Christine Brennan writes horrible Masters column about Spieth and Woods for some reason

[Akhil Puri]

Let me hit back with this piece .  http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/tiger-woods-jordan-spieth-record-roger-federer-criticize-golf-course-easy-masters-soft-quote

I have a lot of respect for Speith and his temperament . But there is no one like tiger and there never will be purely because of the passion with which he plays the sport . He has inspired a generation to take to this otherwise "slow and mundane game meant for old foggies or for chidren who start playing before they hit their teens " by the way he has carried himself over the last decade and a half .. if it wasn't for him golf wouldn't have caught up the way it has with the 20 somethings

[Ferguson]

Talk about going off on tangents. Palmer, Bolt, Watson, global warming??? I read the article. It speaks to the mind of this author. This article was about much more than just Tiger, Jordan and the 2015 Masters. This author was on a mission. If you care to recall, Ms. Brennan wrote an article back in 2002 about The Augusta National and their lack of female members when Hootie Johnson was chairman. She portrayed The Augusta National as an old fashioned, male-only club for bigots. Ms. Brennan, in penning this article, took another opportunity to take a bra-burning, female shot at the golfing male contingent. This time, instead of taking aim at a club of men, she picked on Tiger. I truly believe she sees Jordan as the antithesis of Tiger, not because Tiger is evil, but because Jordan was reserved in his reactions. I saw Jordan as a kid who was in total shock that he won (don’t get me wrong – he’s fully capable). I think he conducted himself with a quiet reserve and did a great job. He was just being himself in that very moment. For Ms. Brennan to say that Tiger's swearing, or his reaction to a holed putt is wrong speaks volumes about how she views men in general. I believe, without actually saying it, Ms. Brennan took full advantage in this article to point out that Jordan handled himself more like a woman than a man.

[Rick Martin]

Let me hit back with this piece .  http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/tiger-woods-jordan-spieth-record-roger-federer-criticize-golf-course-easy-masters-soft-quote

I have a lot of respect for Speith and his temperament . But there is no one like tiger and there never will be purely because of the passion with which he plays the sport . He has inspired a generation to take to this otherwise "slow and mundane game meant for old foggies or for chidren who start playing before they hit their teens " by the way he has carried himself over the last decade and a half .. if it wasn't for him golf wouldn't have caught up the way it has with the 20 somethings

You can thank both Arnie and Tiger for the bottom line in this graphic - both had a huge share in popularizing the sport (and increasing prize money). But the comments by the columnist was more about sportsmanship and conduct on the course and a segment of the population tiring of TW's antics and lack of sportsmanship in a sport that is known for having manners.

[Mr. Desmond]

Talk about going off on tangents. Palmer, Bolt, Watson, global warming???

I read the article. It speaks to the mind of this author. This article was about much more than just Tiger, Jordan and the 2015 Masters.

This author was on a mission.

If you care to recall, Ms. Brennan wrote an article back in 2002 about The Augusta National and their lack of female members when Hootie Johnson was chairman. She portrayed The Augusta National as an old fashioned, male-only club for bigots. Ms. Brennan, in penning this article, took another opportunity to take a bra-burning, female shot at the golfing male contingent. This time, instead of taking aim at a club of men, she picked on Tiger. I truly believe she sees Jordan as the antithesis of Tiger, not because Tiger is evil, but because Jordan was reserved in his reactions. I saw Jordan as a kid who was in total shock that he won (don’t get me wrong – he’s fully capable). I think he conducted himself with a quiet reserve and did a great job. He was just being himself in that very moment. For Ms. Brennan to say that Tiger's swearing, or his reaction to a holed putt is wrong speaks volumes about how she views men in general.

I believe, without actually saying it, Ms. Brennan took full advantage in this article to point out that Jordan handled himself more like a woman than a man.

So off base if you know the facts. Jordan was obsessive about Augusta growing up. Even during high school, he received permission to skip classes and go to the library and watch it on his computer. When he placed 2nd last year, he wanted the tourney to start the next day so he could win.

He fully expected to win.

Jordan conducts himself like a well behaved man who wants to win -- he attempts to keep his emotions in check, and let's them out by talking to the ball. He also reign in the profanity on the course.

As to the remainder of your contention, I think you want to see more than what actually exists. But that's not surprising given the DufAmanda thread.

