Dec 01

Annika Sorenstam gets an undeserved free ride from Tiger Woods & Michelle Wie criticism

Michelle Wie takes her lumps even as she collects millions in hype money. Tiger Woods hears criticism that’s both deserved and absurd.

Heck, even Chris DiMarco has at least one vocal regular critic.

Yet, Annika Sorenstam muddles through a season, meekly cedes the Player of the Year title to Lorena Ochoa, losses more award streaks than an old home run hitter in the steroids era … and practically no one says a word about it.

Can you imagine if Tiger saw a five-peat Player of the Year award run end? If another player doubled Tiger’s victory total for the season? The words Tiger Slump would be flying around so quickly that his head would be spinning and Butch Harmon would be grinning.

When Sorenstam’s dominant reign ends it’s not even the lead story in golf, let alone a blip in the overall sports world. American Idol fame fader Clay Aiken can make thousand times more news by putting his hand over Kelly Ripa’s mouth.

Part of this is due to the fact that it’s Sorenstam, the champion nobody cares about.

But it also shows how little the LPGA still matters.

Sure, Wie draws interests (in large part because her handlers promised she would revolutionize the game, only to forget that pesky winning part). Other youngsters like Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel have their diehard backers, many there because they simply want to root for a golfer who hasn’t been handed everything.

But you don’t find many overall fans of the LPGA like you will with the PGA Tour, which let’s face it, isn’t exactly NASCAR itself. Where are the LPGA fans obsessed with their tour’s Chris DiMarco equivalent?

That’s a silly question when you consider that the undisputed top player in several generations cannot quicken anyone’s pulse. Sorenstam went from averaging 8.6 wins per year for five years straight - never winning less than six tournaments in a year - to three wins (including one major) this season. She didn’t play in one late season event when she had a chance to pressure Ochoa, missed the cut in the season-ending ADT Championships.

And nobody noticed. Your loss LPGA.

« Criticizing Tiger Woods for Dubai fits narrow-minded American stereotypes

Denver Broncos legend John Elway one of the few still admitting rooting for Michelle Wie »

15 comments

§ patricia said on : 2006-12-01 @ 17:11
The LPGA is just now coming into its own... just now marketing itself in a way that's engaging and entertaining. Though Annika is undeniably an absolutely extraordinary player, she is, quite frankly, rather boring in every other regard, and the fact that she's so thoroughly dominated LPGA play for so long has probably hurt rather then helped. I think what's happening now, younger and/or more entertaining players winning more tournaments, will bring more viewers and fans. Will the LPGA quickly become as popular as the PGA tour? No more then Men's golf will overtake NASCAR. That's just the way it is.
§ Stanley said on : 2006-12-01 @ 20:08
Chris Balwin,
That was actually a very good and well written blog. Credit to you for a fine piece of work.

It is very true that very few people care what Annika does. Actually there was a golf tournament on very recently and one of the commentators mentioned how Annika was completely dominating the lpga tour.

This despite the fact that she was getting beaten by Ochoa in a number of tournaments.

The fact is, the commentator didn't realise that Annika wasn't winning that much. The news hadn't actually filtered through to him yet.

That's because he doesn't care at all about the lpga tour. He is a typical golf fan. They spout out something about oh Annika's so dominant, yet they probably didn't watch any of her victories.

They like Annika because she is willing to stay on the lpga tour, where they don't have to bother watching her.

How long will it take for the news to filter through to the commentators, who mention the dominant Annika as if they cared about the lpga tour.

By they time they figure out that Annika isn't that dominant, she will probably have won her first 5 events of the 2007 season regaining dominance, and they will announce that she is going through some bad form.
§ Judge Smails said on : 2006-12-01 @ 23:00
Yeah, Stanley, but I hear that Sorenstam is going to embark on an arduous training regimen that will enable her to gain muscle mass and distance. Perhaps this will allow her to dominate and make her more exciting.
§ Dave Marrandette said on : 2006-12-02 @ 07:19
Patricia, some really good points on AK. She's a lovely and gracious lady but very vanilla in her approach to life.

The LPGA is just now coming into its own... Unfortunately we've hearing this for years now and we're still waiting for it to happen. Perhaps the new CMO will have a little success.
§ Curtis said on : 2006-12-02 @ 11:38
Hey Chris.
Are you saying that Annika didn't win all those
tournaments? That she was somhow handed the
wins for some other reason, or for just showing up.

I seem to detect a trend here, people bitch when
Annika wins, they bitch when she loses. Tiger also had
a year similar to Annika's and he bounced back.

We all know tha LPGA is not as popular as PGA, but
there are some of us who enjoy it. We also realize that
none of those lady golfers will ever touch Annika's records. At least until Michele starts to win,and she will, eventually.
Annika is a great golfer, it is pure joy watching her play. I seldom watch for the personality of any golfer.

You do realize that there are plenty of golfers on the PGA tour who have not won a tourney in..............
forever. Give them a little love write a blog on the
true forgotten man.

Annika is doing just fine,thankyou.
§ Joe Cool said on : 2006-12-02 @ 21:25
BECAUSE SHE IS BOOOOORING!!
§ Oliver Sudden said on : 2006-12-02 @ 21:47
Joe Cool has it right. It would be like Chad Campbell dominating the men's tour. Also, she never says anything not scripted by IMG, makes no effort to look good, and blew the U.S. Womens Open that Hilary Lunke won. We golf fans love the Arnold Palmer type player that puts on the big charge. I do enjoy the "new" LPGA with attractive women who can really play. Some may say appearance shouldn't matter and they would be correct but the reality is it does matter.
§ Curtis said on : 2006-12-02 @ 22:20
What are you guys? 15 yrs.old???????
§ Judge Smails said on : 2006-12-03 @ 14:50
Like it or not, sport is entertainment, and characters are what attract the crowds.
§ Boon Dock said on : 2006-12-05 @ 14:17
Judge Smails....

Base on what you say...wouldn't you say Wie is a 'character' that attracts the crowd?
§ Judge Smails said on : 2006-12-05 @ 19:48
Boon,

Please, don't be coy. I know what point you're trying to make and I understand market principles infinitely better than the leftists who support Bubbles. So, my answer to you is that I agree with half of your statement. Bubbles DOES attract crowds, but not because she's a character, for she isn't. Also, while I don't fault businesses for responding to market forces insofar as such a response is ethical, I DO fault them when they behave like pimps. Anything for a buck? No, anything wholesome for a buck. Porn sells too, you know.
§ Boon Dock said on : 2006-12-06 @ 09:00
Judge Smails,

If Bubble does attract crowds, what would you attribute that to if not for her being a character?

BTW, how does the term Bubble come about?
§ SM said on : 2006-12-06 @ 12:25
I believe " Bubble" come from Alex
§ Judge Smails said on : 2006-12-06 @ 13:15
Boon,

We all know why she attracts crowds. It's the freak show factor. The "battle of the sexes" element always sparks interest. And, of course, the media have been hyping her to the nth degree.
§ Baby Blue Eyes said on : 2006-12-06 @ 17:20
So Wie is being paraded around like a freak show.

I think given her performance post-US Women Open, that is pretty much bang on. Until then, her performance were not great, but very respectable. After that, it turned into a trance....