Rory has no star power

[MSchott]

Why we need it? Have you seen the golf ratings and decline in the game recently?

Is he a star in the golf world? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean he will be a star in this country's sports scene- measured by his ability to draw viewers and interest in the game from casual sports fans. If Rory had been gunning it out on the back nine with Stenson and Day yesterday (no Phil or Rickie), do you really think the ratings would be good?

How many golfers have ever had "star power"? Arnie, Jack, Tiger, that's about it. The casual non-golf fan only vaguely knows Phil and has no clue about Adam Scott and certainly not Martin Kaymer, Jordan Spieth and others. If Rory was an American he'd be a media personality after yesterday.

[Spyder]

Eh, I could not disagree more with the notion that Rory has no star power. I played golf on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9 AM both days and the club houses were packed with golfers of all ages who were all talking about Rory's demeanor, power, accuracy, etc. It was Rory, Rory, Rory, Phil, Rory, Rory, Rickie, Rory, etc. (you get the point) from what I heard before my round, at the turn, and after my round.

I think that's substantial star power if you ask me. The kid is a phenom and I thoroughly enjoy watching him and watching him win.

[Zeph]

Who knows. Maybe it's a good thing that the popularity of golf doesn't get inflated by one player (Tiger). It may give unrealistic expectations to the future of golf and it's players. There is no doubt that Tiger draws viewers, but I'm not so sure if we need them for the good of golf.

[Patch]

Mcllroy can move the needle, but never like Woods did, or probably still can. It's the golf media's job to make these people popular, and it's more so the American media's responsibility. I am am glad the young man is winning, and it's good for the game in general. He's definitely a breath of fresh air for the pro golf game. But just think how much more "excited" (?) the media  would have been if Mickelson had won, and Mcllroy finished second? What if Woods had miraculously manged to finish second to Mcllroy? Who would be getting all the print now?

The American media makes todays stars, and it's easier to make an American a "bigger star"  than someone from a different country. If Mcllroy had been born in southern Montana, he would be much bigger in the American media.

Everyone blamed Woods for being shoved down our collective throats for so long, but in fact it was mostly the media's fault. All Woods did was play much better golf, and/or did more stupid things than the rest of the PGA players did. You could say the rest of the PGA players helped the media go nuts on Woods.

[Ernest Jones]

Contrary to what the golf world, Nike, et. al are trying to sell, I honestly don't think Rory has the "It" factor needed to anchor the game and move the needle in the States in the post-Tiger era. The ratings should hopefully at least be decent from yesterday (because that's as good as golf gets in the post Tiger era) but I think Phil and Rickie would be to thank for that as well as the prime-time finish. Like most golf fans, I like Rory, think he's a good guy, and is good for the game, but his charisma and ability to draw people into the game isn't on the same planet as Tiger's and even pales in comparison to Phil's. I don't know if the golf world fully grasps this yet nor do I think they fully appreciate how much him not being American will cap his popularity here...especially when he's routinely beating popular American guys. I think the best case scenario for golf over the next decade is for a rivalry to continue to build between Rory and the likes of Rickie and/or Spieth, etc. where Rory plays the villian foil to the American stars because he will never be a true superstar in this country regardless of how many majors he wins (and I think he wins 10+).

Jesus dude, canadian inferiority comlex much? Once again, I can discuss popularity in this country and star power in this country without it being a "homer view". This is not a knock on Rory's international position at all, and like I said, he's already an international superstar.

And this isn't about Rory not being able to fill Tiger's shoes- no one can do that and it's unfair to measure anyone by that standard.

My apologizes, I read the OP too fast and missed that you where speaking specifically of his Star Power in the States. My bad. You're still a total homer but it's a homer thread so it's ok.

[Elvisliveson]

Seems I remember the guy who holds the record of Major wins being called 'Fat Jack' and 'Ohio Fats' early in his career, had a high squeaky voice & an almost Hogan-like cocoon around him when he played. And was trying to unseat the most popular player in the game. Talk about no star power.

How did that work out?

+1 For the extremely accurate and apt historical analogy.

[ccotenj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zipazoid

Seems I remember the guy who holds the record of Major wins being called 'Fat Jack' and 'Ohio Fats' early in his career, had a high squeaky voice & an almost Hogan-like cocoon around him when he played. And was trying to unseat the most popular player in the game. Talk about no star power.

How did that work out?

+1 For the extremely accurate and apt historical analogy.

"extremely accurate and apt"?  really?  jack is from ireland, not ohio?  i must have missed something somewhere along the way...

[Elvisliveson]

"extremely accurate and apt"?  really?  jack is from ireland, not ohio?  i must have missed something somewhere along the way...

Yeah you missed a lot and it's not worth explaining to you.

[phan52]

Rory McIlroy is already a star in his own right, and the star will only shine brighter as the years go by. It will help if he has a rival, like Fowler or Spieth, but everybody needs that. Tiger had Phil and Rickie is every bit as charismatic as Phil. Hopefully his game reaches that level as well.

Tiger was totally focused on golf from the time he was a child. His amateur career reflects that focus. Rory had a life. It was only this year that he finally realized that he had to put more emphasis on his golf game if he wants to eventually be in the pantheon of greats.

He is going to eventually challenge Tiger in Major wins, as long as he doesn't burn out.

[ccotenj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccotenj

"extremely accurate and apt"?  really?  jack is from ireland, not ohio?  i must have missed something somewhere along the way...

Yeah you missed a lot and it's not worth explaining to you.

my ears are open...   how about you try?   one of the big premises of the op is that "rory isn't american, and that makes a difference to american golf fans" (which, fwiw, i agree with, as it would be consistent with basically everything else in the world)...

[Elvisliveson]

my ears are open...   how about you try?

