How Much Gushing Can You Take?

Chris Zelkovich, writing for the Toronto Star, thought CBS went a little overboard in their Tiger cheerleading in their telecast of the PGA Championship. He poses this very simple question to jumpstart his rant: "So why do the American networks try so hard to persuade viewers that Tiger should win every tournament and if he doesn't something is obviously amiss in the universe?"

It's a good question. Look, every broadcaster goes overboard with the cheerleading when Tiger is in control of a golf tournament. Yes, Tiger's talent is probably underappreciated because it is so hard to make comparisons or accurately describe. But, CBS (and others in the TV, radio, and print media) does not even make an attempt to convey that to the golf fan. They simply use superlatives to explain what is going on out on the course. Fans simply accept this and really are not treated to a much better explanation of the why.

Jaime Diaz put out an article this week to fill this void. He goes into some solid explanation of what exactly Tiger adjusted in order to be so dominant in the past two weeks at Firestone and Southern Hills. Kudos for him to take the time to try to explain that to a golf fan. I think a lot of us amateurs can appreciate it!

I've been harping on this point for quite some time, though, about golf broadcasting. Golf on TV simply does a poor job of giving relevant, useful information to the viewer on a consistent basis. Sure, super-slo-mo (which has made a comeback apparently) is nice. But, we need comparisons. Leaderboards are good, but detail how guys have made their move. While Padraig Harrington may not be interested in stats, I am. Tell me what Tiger did statistically that got him his 13th major and how it's different from the others. Do a virtual caddy that does more than a fly over with graphics laid on the video and funky music. Tell me the ideal drive position and where the safe approach is.

Golf on TV could be a lot better. Less cheerleading, more analysis, and more golfers. It's a simple formula, but one that is still not being followed. Golf Channel is starting to get it, I feel, in what they're doing with the Thurs-Fri telecasts. We're still not there yet.