Rory McIlroy - The Next Tiger?

This past Sunday I had the final round of the US Open on as background noise while I constructed my third successful piece of IKEA furniture.  Watching Rory McIlroy defend a huge lead going into the final round was not high on my priority list, but lucky for him and golf, there is little else in the sports world that can be classified as exciting (I'll admit, the US/Jamaica Gold Cup game slipped my mind...no excuses).  I stuck around for the first few holes to see if he may give a few shots to the field (Masters Part II?), and then peeked back towards the end, because its always somewhat inspiring to see an athlete or team reach a coveted goal.


Not only was Rory handed his prestigious trophy, but he was also given countless accolades and a weight-vest stuffed with golf's expectations for the next decade.  For his performance, the compliments were well-deserved.  He dominated a field of the world's best and made it look easy.  However, after the 237th person labeled him as "Golf's Next Superstar", and "The Next Tiger," I started rolling my eyes.


My goal here is not to be a giant buzz-kill.  Does he have boatloads of talent?  Yes.  Maturity beyond his years?  Sure seems like it.  Let's pump the brakes though, people.  I am of the belief that we are still suffering from a Post-Tiger Hangover.  We want to find some reason, any reason, to make golf relevant again, and Rory McIlroy fits our criteria, even if he isn't anything close to the next Tiger Woods.  Some simple facts first.  Tiger made his first big mark at the 1997 Masters, winning by 12 strokes.  Sounds very similar to Rory's 2011 US Open victory, yes?  The ratings for Tiger Woods' Sunday, victory-lap final round that year were 14.1% of U.S. households - a record.  Rory's final round, which catapulted him into supposed "super-stardom," drew ratings of....wait for it...5.1%.  In fact, this year's ratings compared to 2010's US Open final round dropped 26% (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-20/tv-ratings-for-rory-mcilroy-s-record-u-s-open-golf-final-round-fall-35-.html). 


I certainly don't want to suggest that TV ratings have anything to do with an athlete's talent, but this hardly has the look and feel of golf's next transcendent figure.  We act like this kid is a phenomenon when his historic performance attracted fewer people than a Hawaii Five-0 episode.  The fact is, Rory played amazing golf against a subpar field, on a course that was playing way too easy.  Yes, everyone has to play with the same conditions, but this course didn't measure up as a true, major championship test.  My main point is this:  We don't like Rory nearly as much as we say we do.  Its like that person you start dating after breaking up with someone you REALLY liked, even loved.  You can keep telling yourself you're into it, but you know its not going anywhere.  Even if his talent is comparable to Tiger's at 22, the interest he is generating is half of that.  Sorry Rory.  


There is another point that I would like to make.  Those of you that start to follow my blog consistently will see a theme with many of my posts.  I am of the opinion that we are severely impatient as sports fans in this country.  The popular media can be categorized as ABSURDLY impatient.  We owe it to up-and-comers like Rory not to put the weight of the world on their shoulders the second they see success.  After watching Rory handle himself with class after the Masters, and throughout this week, its clear that this kid 'gets it.'  He seems to have a genuine passion for the game, respect for golf's history, and humility.  That can't be said for most 22 year-old athletes these days, let alone a rising star in his/her sport.  Let's save the Tiger & Nicklaus comparisons for another day.


Hopefully Rory proves me wrong and validates this level of hype - I think he has the skill and mindset to eventually do so.  If Rory finishes his career with a couple of majors under his belt and is able to maintain the character and dignity he has shown thus far, we should be content with that, and feel fortunate that he stayed a positive role model.


The pressure is on, Rory.  You don't have to win 19 majors to impress me; just don't punch your girlfriend, take steroids, start a dog-fighting ring, commit manslaughter when driving drunk, or tweet your genitals to the entire planet.  I don't think its too much to ask...

LeBron in the Media

I am an avid sports fan.  I pride myself on staying up to date with what is happening in the world of sports, especially with basketball, whether its amateur or professional in nature.  I fully enjoyed watching this past year's NCAA Tournament (even without my Spartans...next year), with a true team like Butler making another run.  For the first time since the Pistons' title run I was fully invested in the NBA playoffs as well.  With that being said, I couldn't help but become annoyed with the media coverage of LeBron James, especially in the NBA Finals.  

I am a realistic person.  At this point I know that the popular media is going to try whatever they can to blow everything out of proportion.  That goes for all news outlets, whether its ESPN, TMZ, or FOX.  I try and take each article and newscast with a grain of salt.  That being said, over the last two weeks I have read more about LeBron than I care to remember.  Two weeks ago I read about how he was finally ready to claim his title as "The Next MJ."  How this year's run through the playoffs conquered any doubt that he isn't the best player on the planet.  Every sports columnist from Michael Wilbon to Rick Reilly (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6634464) were lining up to offer their praise.  

And then came Game 4...and Game 5...and Game 6.  Rarely have I ever seen the sports community so, frankly, overjoyed to see someone fail.  There was a complete 180 done overnight.  I realize we will always have astronomical expectations for LeBron, which he should live with because of the money he is paid for playing a game.  With that being said, let's not go out of our way to try and put this guy in a mental ward by saying he is hopeless because he wasn't able to play up to his ability for a few games.  You could argue that he brought this media firestorm on himself during the Pre-season spectacle known as "The Decision," where He, Wade, and Bosh foolishly promised multiple championship rings for Miami (I'm not saying they won't win a few, but it was stupid to say it the way they did).  He didn't help his case by doing that, but for the most part he has been an exceptional ambassador for the NBA.  He is an athlete with an engaging personality (relative to most, at least), a positive and healthy perspective on the game that he plays, and, as the icing on the cake, a clean criminal record.  


We quickly hand down unfair criticism to LeBron while we rush to praise Michael Vick as a reformed superstar because he returned to his Pro-Bowl form quicker than expected.  That example may be a bit dramatic, but it demonstrates where our priorities are as sports fans in this country.  This is something that we should re-evaluate significantly.  If my kid was growing up and developed an interest in the game of basketball, I would gladly have him listen to LeBron when he talks about his view of the team, and playing each game for his teammates.  


There are countless examples in the world of sports that show us embracing the failure of another.  At some point let's rethink who we choose to criticize so heavily.