The FBR Open, formerly the Phoenix Open, has a long history as the rowdiest stop on Tour. We mentioned it in our tournament preview, and ESPN has gone a bit too far in suggesting that “rowdy galleries, like the one at the FBR Open’s 16th hole, are good for the PGA Tour.”
Robert Thompson and Jay Flemma have comment on this already, but I feel strongly enough to add yet another vote in favor of maintaining respect, dignity, and intelligence in professional golf.
Brian Wacker, who should be relieved of his “assistant editor, GolfDigest.com” role goes so far as to suggest that the rowdy, beer-guzzling, insult-yelling crowd (that has thrown oranges at players and toted loaded guns) “…is not only good for the game, it’s great for the game.” He suggests that the energy at places like the FBR 16th creates an energy that “transcends the game and thrusts it into mainstream America.”
The Pistons and Pacers were “thrust into mainstream America” recently, and any suggestion that mainstream America or basketball benefitted from such an event is ridiculous and irresponsible. Encouraging such behavior in golf is not merely taking a step on the slippery slope of downright lawlessness and disrespect, it’s blindfolding yourself, letting go of the railing, and throwing yourself down.
Unfortunately for mature fans of golf everywhere, other dolts see fit to agree with Wacker’s opinion. Jason Sobel compares golf to football and asks, rhetorically, whether the fans quiet down before Tom Brady takes a snap. Funny, but I didn’t know that golf was spelled F-O-O-T-B-A-L-L. Golf is its own game, and dumbing it down to the level of football is a disservice and displays severe disrespect for the game itself. I’m a football fan, and I enjoy it for what it is, and that ain’t golf.
Ron Sirak, whom I’ve personally written about before, suggests that “as long as they quiet down when it comes time for a guy to hit, what’s the problem?” Well, besides the fact that fans at the FBR don’t necessarily quiet down, it’s about respect. I hold little for Sirak, though, and it appears as though respect is a concept he’s not yet grasped.
Of the four, the most reasoned opinion comes from Bob Harig. He says that “this is one week where such an atmosphere is accepted and welcomed.” Casting aside the obvious – that Tiger Woods, among others, don’t “accept” or “welcome” it – Harig wins points for his attempt to confine such an atmosphere to one event. Players do know what they’re getting into when they play this tournament, and for better or worse, they accept the conditions.
ESPN’s golf coverage has always been suspect, and ESPN.com’s has been worse. Their suggestion that the screaming, ignorant drunks of the FBR Open are good for the game is the final straw, proof positive, and a disgrace all rolled up in one. Golf is a game of respect, and a game in which a player’s soul is laid more bare than in any other sport. Drunk, vicious, obnoxious galleries do not speak well for the game, its players, its history, or the fans themselves. It only yells, and what it’s yelling isn’t often suitable for print.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments below or join the discussion in our forum.
Photo Credit: © Nick Doan.
I took my grandchildren to the TPC last Saturday and was embarassed at the college football game crowd. Drunken girls who could barely walk, drunken guys who shouted vulgar language in front of others (including children) who were trying to enjoy a PGA event. Drunken guys trying to pick fights. Totally unacceptable behavior for a PGA event.