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The One Golf Man Not Afraid To Call Out Tiger Woods (and indirectly, all of the golf media)
Saturday January 19, 2008 | 18:06:04 383 words, 1955 views
In a very open blog entry, Will Wolfrum writes
Those are good questions. Number one, based on Q-School results (numbers blind to race) and Nationwide Tour standings (also blind to race) is easy to answer and impossible to accept and defend. Come to think of it, so is the answer to number two. The audio and visual images of the past two weeks have brought racial intolerance to the fore in golf. Imagine, then, being the one golfer on the PGA Tour of African-American heritage or the two announcers forced to carry the banner of something thrust upon them by birth? Farrell Evans, golf writer for Sports Illustrated, says that like it or not, these representatives must stand up, must represent, must carry on. In two recent articles, Evans asks Tiger Woods (and by extension, all people of color) to utilize his position in the world’s eye for a greater purpose. In the first article, Evans asks in the piece’s title “Is Tiger a Disappointment?” and ends his thoughts with
In the latter article, Evans closes by noting
I’m not privy to the professional relationship between Tiger Woods and Farrell Evans. Giving that Evans shies not from writing tough words on a difficult topic in an international forum, I’d like to think Tiger’s take would be one of respect. At this volatile moment in the golf media’s history, the question of respect should be our only guiding beam of light. 
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Comment from: William K. Wolfrum [Member]
 · http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/william.wolfrum
I broached this a while back in a blog entry "Tiger Woods the epitome of today's non-activist athlete". (www.worldgolf.com/blogs/william.wolfrum/2007/12/13/tiger_woods_the_epitome_of_today_s_non_a)
Personally, Tiger doesn't owe anyone anything really. But the words of his father, hyperbolic as they were that Tiger would change the world still echo. He's still quite young, but it does seem Tiger is much more interested in being a billionaire than anything else. Let me add, of course, he does a lot of charitable work, which is to be commended. Still ... Bill 
01/19/08 @ 19:26
Comment from: Oliver Sudden [Visitor]
As long as people, especially media people, count the number of participants in everything by race we will never make any progress. The truth is if you counted the number of Irish Americans on the PGA Tour or working on air at the golf channel you might find they are under represented. Must be discrimination.
01/19/08 @ 20:15
Comment from: Brandon Tucker [Visitor]
· http://worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker
It's too bad not everyone could just shake this whole incident off like Tiger and instead keeps fueling the fire. Finchem is right, this thing should have died long ago. Shame on Sharpton, shame on Golfweek, shame on those now calling out Tiger. We really can't handle golf when he's not in the spotlight, huh?
Frankly I can't stand it when actors and celebs feel the need to spread their half-informed opinion about the war, government, etc. If Tiger doesn't feel the need to speak out any more than he has so be it. If anything, this whole fiasco is going to scare minorities away from golf before the "discussion" is going to welcome them - and for what, a stupid on-air comment on cable TV? In front of a Friday night audience where half the people had fallen asleep on the la-z-boy anyways?
01/19/08 @ 22:06
Comment from: Ron Mon [Member]
Lucid point, Mr. Tucker. Remember when you were about five, and Fuzzy Zoeller shut Payne Stewart up when asked about the Shoal Creek incident? Fuzzy said something to the tune of "We're golfers, not social experts. Don't ask us deep questions." Only Farrell Evans and Tiger Woods know if what Farrell wants from Tiger is acceptable and desirable. The rest of us are simple spectators.
01/20/08 @ 09:58
Comment from: PaulinGilbert [Visitor]
Tiger Woods is more Asian than he is black. Let's start with that genetic component. Lynching is an equal opportunity sport. I come from the West where there is a long and honorable history of lynching. It was almost exclusively whites where I am from.
Lynching is an act where vigilanties get justice by taking the law into their own hands. This is done because the law has failed them or does not exist. Benito Mussolini was lynched by an Italian mob. Why cannot Tiger be lynched by his fellow golfers? They are not lynching him because he is black, they are lynching him because it is the only way to get economic justice in professional golf. Blacks do not OWN the word "lynching." We all OWN the word. And Tiger did the right thing by ignoring it. The Golf Channel, which I will never watch again, and that stupid golf magazine, which I will never read again, took offense to something that was nonoffensive. They just showed how ignorance they really are.
01/20/08 @ 23:37
Comment from: Ron K [Visitor]
Excellent points and discussion by all. Kelly's choice of words were unfortunate, but she said that comfortably because of the relationship that even Tiger admitted existed....no harm, no foul. Apology accepted. Golfweek was cashing in and those morrons deserve what they got. Sharpton does nothing but stir up the world, which is his right but no one has to give him creedance.
I'm old enought to remember the Fuzzy comments.....it was meant to be flip. We have all said stupid things. You can't fix stupid, but people need to be real upon just who it harmed and tell the rest to butt out. I'm not that big of a Tiger fan. I watch for the shot he pulls out of his keester once in a while, not to sit and watch his ever shot as he runs away from a field. I'm not a fan of Tiger for receiving $50M from Nike before he even played a PGA event, but he has done wonderful things charitable with his money to help others. We can't appologize because of lack of blacks on Tour. They all get the chance the same way thru Q School. Tiger owes no one anything. He's good, he takes, he gives back, he is entertaining. 'Nuff said.
01/26/08 @ 15:35 Leave a comment: |
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