Tiger Takes Appearance Fees

by Tim Schoch on 24 January 2012

So do I. It’s called a salary.

Luckily, I don’t get scored every day on the quality or quantity of my work, then the following Monday receive a check based on that output.  No, each day I go to work, I know exactly what pay I will be receiving and when I will receive it.

Why shouldn’t Tiger or any other golfer be afforded the same security?

Heck, I wish I received a different offer every week.  ”Tim, this is The New Yorker, yes, The NewYorker.  We’d love to have you show up in our offices and scribble a few stories for our readers, perhaps a few cartoon captions. Our monetary compensation would make working at your current job impossible this week.”

Naturally, my current employer would not be pleased. And I would find out pretty quickly whether I was as valuable and indispensable as Tiger Woods is to golf venues.  My guess is that if I tried to return to my employer after my stint with The New Yorker, I’d find in my former chair Bob from AccounTemps.

Golf is a pro golfer’s business. Sure, American professional golf is imbued with a rich and dramatic history and epic tournaments whose memories last a lifetime.  But are those any reasons to turn your back on $2 million dollars just to show up in Abu Dhabi for four days?

I mean, is Tiger a sell-out or a good businessman with a powerful brand to sell?  Does his loyalty rest with the American fans who want him to entertain them this weekend or with his responsibilities to his lifestyle, his kids, the charities he supports, and his perfect teeth?

I think I can speak for everyone when I say it would really help us accept Tiger back if he’d truly do something unselfish for us, just once. Like forego the cash to make a free appearance for those who once loved him here.  Could help. Then again, maybe he’d think he was patronizing us. Then he’d think, “Dayum, I passed up two mil for these cynical jerks?”

Does all this bother anyone, I mean truly?

Sure, I would love to see Tiger play more, as if he truly loved playing the game. I love seeing all the young, engaged, eager youngsters out there fighting for their careers and having the times of their lives.  Wish Tiger would do more of that.

Maybe life and golf isn’t fun for him anymore. Maybe it is all work, all business, all cash and carry.

But the bottom line is that golf fans are still thrilled to the core when Tiger shows up.  And if you ever want to know where Tiger is going, just follow the money.

Not that that’s a bad thing.

Or a good thing.

It’s just business.

 

 

Share

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Speaking of re-gripping your clubs….

by Tim Schoch on 21 January 2012

…have you ever had a colonoscopy?  I’m facing that Monday morning, with a lovely day of prepping on Sunday during the football playoffs.

I’m not frightened by the procedure, but it is a rather odd thing to do voluntarily.  Especially at my age, being over 60.  At least I’m hoping maybe the doc will find that  penny I swallowed as a kid.

I’m getting everything checked out.  Had a double-hernia operation last May.  Feel much better for it. Had a stress test, they saw something, had a nuclear stress test, found nothing and thought the first result was just a false positive or something. Just tell me I’m not going to drop dead anytime soon, and I’m good.

I started drinking red wine, only to hear that one of the researchers behind the big red-wine-is-good-for-you study lied. Yeah, he falsified his results.  So I’m back to just being an alcoholic again.

I can’t get my cholesterol down no matter what I eat or do. So I’m swallowing Lipitors everyday.  Man, I hate take something like that all the time. Doc says it is working. I’m supposed to take fish oil and CoQ10 too.

What happened to me?  What happened to pepperoni pizza dipped in beer–in the morning?

All but the oldest women now treat me with deflection.  Strained smiles backing up behind their face, feet chugging backward, always tugging on their blouse to cover the cleavage they freely flaunt to everyone else.  Not that I’m looking.  Or staring.

Yes, if you’re wondering, the older women flirt with me.  The trouble is that men are boys forever and women just get old.  So sorry if I offended anyone with that obvious truth.  Not that I’d rather hang around with 62-year-old men who give each other wedgies.

Know what I want?  Someone I can laugh with, be close to, enjoy things together, be a friend, flirt a little for the hell of it, and surprise me once in a while with something outlandish or shocking or kind.

No matter what my colonoscopy results, I don’t think the rest of my life will get any better.

Thank god for golf.  You can beat it, kick it, abuse it, ignore it, or lavish it with love.  It never complains, it never gives back.  You have to earn it.  Then, the next day, you have to earn it again.  Is there anything better to look forward to every day than rekindling a love for golf?   Okay, apart from that?

 

 

Share

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Golf Nut had Manhattan Hair

Commentary

So I noticed that my good buddy, Death Breath (need I explain his dental habits?), shows up at the course weekend after weekend wearing a baseball cap.  Not too strange, except I live next door to the guy, and his wife is complaining that he’s wearing his cap 24/7, at dinner, with the kids, even [...]

Share
Continue reading →

Erik Compton is the heart of golf’s mojo

Commentary

Erik Compton is humanity’s hero, everyone’s inspiration, and golf’s heart of hearts. In March 2008, I posted the following story on the GolfWRX blog. May 2008, Erik Compton received his third heart, that of a young male athlete who was the victim of a hit-and-run driver.  Then, miraculously in 2011, he earned his PGA Tour [...]

Share
Continue reading →

The Heart of the Socialverse to Luke Donald.

Commentary

I am sure I speak for all of us in the great socialverse of golf journalism and fandom, when I send condolences to Luke Donald and family on the passing of his father, Colin. Life stands still for a moment to mourn, then we march on.

Share
Continue reading →

Do Caddies Carry More Than Clubs?

Commentary

Are caddies mere beasts of burden?  Robots to serve and please and agree?  Or are they more…much more? IMO, thanks to Stevie’s interview, the age of the caddy has begun.  It is interesting, important, revealing, compelling, worthwhile. Stevie is the first relevant caddy to speak out from the shadows of great players and talk with [...]

Share
Continue reading →

Tiger: He decides or You?

Commentary

Who is the judge of how well Tiger is doing this week? Him or you? Reporters are playing naive and asking silly and ignorant questions of Tiger, as if he were 100% certain of where the state of his current game will take him. As if any golfer knows. In golf, politics, and life:  judge [...]

Share
Continue reading →

Woods Caddie Felled

Commentary

We all know by now that Steve Williams was axed by Tiger Woods after 14 years.  Some pros change caddies monthly.  None are, of course, as  successful as Tiger. Still, we hate to see this marriage break up. So, is the synergy of Tiger’s success now a curse to him?  Must he rebuild not only [...]

Share
Continue reading →

Rory walks the walk

Commentary

Rory McIlroy wins the U.S. Open.   Not once did the announcers have to talk about the buzz of his “signature” belt buckle or orange Sunday attire.  Today, Rory didn’t have to talk the talk because he walked the walk.  He was a golfer, not a self-focused media ham.  The fact that he won in multi-record-breaking [...]

Share
Continue reading →

Dear LPGA,

Commentary

Dear LPGA, Are you there?  Oh, yes, there you are.  I had to look. Have you seen the compelling ads posted by the PGA Tour recently about the parts of great drama, building suspense, and the many great moments of the past that make their tour addictive? I’m sure you have.  So why aren’t you [...]

Share
Continue reading →