The Wie Supremacy
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/615/1/The-Wie-Supremacy/The-Wie-Supremacy.html
Robbie LaBrie
By Robbie LaBrie
Published on 10/13/2006
Somewhere along the line the PGA lost its way. Call it a 'Wie' complex. Whatever the reason, this business of letting 17-year-old women with zero career wins play in PGA Tour events needs to stop, and ASM's Rob Labrie has the solution.
Somewhere along the line the PGA lost its way. Call it a 'Wie' complex. Whatever the reason, this business of letting 17-year-old women with zero career wins play in PGA Tour events needs to stop, and ASM's Rob Labrie has the solution.
The Wie Supremacy
There is probably no story or figure in sports that annoys me more than Michelle Wie. I’m just absolutely sick of hearing about Wie’s latest failed attempt to win on the PGA Tour (or LPGA for that matter).
Let’s get one thing straight off the bat: I have nothing against women’s golf in general. I love watching Annika light it up and I’m a big fan of Natalie Gulbis (not to mention that I’m also an eligible bachelor).
No, the reason for this rant is not to suggest that women golfers are inferior. The purpose is to proclaim that I no longer want to watch women try to play on the PGA Tour simply to gain attention for being women trying to play on the men’s tour. When these women play in PGA events, it’s the only thing I can watch on ESPN or any other sports network, and the fact of the matter is, it sells. People must be willing to watch this, because they don’t stop airing it. So, instead of trying to take the media away from the ineligible women, why not take the ineligible women away from the men’s pro golf tour?
Though it has become the biggest factor in sports today, money must be overlooked in order for the PGA to maintain a sense of legitimacy. Just because they’re giving non-golf fans something to get interested in, they are also losing fans by not showing them the best golfers in the game. I’m not denying that there is something special about Michelle Wie, because her natural talent is undeniable. However, only once that talent is realized should she be allowed to play in PGA Tour events. You wouldn’t create a media circus around guys like Alex Aragon, Nicholas Thompson, or Daisuke Maruyama (all fringe players who routinely miss cuts, but still finished ahead of Wie in the Sony Open). These guys contribute more to the men’s game than Wie from a golf standpoint and, as a purist, I’d much rather watch them play, and see them earn their living on the golf course. Wie can always go to the LPGA Tour and hone her skills there rather than taking a spot in the field from a male golfer trying to maintain a career.
I’m sure Michelle Wie is a very nice person in real life. However, I don’t see why so many treat this 17-year-old like the next Tiger Woods when she’s never won a professional tournament.
When Tiger was 17, he had won six (SIX!!) Junior World Championships and three U.S. Junior Amateur titles. He also attended Stanford University where he won an NCAA individual golf championship. Michelle Wie is currently playing Freddie Mitchell to Tiger’s Jerry Rice: two completely different leagues. One talks and one performs. (I heard that in her latest press conference, the Big Wiesy said, about her latest 88th place finish, “I’d just like to thank my hands and my swing for being so great.”)
I’ve stated that I have no problem with women’s golf and now I’m going to take this declaration of feminism one step further and proclaim that I also have no problem with women playing on the men’s Tour. However, there are only specific circumstances in which this should occur. These rules have been written by the people, for the people, and
Let’s get one thing straight off the bat: I have nothing against women’s golf in general. I love watching Annika light it up and I’m a big fan of Natalie Gulbis (not to mention that I’m also an eligible bachelor).
No, the reason for this rant is not to suggest that women golfers are inferior. The purpose is to proclaim that I no longer want to watch women try to play on the PGA Tour simply to gain attention for being women trying to play on the men’s tour. When these women play in PGA events, it’s the only thing I can watch on ESPN or any other sports network, and the fact of the matter is, it sells. People must be willing to watch this, because they don’t stop airing it. So, instead of trying to take the media away from the ineligible women, why not take the ineligible women away from the men’s pro golf tour?
Though it has become the biggest factor in sports today, money must be overlooked in order for the PGA to maintain a sense of legitimacy. Just because they’re giving non-golf fans something to get interested in, they are also losing fans by not showing them the best golfers in the game. I’m not denying that there is something special about Michelle Wie, because her natural talent is undeniable. However, only once that talent is realized should she be allowed to play in PGA Tour events. You wouldn’t create a media circus around guys like Alex Aragon, Nicholas Thompson, or Daisuke Maruyama (all fringe players who routinely miss cuts, but still finished ahead of Wie in the Sony Open). These guys contribute more to the men’s game than Wie from a golf standpoint and, as a purist, I’d much rather watch them play, and see them earn their living on the golf course. Wie can always go to the LPGA Tour and hone her skills there rather than taking a spot in the field from a male golfer trying to maintain a career.