Okay, here you go. The post is about Rory having a lack of star power and the general consenus (except for you and maybe one or two others) is prolific winning  bring star power. To this end Zipazoid made a very representative reference to a tubby Jack Nicklaus in his early days coming up against the very charismatic Arnold Palmer and his army and being called Fat Jack etc. In the end Jack became widely popular because of his numerous big victories, not because of how he looked or where he was from. There, doubtless you will still balk, but that's it and I'm done.

[skydog]

Originally Posted by Elvisliveson

Okay, here you go. The post is about Rory having a lack of star power and the general consenus (except for you and maybe one or two others) is prolific winning  bring star power. To this end Zipazoid made a very representative reference to a tubby Jack Nicklaus in his early days coming up against the very charismatic Arnold Palmer and his army and being called Fat Jack etc. In the end Jack became widely popular because of his numerous big victories, not because of how he looked or where he was from. There, doubtless you will still balk, but that's it and I'm done.

It's not a great analogy for several reasons, not the least of which, like ccotenj reiterated- is the fact that Jack is American. And time after time for stars in this country, winning fixes everything and we tend to embrance our winners (just like other countries do) even in spite of themselves if they do enough of it. Jack wasn't overly likeable. Rory actually is- but routinely beating up on American stars is not going to do much to help his cause state-side. Especially when you throw in the ever-growing Ryder Cup intensity into the mix.

[Kieran123]

All of this winning tournaments must be cause of those crappie Nike clubs he uses...

I love when Rory was down and not winning everyone blamed the clubs... so now that he's winning is it cause of his clubs?

I'm a Nike fanboy - so I'm biased...but there is zero evidence that Nike clubs are any worse than other manufacturers - especially at the Tour level.

People just like to bash Nike for some odd reason.

[FarWest]

Okay, here you go. The post is about Rory having a lack of star power and the general consenus (except for you and maybe one or two others) is prolific winning  bring star power. To this end Zipazoid made a very representative reference to a tubby Jack Nicklaus in his early days coming up against the very charismatic Arnold Palmer and his army and being called Fat Jack etc. In the end Jack became widely popular because of his numerous big victories, not because of how he looked or where he was from. There, doubtless you will still balk, but that's it and I'm done.

I think a lot of people are ignoring the role of vested interests in building and promoting the brand. Its not just through his golf performances that Rory will become a generally recognised figure outside the core golfing community. Already this weekend posters are complaining about the saturation coverage of the Omega commercial, and Nike will now kick into overdrive with their own brand of marketing as they see the Tigers decline as an opportunity to promote the new poster boy. Its also in the interest of the golf channels to hype him into outer space because their big draw is no longer competitive, at least in the short term. If Rory holds up his end of the bargain by continuing to win, then those vested interests will ensure his elevation to super stardom, regardless of where he comes from, quite simply because it is in their own best interests.

[ChrisP]

Like a lot of people mentioned, Rory is not Tiger as far as the needle goes.

First of all, golf hadn't had a dominant star since Jack and so Tiger was appealing to a new generation. Not to mention, he was able to appeal to minorities, which is a big audience. Tiger had that fire about him and stature that people loved. I think Rory is still caught up in that "Tiger generation."

Secondly, I think the fact Rory is a Euro does play a factor, albeit not a big one...but a little bit.

That being said, Rory has star power and he's going to move the needle....maybe not as much as Tiger, but he will move it. I think Rickie Fowler needs to step up and be the guy to challenge him. I think if Rickie-Rory can create a rivalry and start trading majors, you'll see the game of golf elevate at an incredible level. Then you'll really start to see the needle really move like the days of Tiger. I really think Rickie has the personality. He and Rory would be like Tiger to Phil and Jack to Arnie. They're different and make great rivals. Nothing against Jordan Spieth, but i'm not sure he has that personality and flare like Rickie and Rory have.

[DwightC]

You know, there are three different arguments in this thread--(1) the relative importance of the United States in the world, (2) the decline (?) of golf in the United States and (3) Rory's star power.  Let's forget the first one, because it's politics and this board isn't about politics.  On the second one, all I can say is that the business of golf may be lousy--thanks to real estate driven course overbuilding, poorly managed equipment, trending fads, etc.--but it's a great time to be a golfer--better access to less crowded courses, bargain basement equipment, easy access to first rate instruction, etc.

As to Rory's star power--I think he's got it.  Totally different personality from Woods.  No TeamTiger at work.  Personally,  I find a 25 year old guy who's just won his fourth major saying, "I never thought I'd get this far at 25 a lot more appealing than a 24 year old guy who's just won his fourth major saying, "I never thought it's take this long."  A persona that incorporates bit of humility may appeal to a slightly different fan base than Tiger built, but it won't necessarily be a smaller fan base, even in America.  Just more Luke Skywalker and less Darth Vader.

[phan52]

It's not a great analogy for several reasons, not the least of which, like ccotenj reiterated- is the fact that Jack is American. And time after time for stars in this country, winning fixes everything and we tend to embrance our winners (just like other countries do) even in spite of themselves if they do enough of it. Jack wasn't overly likeable. Rory actually is- but routinely beating up on American stars is not going to do much to help his cause state-side. Especially when you throw in the ever-growing Ryder Cup intensity into the mix.

Most people I know are ambivalent about the American team and their gutless performances in recent Ryder Cups. Getting beat by Euros is not the big negative that you portray it to be any more..

[skydog]

Most people I know are ambivalent about the American team and their gutless performances in recent Ryder Cups. Getting beat by Euros is not the big negative that you portray it to be any more..

Fair enough. Couldn't be further from the case for me and some of the folks I know though. Nothing in golf makes my blood boil more than watching Poutler (or Rory for that matter) scream and fist pump after draining a putt in our face.