[krupa]

Talk about going off on tangents. Palmer, Bolt, Watson, global warming???

I read the article. It speaks to the mind of this author. This article was about much more than just Tiger, Jordan and the 2015 Masters.

This author was on a mission.

If you care to recall, Ms. Brennan wrote an article back in 2002 about The Augusta National and their lack of female members when Hootie Johnson was chairman. She portrayed The Augusta National as an old fashioned, male-only club for bigots. Ms. Brennan, in penning this article, took another opportunity to take a bra-burning, female shot at the golfing male contingent. This time, instead of taking aim at a club of men, she picked on Tiger. I truly believe she sees Jordan as the antithesis of Tiger, not because Tiger is evil, but because Jordan was reserved in his reactions. I saw Jordan as a kid who was in total shock that he won (don’t get me wrong – he’s fully capable). I think he conducted himself with a quiet reserve and did a great job. He was just being himself in that very moment. For Ms. Brennan to say that Tiger's swearing, or his reaction to a holed putt is wrong speaks volumes about how she views men in general.

I believe, without actually saying it, Ms. Brennan took full advantage in this article to point out that Jordan handled himself more like a woman than a man.

Does TST have a badge-thingy for reading between the lines?

I think it's pretty clear that the author hates Tiger.  Other than that, I think your opinion is more of a reflection of what you think about the author than about what she wrote.

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akhil Puri

Let me hit back with this piece .  http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/tiger-woods-jordan-spieth-record-roger-federer-criticize-golf-course-easy-masters-soft-quote

I have a lot of respect for Speith and his temperament . But there is no one like tiger and there never will be purely because of the passion with which he plays the sport . He has inspired a generation to take to this otherwise "slow and mundane game meant for old foggies or for chidren who start playing before they hit their teens " by the way he has carried himself over the last decade and a half .. if it wasn't for him golf wouldn't have caught up the way it has with the 20 somethings

You can thank both Arnie and Tiger for the bottom line in this graphic - both had a huge share in popularizing the sport (and increasing prize money). But the comments by the columnist was more about sportsmanship and conduct on the course and a segment of the population tiring of TW's antics and lack of sportsmanship in a sport that is known for having manners.

Why is fist pumping and showing passion "poor sportsmanship"?  When Spieth swears on camera, and he will be caught, is he now a poor sport?  You and the author hold Woods to a different standard than any other player.  That is why we are challenging your comments and her report.

Rory throws a 3 -iron in the pond and there is hardly a squeak from the media.  Many players swore and slammed clubs at THIS Masters, on camera.  Not a peep.  If Woods picked his nose on camera, and I'm being hypothetical here, the Ear, Nose and Throat Doctors Association of America * would release a statement to the media chastising him.  Non-golf writers would put out headline articles about Woods being a "Health Hazard" to all the fans and players at the Masters. And you would say he is disgusting and none of your "hero" golfer ever did this.

* Not a real association.

[saevel25]

You can thank both Arnie and Tiger for the bottom line in this graphic - both had a huge share in popularizing the sport (and increasing prize money). But the comments by the columnist was more about sportsmanship and conduct on the course and a segment of the population tiring of TW's antics and lack of sportsmanship in a sport that is known for having manners.

Actually Spieth can thank Tiger for that bottom line. Check out this thread, http://thesandtrap.com/b/the_numbers_game/money_list_trends.

There is a nice chart showing the increase in amount of money won by players. You can see that the earnings were consistently increasing up till 1998. Then BOOM goes the amount of money brought into the sport. The fact is you had a 1.7 million increase from 1986 to 1998, you had a 8.3 million increase for the money leader from 1998 to 2004. The amount of money golfers are making today is all about Tiger bringing golf into the modern age of endorsements. The big sporting contracts. The amount of money offered to the winner. All of that today is because of Tiger. If Arnie played today he wouldn't be doing car oil commercials.

What antics? What lack of Sportsmanship? I've seen Tiger in person a few times and he acts the same as any other golfer on the course. Heck look at Rory, the golden boy, he's chucked a club into a pond and broke a wedge out of anger. No one harps on him for it. If Tiger did that you'd be blasting Tiger like he's Satan.

