I wasn’t going to give this upcoming event the time of day on my blog.
Quite honestly, I felt that the effort wasn’t worth it because I’ve pretty much said what I had to about it over social media. But then I had a realization… not everyone that reads my posts are from social media so here I am. I’ve been pretty vocal about #TheMatch.
First of all, let’s not kid ourselves. This is as far from being like “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” as possible. Watching those legends play while they were in their prime has a real “feel” to it. I’m sure that the spectators for those events were hand-selected as well. But at least there were spectators in attendance. Watching the galleries being right in the thick of the action always made me wonder what it felt like for them to be so close to the greats. Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Mr. Palmer and the list goes on. #TheMatch is not at all like this. Or at least that’s my perception of it.
Instead, #TheMatch feels elitist and sterile. I say this because it’s totally void of fans thus making it feel so far from organic that it’s hard to perceive. Only camera crews and select media will be on hand to take in the action from the just as exclusive as the venue itself (Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas, NV). The one’s who line the wallets of the participants should at least have the chance of being there. Maybe like The Masters lottery. If they sold tickets to this event then maybe I’d watch. Think of the charities that they could help from wildfire victims to hurricane relief. Look at what J.J. Watt did himself with Hurricane Harvey relief. That said, it’s only available on Pay-Per-View for $20. I can buy several gallons of milk and loaves of bread for my family with that $20.
There are going to be sidebets that will go to charity is an argument that I hear. Is any of that money coming out of their own bank accounts? Or is it the money that’s being put up by its title sponsor (Capital One). Pony up your own money boys! $4.5 million out of your own bank accounts. Now that’s interesting. Oh and another thing. Why now for this event? If it had been 10-15 years ago that would have been much more compelling television.
Oh and then there’s the hype. These guys or the acting like they’re Ali and Frazier. Or some UFC pugilists. Having a press conference “staredown”. Seriously?! The hype alone has been a turnoff for me. Then there’s also the pictures of them standing behind the stack of money. It literally nauseated me.
I get it, there are people that are right into this event and love it. I respect those people and their opinion. I sincerely hope that for those who purchase the event it’s well worth the money and exceeds your expectations. But I for one, will not waste a second of my day watching #TheMatch.
Is this really good for the game. Our game? How does this help to grow golf?
Until The Next Tee!!
#fightandgrind #seeuonthenexttee
