Rick Reilly takes aim at Tiger

[Highlifeman21]

If you think golfers are the most obvious examples of people who use profanity, you must live a very sheltered life and work in an easy, uncompetitive field.

Should I have said sailors instead?

There's that phrase "mouth like a sailor", so I guess I should have gone there?

I know plenty of construction workers, and they have bad mouths, so I should have said construction workers instead?

I apologize that I live a very sheltered life, but I don't see how my commentary on golfers having bad mouths has anything to do with me working in an easy, uncompetitive field.

Ju got some 'splanin' to do Lucy...

[Betterread]

Should I have said sailors instead?

There's that phrase "mouth like a sailor", so I guess I should have gone there?

I know plenty of construction workers, and they have bad mouths, so I should have said construction workers instead?

I apologize that I live a very sheltered life, but I don't see how my commentary on golfers having bad mouths has anything to do with me working in an easy, uncompetitive field.

Ju got some 'splanin' to do Lucy...

Yes, you should have used the example of construction workers. I agree with you there.
Reading over my post, I'm not sure of the point I was trying to make between your comment and my point about swearer's field of work. I can't really defend it so I withdraw it, with an apology. As an attempt to explain, I see a connection at my job with people who frequently swear and their commensurate sense of privilege and (paradoxically) their stress level. So I perceive that sales, law, politics all are full of foul-mouthed people because of both the presence of self-confidence and the competitive nature of those fields.

[paintmered]

I understand well the frustrations the game can present. I also know what it's like to throw a good tantrum on the golf course. I've thrown a few in my day. I also looked like a total immature idiot while doing so. Now, I try to diffuse my frustration with humor rather than acting out.

It doesn't make it any less embarrassing if it happens in front of four people or forty million. I remember well the tirade of profanity he let loose on the 18th tee at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. It was eye opening, and I never thought of Tiger the same way since. He seriously needs to watch video of these little outbursts and put some thought towards if they're helping or hurting him.

I don't like this behavior from Tiger. I don't like it from anyone. If he's that miserable on the course, then maybe he needs to take a little break and re-gather himself.

[RFS62]

Honestly, it doesn't bother me a bit.

What do you think you'd hear if you put microphones on the football or baseball field or hockey rink?

You can't go around wondering where the cameras or the microphones are placed. It's a part of competition on the highest levels. It's not charm school.

The networks have no business at all sticking their nose in it. The game is what matters. Not the delicate sensibilities of the media, who probably like the controversy for ratings, if truth be told.

[RedsBaron]

Professional golf is about the only sport I can think of where the athletes demand, and generally receive, a respectful silence from the audience as they are putting the ball into play. I don't think it is asking that much for the golfers to in return behave with some decorum. If they can't do that, then lets let the fans yell at the golfers like they do at major league baseball players and NBA players.

[RFS62]

Professional golf is about the only sport I can think of where the athletes demand, and generally receive, a respectful silence from the audience as they are putting the ball into play. I don't think it is asking that much for the golfers to in return behave with some decorum. If they can't do that, then lets let the fans yell at the golfers like they do at major league baseball players and NBA players.

With all due respect, I see no connection. They demand silence because of the nature of the mental process involved in a golf swing. Every golfer knows how distracting it is to hear a loud noise in the middle of their backswing.

To expect them to be polite in the heat of battle is asking quite a lot.

If golfers spent their careers playing and practicing with loud noises going on, they would probably be a lot more adept in blocking it out. They simply don't, and unless you have a teacher like Earl Woods who throws tees at you and makes noises on purpose in your training sessions, you're most likely not going to be very good at ignoring the outside influences.

Remember John McEnroe's outbursts whenever anyone dared to make a noise when he was in his service motion? Every sport has its standards in this regard. You can't compare apples to oranges on this one, the conditions are too different between the mental requirements of each motor skill.

A server in tennis would be much more distracted, as the initiator of the action, than would be the receiver of serve, who is in a reactive mode. Same sport, different mental requirements for a different type of motor skill.

[Redhook]

With all due respect, I see no connection. They demand silence because of the nature of the mental process involved in a golf swing. Every golfer knows how distracting it is to hear a loud noise in the middle of their backswing.