[Lastpick]

Hey, I'm a Tiger fan and I still wish he would make some changes in his behavior.  I bet Tiger wishes he would make some changes.  The profanity is what I wished Tiger would change as I also wish the vast majority of players would tone it down a bit.  I am not offended by the profanity, but some people are.  The only area that I can think of that Tiger has come up short as an ambassador for golf is in signing autographs.  He does not make himself available at the level that most of the stars do(this is opinion, not based on stats).  Tiger changed the way that golf is played.  He successfully pulled off so many incredible shots that strategy on the tour has changed.

[newtogolf]

Add Christine Brennan to the list of people that are trying to escalate their career by ripping Tiger.  Let's look at the authors issues with Tiger;

Quote:

Spieth doesn't succumb to the uber-fist-pumping and extracurricular swearing of Tiger

Damn that uber-fist-pumping, how does one achieve uber-fist-pumping?  Is there a number of fist pumps per minute that makes it "uber"?   "Extracurricular swearing"?  I had to verify the definition because the term made little sense.

Quote:

"extracurricular"

• outside the normal routine, especially that provided by a job or marriage.
• lying outside one's regular duties or routine

Still makes no sense, Tigers regular duties involve getting a little white ball into a cup, by this definition wouldn't fist pumping be extracurricular and even more so "uber-fist-pumping"  Let's throw out everything Tiger has done for the sport because he's passionate about what he does and sometimes he has a potty mouth.  I watch football, baseball, MMA and many television shows, they all include "extracurricular swearing".  I find it interesting the author and @Rick Martin only seem to believe Tiger is guilty of this offense.

Where are all the outraged posts about the others that have muttered profanity, aka Patrick Reed, Jason Day, Bubba Watson and my all time favorite Mark Wiebe who said much worse than Tiger ever did ( http://www.ridethepine.com/video/golfer-mark-wiebe-curse/) .  Mark and Patrick both said a lot of dirty words, I'd say that they far exceeded "extracurricular swearing" but only Tiger gets bashed for it.

Quote:

There also was Spieth's new TV commercial. Tiger's commercials were always about Tiger, which is really not all that unusual. That's the way it is with most superstar athletes. Spieth's? The one that was airing between his shots Sunday was the AT&T; commercial about not texting while driving, the kind of commercial any mother loves.

Now we're blaming Tiger for the commercials he appears in too.  I guess the author has no insight to how commercials are developed and their purpose.  Tiger doesn't create the commercials he appears in, companies also pay big money for celebrities to appear in commercials so they are usually trying to exploit their fame in promoting their products.

It's sad that the guy who took a sport that few cared about and escalated it to the level it is today is being crucified for doing all the same things that his peers have for done for years and no one talks about.  If you really think Tiger is the only pro golfer to cheat on his wife, swear on the course, spit on a green or be self absorbed then I have a few bridges to sell you.

I like Spieth, but he's a kid, daddy had to tell him to go back out on the 18th green and recognize the crowd, that wasn't his idea.  Everyone loved Tiger when he was 21 too, so let's give Jordan some time to mature before we put him on a mantle and set expectations for him (as we did Tiger) that will be near impossible to live up to.

[Ferguson]

Does TST have a badge-thingy for reading between the lines?  I think it's pretty clear that the author hates Tiger.  Other than that, I think your opinion is more of a reflection of what you think about the author than about what she wrote.

[quote name="Mr. Desmond" url="/t/81399/christine-brennan-writes-horrible-masters-column-about-spieth-and-woods-for-some-reason/36#post_1129996"] So off base if you know the facts. Jordan was obsessive about Augusta growing up. Even during high school, he received permission to skip classes and go to the library and watch it on his computer. When he placed 2nd last year, he wanted the tourney to start the next day so he could win.  He fully expected to win. Jordan conducts himself like a well behaved man who wants to win -- he attempts to keep his emotions in check, and let's them out by talking to the ball. He also reign in the profanity on the course. As to the remainder of your contention, I think you want to see more than what actually exists. But that's not surprising given the DufAmanda thread. [/quote] So off base? …and we should take what you say to be facts? "Jordan was obsessive about Augusta growing up. Even during high school, he received permission to skip classes and go to the library and watch it on his computer. When he placed 2nd last year, he wanted the tourney to start the next day so he could win." What facts are these, and how do they relate to Brennan's article? They sound simply like a player's obsession with a tournament and a strong desire to win. Please read between my lines: I took nothing away from Jordan’s victory - I stated Jordan was fully capable. That means what I intended it to mean without using too many words. Expected to win? I would think they all expect to win. C’mon Desmond, do you take what an author says without trying to understand the author (source)? She doesn’t hate Tiger – she hates men. Read the article: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/brennan/story/2012-03-28/brennan-augusta-national/53841184/1 The amanda/duf thread – moot.

