons to be so “noble.”
And yes, if you only read the reader comments section on the front of TravelGolf.com, you’d think that only letters to Tim McDonald get recognized (I believe McDonald’s lap boy handles the mail).
But I’ll always read them. And I’ll call you on it when you try to throw a rape in with a face tattoo. And dispute a brilliant point.
David Duval is the Mike Tyson of golf. Whether you want to admit it or not.
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The Accidental Golfer:
Brandon Tucker:
Mark Nessmith:
Jason Scott Deegan:
where he was portarayed as being unable
to hit....?
David Duvall has regained his form enough
to earn his way into the tournaments he
plays. He is no longer a factor to win,
but the same is true for most PGA players.
It is hard to see why PGA golf would be
better if he were replaced by an even
weaker player. Tyson's matches are not
serious boxing--are you saying the
PGA events where Duvall plays are not
serious golf?
At first I thought that maybe you weren’t being serious about Duval and Tyson, but in the light of your latest travesty masquerading as journalism it’s evident you believe in your bizarre theory.
Firstly, where in my reply do I make Tyson’s face tattoo a priority over the rape case? It seems that maybe you don’t read your responses that well after all? Anyway, that’s a side issue to the main point in question, and that’s your increasingly profound efforts at rationalising the Duval/Tyson synergy.
The fulcrum of your point is money, and in your words, both parties shameless efforts to flog their respective dead horses for a few dollars more. Oddly, you completely ignore one crucial element and one which renders your argument as fatally flawed. You see, there’s one subtle difference; Tyson has no alternative but to sell his soul for a few bucks, his well documented, self-inflicted financial position has seen him degenerate into a circus freak show all in the name of cold, hard cash.
Duval meanwhile, is sufficiently affluent that immediate retirement is eminently possible, no worries. He doesn’t have subject himself to five hours of public consternation and pride reducing embarrassment on mostly Thursday’s and Friday’s. He could walk away now, go and fish and snowboard and be a father courtesy of his many wins and lucrative (and deserved) endorsement deals. Did you ever stop to think that it’s not about money with Duval? Have you thought that Duval doesn’t need the money? I can’t help but feel you’re confusing Duval with Daly, after all, the latter has Marlborough’s to buy, alimony to deal with, not to mention all that chocolate, beer and lost weekends in Vegas. Oh yes, Duval finished some twenty places ahead of JD in this years PGA Tour money list, and, big John is like a walking billboard, garnering precious funds from all and sundry. Also, have you heard John’s songs? Now we are talking about the tortured artist!!
Also, have you heard that Duval’s collegiate coach Puggy Blackmon has relinquished much of his duties at Georgia Tech in order to work more with Duval? Would Duval allow a friend to compromise his own career if he was merely going through the motions? Come on Chris, you’ve got to look a little deeper than your own personal prejudices if your argument is going hold water. Don’t forget Hal Sutton, remember how he fell on the face of planet golf? He is very same man who went toe to toe with Tiger to win the TPC at Sawgrass in 2000 and also won the Tour Championship a couple of years previous, not to mention players like Justin Rose and Lee Westwood who have fallen to rise once more.
As for the Nike contract; Duval garnered that deal through what he’d bought to the game. Do not forget that David was with Nike when he won the Open at Lytham, so they’ve had a degree of mileage out of him. In Tiger Woods, Nike had their emphatic success story whilst Duval allowed Nike the opportunity to demonstrate their philanthropic aspect, a caring sharing facet if you like. Duval’s nobility came long before any deal with Nike; do you want me to go into what transpired with his late brother?
Chris, please continue to read your reader’s replies, it sounds very much as though your opinions would benefit from the objectivity. I am happy that you’ve deemed your own work as a ‘brilliant point’. However, I could not help but smile when news broke this week that Tyson has just agreed to be one of Heidi Fleiss’ escorts, a male prostitute if you will –
(http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2006/11/16/mike_tyson_to_be_a_prostitute)
. You will be sad to hear though, that there was no news on Duval’s nocturnal activities, maybe you can get to work and unearth some seedy revelation for your next piece? Or just possibly, your brilliant point may have lost a little lustre along the way?
I, like Duval, will let others judge the brilliance of my work; I think they call it humility.
Yours,
Stuart.
stuartonthelinks@hotmail.co.uk