Golf is a unique sports in that men well into their forties continue to compete - and win tournaments. Keny Perry almost won the Masters this year at 49. But it is unprecendented for a man on the verge of his 60th birthday to do what Watson is doing. Watson may not pull off the win (he's tied with two others at the moment), but it is still incredible.
Two points here. First, it is never too late ... to achieve a goal, to excel in your field, to make amends, etc.
Second, where has the media been on this performance? This story is barely getting any play outside the sports media. Why? It is annoying to have spent a week listening to ridiculous coverage of the death of Jacko. We are forced to hear about other ridiculous firsts, such as (qualified 6 times): Ohio's first black nonjudicial statewide officeholder. But there's little talk this week of Watson - who, being a successful older white American male, does not apparently meet the media's guidelines for a compelling story.
Go Tom Watson - you can do it! [photo credit to: Tillers1]
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Update: Watson played great down the stretch, but missed a 9-foot putt for the championship. Deflated by the miss, Watson has made a mess of the 4-hole playoff versus fellow American Stewart Cink. It's too bad that a late meltdown will overshadow the insanity of a 59-year-old tying the British Open after 72 holes. Truly inspiring.
News is like everything thing else in economics, supply and demand...
ReplyDeleteThere would not be reporting on the passing of Michael Jackson, nor other topics you find "uninteresting" if people were not interested and watching... If you do not want to see it, all you have to do is turn off the TV, change the radio station, stop buying the newspaper, etc...
Now I enjoy a round of golf now and then, but lets face it Tom Watson is not a well know name to people outside the sport, not like Arnold Palmer per say. To people who are not golfers they usually find it boring, John Q Public usually thinks that death, celebrities, and social change is exciting.
Ditto ... and as a non-golfer myself, I couldn't care less about what he did, although he couldn't follow it through and lost. I never was impressed by what was said about Tiger either. That said, I respect your opinion and chalk it up with an old saying I've heard many, many times: "Opinions are like buttholes ... everyone has one."
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