I’m sure Michelle Wie is a very nice person in real life. However, I don’t see why so many treat this 17-year-old like the next Tiger Woods when she’s never won a professional tournament.
When Tiger was 17, he had won six (SIX!!) Junior World Championships and three U.S. Junior Amateur titles. He also attended Stanford University where he won an NCAA individual golf championship. Michelle Wie is currently playing Freddie Mitchell to Tiger’s Jerry Rice: two completely different leagues. One talks and one performs. (I heard that in her latest press conference, the Big Wiesy said, about her latest 88th place finish, “I’d just like to thank my hands and my swing for being so great.”)
I’ve stated that I have no problem with women’s golf and now I’m going to take this declaration of feminism one step further and proclaim that I also have no problem with women playing on the men’s Tour. However, there are only specific circumstances in which this should occur. These rules have been written by the people, for the people, and
The Wie Supremacy
you may be shocked to see just how much less Wie the people would have to stomach (no pun intended).
Rule 1:
No, not all women shall be banned from men’s events. If they can legitimately qualify for the tournament and have proven themselves on their own Tour, then we would love to watch them compete.
Rule 2:
No person, man or woman, shall be allowed to play in a PGA Tour event on a sponsor’s exemption. People want to see the best golfers play, not the ones who will rake in more dough for John Deere. Sponsors’ exemptions take spots from players who are out there trying to make a living. (How would you like it if your boss said to you, “Um, listen Bill, we’re very sorry, but we’re going to have to fire you because a 17-year-old girl wants to try her hand at brain surgery. She’s not quite up to par with the other brain surgeons, but we feel she’ll draw some media attention to the hospital and we can make more money.”)
Rule 3:
She who wishes to play in a men’s event shall be a former LPGA champion. In other words, the player must have at least 10 career wins on the LPGA Tour, 2 wins within the previous calendar year, and one career major victory. This means the woman must establish herself on her own Tour, before trying to enter another.
Rule 4:
The female player shall have at least 5 years of experience in the LPGA before attempting to enter a PGA event. Nobody can come in and try to take the whole world by storm. You can’t expect to just make the jump without first establishing some longevity and success on the less-demanding LPGA Tour.
These four simple rules will keep players from entering PGA Tour events simply for money or attention. If Annika Sorenstam wants to give the men’s Tour a shot, fine. She could enter in the U.S. or British Open for all I care. In fact, if a woman did manage to legitimately qualify for a major, I’d be driving the bandwagon rooting for them. However, she should be required to take the same qualifying route as every other golfer in the field.
So really Michelle, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m sick of the unwarranted attention you command by your mere presence. Get back to me when you win on your own Tour.
Rule 1:
No, not all women shall be banned from men’s events. If they can legitimately qualify for the tournament and have proven themselves on their own Tour, then we would love to watch them compete.
Rule 2:
No person, man or woman, shall be allowed to play in a PGA Tour event on a sponsor’s exemption. People want to see the best golfers play, not the ones who will rake in more dough for John Deere. Sponsors’ exemptions take spots from players who are out there trying to make a living. (How would you like it if your boss said to you, “Um, listen Bill, we’re very sorry, but we’re going to have to fire you because a 17-year-old girl wants to try her hand at brain surgery. She’s not quite up to par with the other brain surgeons, but we feel she’ll draw some media attention to the hospital and we can make more money.”)
Rule 3:
She who wishes to play in a men’s event shall be a former LPGA champion. In other words, the player must have at least 10 career wins on the LPGA Tour, 2 wins within the previous calendar year, and one career major victory. This means the woman must establish herself on her own Tour, before trying to enter another.
Rule 4:
The female player shall have at least 5 years of experience in the LPGA before attempting to enter a PGA event. Nobody can come in and try to take the whole world by storm. You can’t expect to just make the jump without first establishing some longevity and success on the less-demanding LPGA Tour.
These four simple rules will keep players from entering PGA Tour events simply for money or attention. If Annika Sorenstam wants to give the men’s Tour a shot, fine. She could enter in the U.S. or British Open for all I care. In fact, if a woman did manage to legitimately qualify for a major, I’d be driving the bandwagon rooting for them. However, she should be required to take the same qualifying route as every other golfer in the field.
So really Michelle, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m sick of the unwarranted attention you command by your mere presence. Get back to me when you win on your own Tour.