The One Golf Man Not Afraid To Call Out Tiger Woods (and indirectly, all of the golf media)

In a very open blog entry, Will Wolfrum writes

How about this discussion: How is it even possible that there is only one African-American on the PGA Tour?

Or: Why does the Golf Channel have 33 on-air announcers, but only two of color?

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

The changes we hoped for in 1997 have not materialized, but people of color still follow Tiger as he strides the golf courses of the world. Like the crowds that followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, all they have is their belief in him. Until something more authentic comes along, Tiger is their best hope.

In the latter article, Evans closes by noting

Woods doesn’t have to become a civil-rights spokesman, but he could have at least acknowledged that he understands the meaning of the word, and how powerful and hurtful it remains.

In other words, wouldn’t it be nice if for once Woods saw himself as the heir not only to Jack Nicklaus but also to Jackie Robinson?

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.