The coverage of E. Woods (sorry, I just can’t use the “T” word anymore) is something that hadn’t really been addressed in the media before Ed Sherman’s June 15 column. I can imagine that some criticism of Woods would have a racial tinge to it–any prominent and extraordinary athlete of color faces racism to some degree. Please allow me to express my non-racially motivated criticism of the coverage.
I’ve been an avid golfer for nearly 20 years now and have enjoyed sitting down on a Sunday afternoon to watch a tournament–nothing compares to a closely contested final round of a major. While Woods’ talent is undeniable, I find it disturbing that the television media covering the tournaments he plays in are overly biased in the way he’s presented.
First off, do we really need to see him taking drinks of water or circling a putt for five minutes at a time? The thing that really makes the TV bias prominent in my mind are the leaderboards. If you ever notice, golfers with the same finishing scores are always listed alphabetically on the TV leaderboards–except Woods. In those instances where he’s not leading, his name is always placed as high on the leaderboard as possible within his score–even when others below him are alphabetical. I know this sounds trite, but it really upsets me how TV milks Woods and his name for all he’s worth at the expense of some of the world’s greatest golfers. In these days of the media hyping anything that’s popular, I’m waiting for the evolution of the “Tiger Cam” or showing Woods’ score in the top left of the screen as is done with baseball or hockey games.
No doubt Woods has brought golf to levels of popularity never dreamed of 20 years ago. His talent is amazing and should be covered prominently. But please, let’s be fair to the other 50 or so elite golfers who are talented as well–and have paid the same price on the practice range that Woods has. Let’s also hope that with all this coverage and attention Woods doesn’t turn into the Allen Iverson of golf . . . said with a smile.
