It seems SI.com golf columnist Rick Arnett finally reached the front the line of people waiting to smack LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens.
In his Inside Golf column posted June 27, Arnett writes that “Bivens’ short reign has been fraught with dissension, distraction, alienation, anxiety, desertion and mutiny among the troops.”
Arnett mentions a few of the lowlights of the Bivens era and writes that it “… makes one wonder about entrusting Bivens to run a lemonade stand. The oft-ridiculed MLB commissioner Bud Selig looks like a genius by comparison.”
B.O.B. readers will remember how Nike/golf sensation Michelle Wie chimed in on the AP/LPGA flap back in February, when the tour placed new restrictions on press credentials, in essence trying to grant itself use of all press photos taken at an LPGA event - forever (the restriction was lifted before the final round). Wie said Bivens’ policy was “kinda stupid”.
Prediction time: With gaff after gaff and (according to Arnett) 12 sponsor-less events next season, Bivens is looking for another job by Christmas.
(Phone calls to Ty Votaw for comment were not returned. Or placed.)
| « Prior to British Open, writer Lawrence Donegan gets in on the Michelle Wie bashing | What was Tiger Woods thinking at the U.S. Open? » |
Comment feed for this post
Jason Scott Deegan:
The Accidental Golfer:
Katharine Dyson:
Kiel Christianson:
Bivens' LPGA truly lacks awareness of its audience.
Bivens restrictions on content were aimed at photogs who distribute content by phone, internet, and electronic device. The old days of "photogs" taking "pictures" are long gone. The tour and the TV networks are not going to allow content gathering on course for the single reason of profit for a paper or magazine. Many other sports are finding themselves in similar situations, including the NFL who just banned sideline "photogs."
Bivens deserves a chance to do what she was asked to do, change what has been wrong with the LPGA and bring them up to speed in the international sports marketplace.
Without going into too much detail, they just don't have the necessary perspective, they don't see the big picture.
Does the LPGA or USGA randomly allocate tee times and could they not have given Michelle a later start to generate TV interest by the time ESPN or NBC comes on in the afternoon ?
Seems smart marketing to me but maybe Bivens can't figure that out yet
Julleete