Sep 29

Phil Mickelson's joke about the FedEx Cup is no joke

“Let me get this straight. I just shot 65 on Sunday to win by three shots, while Tiger shot 69. But he gets $10 million and I get $1 million. No, he he he, I’m just joking.”

That was Phil Mickelson’s response (paraphrased) to a post-round query of his thoughts on the FedEx Cup. Pretty funny, the way he pointed out the absurdity of the whole playoff system. I’m all for a playoff-style event but the only way the general public will consider this a true playoff is if two things happen: 1) Whoever is in first place has a chance of getting knocked out in every round - you know, like every other playoff in the sporting world - and 2) the winner of the championship round is crowned champion.

This parallel point-system has many flaws. It is fine for determining the field for the playoffs themselves. Of course, the money list would do the job just as well. But the point system must be reset to zero at the beginning of the playoffs if not discarded altogether. No team in professional sports starts the elimination process with a handicapped lead. And you don’t get one as the playoffs progress either. Could you imagine the winner of the Kentucky Derby starting the Preakness with a head start on the field? Of course not, because that would be ridiculous.

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9 comments

Comment from: Michael Thomas [Visitor]

So the nascar cup should only be given to the winner of the last race- Nice genius. Mickelson would have been knocked out the first 3 events under your lameness. Comparing a team to golf playoffs shows your ignorance. Tiger beat Mickelson by 40 strokes in 4 playoff events enough said genius

09/29/09 @ 19:03

Comment from: Adam [Visitor]

The joke was that Mickelson forgot that he earned $3 million from the FedEx Cup race in addition to the $1.35 million from the tournament.

I can understand some writers and fans being critics, but I'm surprised that any of the players would object to what is really just a monetary bonus pool for them. Get rid of the FedEx Cup and it's just $35 million less in prize money for them to earn. I don't know what Phil was talking about. That he should win the FedEx Cup for winning one tournament or a lower round? Heh.

09/29/09 @ 22:56

Comment from: Frank Fitton [Visitor]

The Fed-Ex cup is a desperate marketing farce that has to at this point be chalked up as a failure. There's no way its ever going to take tv ratings away from football, and most importantly the golfers don't really care about it. It was modeled after the Nascar Chase for the Cup obviously, but the difference is that drivers care about the championship. A driver might play it safe to preserve his points standings because it matters. No way is a golfer not going to take a chance on the 18th in order to preserve points. That's just the nature of the beast, and there's no need to change it.

I understand how its a win for the PGA tour, they after all get to sell naming rights to Fed-Ex for something that they pretty much created out of thin air so that's a pretty sweet deal. The whole thing however is just a big distraction. Phil was the big winner on Sunday, winning the aptly named "Tour Championship", but they had to have Tiger reign in on his parade winning this farce. Its a shame.

Check out my blog on the Fed-Ex cup farce at...... http://www.gosellcrazy.com/2009/09/fed-ex-cup-ploy/

09/29/09 @ 23:32

Comment from: Shanks [Member]

Genius here. (Too funny, by the way.) Nascar Cup is a joke. My solution will be coming right up in next blog.

09/30/09 @ 07:30

Comment from: Gary [Visitor]

Your own analogy illuminates the fallacy of your logic. According to you, the horse that's ahead at the end of the race shouldn't be declared the winner because some nag made up three links in the final straight and, thus, should have been declared the winner.
The FedEx Cup is a race and, assuming you have a big enough lead going into the final turn, the entire field can cut into your lead before you hit the wire and you're still the winner.
As to Frank's comments about the whole thing being a farce like the Nascar Cup, what does he think every sporting event is? College football bowl games - made up to boost tourist traffic. The Triple Crown - totally a marketing ploy to boost the profile of horse racing. Golf's Grand Slam - totally a figment of some sports writers imagination.
But, when they have been around as long as the examples mentioned, they become accepted as important touchstones of sport. It doesn't mean they're bad, doesn't mean they're great. That's just what they've become.

09/30/09 @ 12:04

Comment from: Shanks [Member]

I understand HOW it works. It's just that it sucks.

09/30/09 @ 13:23

Comment from: Engagement Photo In San Francisco [Visitor]

The solution is to gradually become free of societal rewards and learn how to substitute for them rewards that are under one's own powers. This is not to say that we should abandon every goal endorsed by society; rather, it means that, in addition to or instead of the goals others use to bribe us with, we develop a set of our own.

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