To expect them to be polite in the heat of battle is asking quite a lot.

If golfers spent their careers playing and practicing with loud noises going on, they would probably be a lot more adept in blocking it out. They simply don't, and unless you have a teacher like Earl Woods who throws tees at you and makes noises on purpose in your training sessions, you're most likely not going to be very good at ignoring the outside influences.

Remember John McEnroe's outbursts whenever anyone dared to make a noise when he was in his service motion? Every sport has its standards in this regard. You can't compare apples to oranges on this one, the conditions are too different between the mental requirements of each motor skill.

A server in tennis would be much more distracted, as the initiator of the action, than would be the receiver of serve, who is in a reactive mode. Same sport, different mental requirements for a different type of motor skill.

Great post!

[VR]

I've always thought that one small change would make golf the worlds #1 watched sport. Have these guys play with their own money.


Make this putt Tiger, you only owe Mickelson 100k. Miss it, it's 1Mil.
THEN we would see some F-bombs and club throwing. Any amateur can tell you that putting your own $ out there....even if it's .25 cent skins, greatly elevates your club throwing potential.

This, of course would only remain the worlds top sport until hockey made pads and helmets illegal.

[RollyInRaleigh]

Honestly, it doesn't bother me a bit.

What do you think you'd hear if you put microphones on the football or baseball field or hockey rink?

You can't go around wondering where the cameras or the microphones are placed. It's a part of competition on the highest levels. It's not charm school.

The networks have no business at all sticking their nose in it. The game is what matters. Not the delicate sensibilities of the media, who probably like the controversy for ratings, if truth be told.

With all due respect, I see no connection. They demand silence because of the nature of the mental process involved in a golf swing. Every golfer knows how distracting it is to hear a loud noise in the middle of their backswing.

To expect them to be polite in the heat of battle is asking quite a lot.

If golfers spent their careers playing and practicing with loud noises going on, they would probably be a lot more adept in blocking it out. They simply don't, and unless you have a teacher like Earl Woods who throws tees at you and makes noises on purpose in your training sessions, you're most likely not going to be very good at ignoring the outside influences.

Remember John McEnroe's outbursts whenever anyone dared to make a noise when he was in his service motion? Every sport has its standards in this regard. You can't compare apples to oranges on this one, the conditions are too different between the mental requirements of each motor skill.

A server in tennis would be much more distracted, as the initiator of the action, than would be the receiver of serve, who is in a reactive mode. Same sport, different mental requirements for a different type of motor skill.

I tend to agree, RFS62. The language around most every sport that I ever participated in was not the Queen's English, although it was so creative at times that it seemed to be an art form. I remember striking out once in High School and muttering the "F" word very angrily, but softly, walking back to the dugout. My mother saw this and called me on the carpet in the car on the way home. My dad intervened and told her, "What is said between the lines, stays between the lines. It isn't necessarily right, but don't question it." That was the end of the story. I felt bad, that my mom had seen what I muttered, but I was also glad that my father understood the heat of the battle.

[improbus]

Reilly's article sounds like a disgruntled middle aged white sports reporter (DMAWSR's) who is fishing for an angle without having anything to really write about. DMAWSR's are the Debbie Downer'sof sports.

[WeLoveLarkin!!!]

I'm not a good enough golfer to get mad on the course. Neither are most golfers.

same here. if you can't laugh at yourself when you're as horrendous as i am, then you're going to break alot of things. haha.

[Matt700wlw]

Few things are better than hearing him drop and F bomb on live TV.

It's the best! There's nothing the FCC can do about it!

[dsmith421]

Professional golf is about the only sport I can think of where the athletes demand, and generally receive, a respectful silence from the audience as they are putting the ball into play.

Umm, there's this sport involving a fuzzy yellow ball and several long-hairs with aluminum snowshoes.

Seriously, this "will no one think of the CHILDREN" crap is so tiresome. Tiger gets pissed. Get over it.

[Kingspoint]

Read that article the day the British Open ended. That was a great article.

[Orenda]

Relevance > Rick Reilly