Give and Take - Talking with the Masses

Most things work with give and take. Life's a two-way street. Give and take holds the social fabric together. Of course there are those who just take, and that's a bit of a ripoff in my book. We all know that pro golf wouldn't be what it is today without the great ambassadors of the past. Guys like Arnie knew that it wasn't enough to just be a great player if you wanted to make a living as a pro golfer. You had to be a promoter. Someone had to get out there and get people interested. You had to talk to the crowd, shake hands, sign autographs, show some emotion and talk to the media. Today, as a result of their efforts, quite a few people make a very nice living as professional golfers. It wasn't always that way. Go back and check your history and you'll see that most guys had to play primarily for the love of the game.

Guys that come in and win but don't stick around to do the promoting are picking the ripe fruit without doing much for future crops. If that keeps up, golf is going to find itself on a downward slide. And I think that would be a shame. It's a wonderful sport, or game if you prefer. It requires great skill under pressure and produces some incredible moments for us fans. On the other hand, as golfers start to look more alike and speak less about what they do, the sport is in danger of becoming less interesting to its audience. And who do you think is ultimately paying the bills?

Seeing pros make great shots is not enough, I want to know what they're thinking. How did the pressure feel? What do they think happened when they overcame it or it overcame them. That's human drama and that's what gets the crowd involved. Without emotional content there is little human interest in most anything. I can better relate to the pro events when the pros talk about what's going on before and after playing. It also helps to see them smiling and signing autographs for the people who pay their wages. Sing it Aretha - RESPECT!

There are no rules of course for talking with the media. A pro can choose to get involved or to turn his/her back on the whole thing. It's selfish to clam up, but there's no law against that. Let's not lose our perspective. Golf isn't brain surgery. Nobody's life is on the line. So pros! lighten up. Even if you screwed up, tell us about it. Your audience needs emotion and self introspection, good shots are not enough to keep the golden goose laying those eggs. We may not swing like Tiger or VJ, but we've got the same emotions!

Might pro golf end up like pro tennis? I'll take that one on tomorrow.