[krupa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krupa

Does TST have a badge-thingy for reading between the lines?

I think it's pretty clear that the author hates Tiger.  Other than that, I think your opinion is more of a reflection of what you think about the author than about what she wrote.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

So off base if you know the facts. Jordan was obsessive about Augusta growing up. Even during high school, he received permission to skip classes and go to the library and watch it on his computer. When he placed 2nd last year, he wanted the tourney to start the next day so he could win.

He fully expected to win.

Jordan conducts himself like a well behaved man who wants to win -- he attempts to keep his emotions in check, and let's them out by talking to the ball. He also reign in the profanity on the course.

As to the remainder of your contention, I think you want to see more than what actually exists. But that's not surprising given the DufAmanda thread.

So off base? …and we should take what you say to be facts?

"Jordan was obsessive about Augusta growing up. Even during high school, he received permission to skip classes and go to the library and watch it on his computer. When he placed 2nd last year, he wanted the tourney to start the next day so he could win."

What facts are these, and how do they relate to Brennan's article?

They sound simply like a player's obsession with a tournament and a strong desire to win.

Please read between my lines: I took nothing away from Jordan’s victory - I stated Jordan was fully capable.

That means what I intended it to mean without using too many words.

Expected to win?

I would think they all expect to win.

C’mon Desmond, do you take what an author says without trying to understand the author (source)?

She doesn’t hate Tiger – she hates men.

Read the article:

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/brennan/story/2012-03-28/brennan-augusta-national/53841184/1

The amanda/duf thread – moot.

I think she hates sexist, racist men. I don't see how you go from what she says in that article to "she hates men."  Unless you think that all men are sexist and racist.

[cedrictheo]

[Perfect Slicer]

So Jordan, what do you think about the article?

[boogielicious]

Oh!  Think of the Children!

[Ferguson]

I think she hates sexist, racist men. I don't see how you go from what she says in that article to "she hates men."  Unless you think that all men are sexist and racist.

I don't agree or disagree with her. I'm just trying to figure out why she would attack Tiger and not Fred Couples or Nick Faldo for example. Fred and Nick both swear like truck drivers. The Augusta National was a male only club when she wrote that article (good men and bad men - she made no distinction). I believe we must look back 13 years ago when the article was written to gauge what she meant. We can agree that times have changed not only at Augusta but in the world with more women in higher positions. I was trying to say this author hasn't changed - she's stuck in idle.

[jbishop15]

Besides the obvious garbage about TW, it really frustrates me to read this stuff that elevates Spieth's win to somethin more than it is. Can it just be a great win? Can't we just be impressed with Spieth's golfing prowess? Do we have to turn him into the Great (White) American Hope? He played super well, h won, it was awesome. It's a damn sporting event.

[Ferguson]

Besides the obvious garbage about TW, it really frustrates me to read this stuff that elevates Spieth's win to somethin more than it is. Can it just be a great win? Can't we just be impressed with Spieth's golfing prowess? Do we have to turn him into the Great (White) American Hope? He played super well, h won, it was awesome. It's a damn sporting event.

YES. YES. NO. Well stated. Brennan is a marginal reporter and shock value author.

[krupa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krupa

I think she hates sexist, racist men. I don't see how you go from what she says in that article to "she hates men."  Unless you think that all men are sexist and racist.

I don't agree or disagree with her. I'm just trying to figure out why she would attack Tiger and not Fred Couples or Nick Faldo for example.

Fred and Nick both swear like truck drivers.

The Augusta National was a male only club when she wrote that article (good men and bad men - she made no distinction).

I believe we must look back 13 years ago when the article was written to gauge what she meant.

We can agree that times have changed not only at Augusta but in the world with more women in higher positions.

I was trying to say this author hasn't changed - she's stuck in idle.

Probably because Couples and Faldo (and all the rest of the guys who are known to swear) aren't nearly as media-relevant as Tiger still is.