As I keep reading and hearing this "is golf a sport" argument, I am starting to feel like Will Leitch during any of these "bloggers blog from their mom's basement" remarks that continue to find themselves in the output of the MSM.
As Leitch put it, "Seriously: We don't even have the energy to summon much outrage here."
No matter, I think it's worth bringing up since two "prestigious" sports journalists wrote here and here that golf isn't a sport.
You know, fine. If you believe golf isn't a sport, fine. I'm a man and steak isn't my favorite food. Also, I own all the seasons of "Friends." Yep, nobody fits the mold exactly and I understand this.
My big problem with this argument is simple -- if golf isn't a sport, why are you, a sports writer, taking the time to type away about it? Wouldn't that be like the Weather Channel giving me stock tips?
Listen, golf is full of lazy fucks, I understand that. Guys like John Daly and Lumpy and Carl Pettersson don't exactly scream "burning calories" while playing 18 holes, but those are now the minority.
Look here or here or even here.
The arguments against golfers are stale. "They only walk!" "They don't make physical contact with anyone!" "They DRINK BEER!"
Michael Lewis runs with this point for a while in his article on Bloomberg:
See: Golfers play hurt!
See: You can even get hurt playing golf!!!
Well, you can get hurt playing darts, too. Or hiking. Bowling can be seriously hazardous, if you don't know what you're doing. Play with enough passion and you can even injure yourself in a spirited game of Monopoly. (I once cut my finger grabbing Park Place.)
I don't even know where to start. I know Lewis is a great writer, but can't this argument be made for every sport?
Would you find it absurd if the next time Drew Brees drops back and gets knocked out, I could whine, "What a WIMP! My nephew knocked himself off walking down stairs!"
Whatever, it's an argument that will never be resolved. People that don't like golf think it's a stupid game, people that love golf think it's a sport.
I guess if you've never really been in a pressure situation on the course and shoot 100 every time out, it's hard to understand how "sport" golf can really be.
That's really sad too because golf is an amazing sport to play.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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2 comments:
This argument still pi$$e$ me off... Anyone can hit a golf ball you say? looking at the math of a 150mph swing speed, the multi-planar rotation and accelarations try imagining how tiny the margin for error is in clubface direction when trying to hit a ball 300 yards into a target 20 yards wide.
"hitting a fastball" is the hardest thing to do? golf balls aren't moving? all baseball players have to DO is make contact with it. They're hitting it where 9 people aren't. Golfers are, all of them, the best in the world even, all trying to put a tiny ball in one or two, elusive perfect spots, from not only many distances and angles, but lies, types of grass, elevation changes and wind. And thats before the fact that you really think about that fact that when Tiger stands on a tee of a 600yard (thats 1800 feet to you baseball fans) stretch of turf, its VERY realistic that he only has to touch the ball three times to get it in a hole 2.5 times its diameter of the ball at the end of said turf. Show me a "mans athlete" like a D-Lineman or a Catcher who can do that.
A very nice discussion whether Golf is a sport or not.
I feel that though Golf
is not a sweating game like football,etc,but it is good sport of skill and courage.
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