The Need for Spieth: Why the Media Adores Golf’s Latest Phenom [Grantland]

Nice pickup.

Great parenting, and good mentors helping with his support and education ... an excellent background ... Jordan has the intelligence to pick it up.

Not Tiger, not Rory, just an overall excellent player with a high level of management and mental skills. We can all learn from Spieth. I do.

Liked the last part of this .. the Tiger effect on other players:

“Golf writers through the years — and I go back even before my time — we’re spoiled,” said Feinstein. “You had Palmer, who was arguably the most cooperative athlete with the media ever. [Jack] Nicklaus learned from Palmer and evolved into somebody who was very good to deal with. [Tom] Watson ran hot and cold, but he could be very good.

“Then along came Tiger,” Feinstein continued, “who gave everybody the high hat.”

“Tiger was always insufferable, ” said Curt Sampson, author of The Masters and other books. “The first time I met him was at the U.S. Amateur. … He closed the guy out. I introduced myself. I got the dead-fish handshake, and he looked over my shoulder and said, ‘Maybe later.’ He was 16 or something.”

While Spieth loves drowning the press in detail, Woods is a vicious self-censor. “I remember in 1998, when Tiger was going through his first swing change,” said Golf Digest ’s Ron Sirak. “It was at the Bay Hill tournament, and we were in the interview room. I asked him what he was working on, and Tiger’s knee-jerk reaction was, ‘It’s too complicated.’ I said, ‘I’ve been around the game 30 years. Give it a shot.’”

Getting the high hat from Tiger was one thing. He was a generational star. B ut golf writers noticed a side effect: Young players were not only copying Woods’s swing but his manners. “Tiger was such a grim figure, so dominant, that I think to some extent he just gave permission to everybody to be kind of a dick ,” said Jaime Diaz.

At 22 years old, Spieth has a long future in media tents.  I hope (but don't expect) that when he eventually gets tired of answering questions the writers won't go on the attack... though they probably will.

You make a good point. I too do not have much faith in today's media to do the right thing. With them it's more important to be reporting (sometimes making up stuff) on personal things, and not a whole lot what the player accomplished on the field of play. It's even worse with the game of golf. There is just not that much "new stuff" that happens on a golf course. The player either made the shot, or he/she didn't. The player either won the event, or went home a loser.

The media's the media. If you treat them right, they'll treat you right back. Rory and Phil have taken that approach and the media worships them as well. Tiger was respectful early on....the affair was kinda the turning point for him. He's been treated in a different way since his scandal, at least that's the way I've seen it. A second part of it has been his play. The media will be on your side when you're winning, but when you lose it, they'll be the first ones to tear you down. Rory was starting to get heat from the media until he straightened himself out last year.

I agree. It bothers me to see them go so hard on these guys, Tiger especially. When they're struggling, I feel that it's mean spirited to continually analyze and dissect them; just let them be! They're also tearing Tiger for the same reason baseball writers are so angry about steroids: he made all of them look like idiots, at least in their minds. But back on topic: Spieth seems like a cool guy, he's a wonderful player, and though I'm much more of a Rory fan, I hope he continues to do well.

Yeah I don't like when they're hard on him either. The only guys that I am okay with being hard on him are ex-players I respect, like Duval, Azinger, Miller and Faldo. Those guys are in a different class than media guys who don't know what it's like to be a Tour player. Yeah I like Spieth. I know some guys don't like his whining on the course, but I'm good with it. I like guys who are animated. And until he loses my respect in some way, shape or form, I'll keep pulling for him. I think he and Rory are good for the game right now.

One more thing I'l add...What's happening with Spieth and the media is the same thing that happened with Tiger in 1997 and Rory in 2011....he's the new face, he's a class act and he's impressing everyone. He's the current golden boy. If you're not impressed with what he's doing, you probably also weren't impressed when the US beat the Soviets in hockey. But there's going to come a time sometime in the next few years where he's going to struggle and the media will get on him and get on him hard. They got on Tiger in 2003 and 2004 and they've really gotten on him since 2010 since he's gone majorless, and they got on Rory pretty hard towards the end of 2013 when his game went south for a while It's going to happen. So everyone who says he's the media darling....the media will turn on him once a slump occurs.

It's all about marketing.  They sit in meetings, discussing how ratings are declining along with Tigers golf game and how they need to find someone to fill the void and get people interested in golf.

Last year they focused on Reed and his Top 5 comments, figuring that maybe golf fans would watch golf to see him lose but that didn't work.

Rory will have his day again but he's not an American so he'll never move the needle like Tiger did with American fans, Day has the same problem.  Fowler was big a few years ago but his golf game hasn't reached the level of the hype he received.  No one cares if you're cool and ride BMX if you're not in the top 10 on Sunday, plus the mustache didn't help him.   Keegan got a push but then his OCD took over and they took away his long putter so not only is he difficult to watch, he doesn't seem able to win anymore.

DJ has some promise, but he's got to win.  Bubba doesn't handle the spotlight well and his religious beliefs make some people uncomfortable.  Dufner seemed to lose his golf game along with the weight and wife he lost, but he was in the spotlight for a bit and if he can get himself back on track he's got potential.

Spieth is a great story.  He's a young kid that played himself onto the Tour due to tenacity and hard work.  This year he won 2 majors and has been in contention almost every week.  He's thus far squeaky clean, has a sister he loves and travels with his mom and dad, all we need is some apple pie and we'd have a Hallmark story.  The media will push him until someone more interesting comes up.

There are some other young kids that could challenge Spieth, his old roommate (can't think of his name) could certainly make for a good rivalry story if he's as good as Spieth but thus far it hasn't developed.

If they look back on this year and realize Spieth didn't move the needle enough they will spotlight someone else or hope Tiger regains his old form.

I used to really like Keegan, but after he mocked Miguel Angel Jiminez's accent, I was done with him. Spieth and Rory can move the needle, but they need to win a lot all the time. As far as Fowler goes, he's played well the last two years. He just happens to play with a future hall of famer in Rory and a probable hall guy in Spieth.

I'm not a fan either and it's also to do with that situation ... But we should remember it fairly: he didn't mock Jimenez, his caddy did. He stood up for his caddy.

Good point

Unlike some, I can't (or rather maybe I should say 'won't') distinguish between the person on the field and the person off the field.  If they're a general douchebag/thug/criminal off the field, I refuse to give them a pass and root for them on the field.  Being talented and famous isn't an excuse to treat people like crap or behave as if you're above the law.  I don't care if they're the greatest golfer/football player/whatever in the world, I'll cheer against them and have a big, satisfied smile on my face every time karma bites them in the ass.

I'm impressed with what I've seen of Jordan Spieth so far.  He seems like a humble, respectful guy who is also an enormously talented golfer.  Sure, he has occasional outbursts on the course when he hits a bad shot - but about the worst I've heard from him is an "Are you kidding me?" or "That was stupid!".  He's not dropping f-bombs. chewing his caddy out, throwing clubs, etc.  It doesn't appear to me that he's "cultivating an image", it just looks like that's who he really is.  We (meaning society in general) have become so accustomed to poor/anti-social behavior by athletes and celebrities that when we see one who appears to be a genuine, good person we're immediately skeptical and think they're putting up a phony front.