In the 1960’s golf took a close second in popularity of American’s, to “Americas Past-time,” baseball. Those two sports ruled television and radio sets all over the place. Now, those to sports seem to be fading as fast an evening sunset. Why is this? Why has football and basketball now become more entertaining to an average viewer than America’s most pure sports? In my opinion it’s a direct reflection of today’s high pace society. People now days do not have time to follow a four-day golf tournament, they’d rather sit down on a Sunday for just a few hours and watch the Packers play the Vikings.
To football’s credit, they have marketed their sport extremely well. They do a very good job of appealing to the younger generation’s eye. Unlike golf, which is viewed as a patient, methodical sport, it’s harder to market to this generation. Gambling is another reason that football is strides in from of other sports. In the article, “Why Pro Football is the Most Popular Sport in America,” Randy Inman explains, “football is a great sport to gamble on because the games all take place within 2 days which makes your bets easier to keep up with.” (para. 3) If you think about it from an editor of a newspaper that is trying to boost their readers, more times than not, you would see football on the front page instead of golf. When is the last time you saw two golfers collide a full speed causing a collision? How about never? A wide receiver getting crushed by a massive, out of control, freak athlete is astronomically more entertaining than an out of shape 5’ 9” sack of bones hit a ball in to a tiny hole. That’s just the way it is and from what I can see its not changing anytime soon. In 2003, 6.1 million children for ages 5-17 participated in golf, the following year, 4.4 million. Since then it’s been declining even more. Without the interest of young people golf will have no future. Golf could end up in the same boat as tennis. Since 1975, tennis has dropped in participates from 34 million to 1.3 million.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
What Happen to Golf?
In the 1960’s golf took a close second in popularity of American’s, to “Americas Past-time,” baseball. Those two sports ruled television and radio sets all over the place. Now, those to sports seem to be fading as fast an evening sunset. Why is this? Why has football and basketball now become more entertaining to an average viewer than America’s most pure sports? In my opinion it’s a direct reflection of today’s high pace society. People now days do not have time to follow a four-day golf tournament, they’d rather sit down on a Sunday for just a few hours and watch the Packers play the Vikings.
To football’s credit, they have marketed their sport extremely well. They do a very good job of appealing to the younger generation’s eye. Unlike golf, which is viewed as a patient, methodical sport, it’s harder to market to this generation. Gambling is another reason that football is strides in from of other sports. In the article, “Why Pro Football is the Most Popular Sport in America,” Randy Inman explains, “football is a great sport to gamble on because the games all take place within 2 days which makes your bets easier to keep up with.” (para. 3) If you think about it from an editor of a newspaper that is trying to boost their readers, more times than not, you would see football on the front page instead of golf. When is the last time you saw two golfers collide a full speed causing a collision? How about never? A wide receiver getting crushed by a massive, out of control, freak athlete is astronomically more entertaining than an out of shape 5’ 9” sack of bones hit a ball in to a tiny hole. That’s just the way it is and from what I can see its not changing anytime soon. In 2003, 6.1 million children for ages 5-17 participated in golf, the following year, 4.4 million. Since then it’s been declining even more. Without the interest of young people golf will have no future. Golf could end up in the same boat as tennis. Since 1975, tennis has dropped in participates from 34 million to 1.3 million.
We’ve become accustom to the era of the super star. Super stars rule basketball and football. In golf there’s only one person that is marketed as a super star, and of course it’s Tiger Woods. With Tiger’s latest antics the game has turned even more people away because everyone sees him as the face of the sport. All sports have multiple dominate athletes, except golf. If you asked a typical sports fan to name the top five golfers, they would struggle to name and besides two or three. If you ask the same question about basketball they could name more than likely over ten.
As much as hate to say it golf is a game of failure. Its always been that way. In golf you count you’re strokes and aim low. In other sports you strive to get the highest point total. To go along with our fast pace so society, people want instant results and instant gratification. In golf you don’t get that. Even to be an average recreational golfer you most discipline yourself to become better. Many people could golf one round and not hit one good shot. But in basketball even the worst player could make 50 percent of their just shots, shooting around by themselves. “Time” may be the biggest killer of golf. In our lives we just struggle to find the time to spend over two hours to walk around a course but shooting around in the drive way or playing catch with a football can take less than a half an hour.
With the future of golf seeming to fade, another killer is the prices. Not only the outrageous prices but the equipment required for golf is through the roof. One single club can cost upwards of $500. In this area for a slightly above average green fee it cost about $15 for nine holes. Not to mention will cost from 6 to 10 dollars. As a golf course, they must charge these prices to make up for the lack of revenue due to the decrease in golf popularity.
Technology has innovated the sport of golf greatly, as it has all sports. According to Geoff Shackelford how authored the book, Future of Golf, “PGA (Professional Golf Association) Tour driving distances increased a foot per year from 1968 to 1995 thanks largely to subtle technological improvements, better athletes, the advent of practice, and better instruction.”
(26) Technology can possibly be the beginning of an evolution to bring the game of golf back to where it once was. With newly designed clubs and balls, player’s confidence can be boosted due to the control and distance of each shot.
In closure, golf is a struggling sport that needs to be revamped by the youth of today’s society. Golf may never be able to surpass the overwhelming popularity of football in America but golf is a wonderful hobby to inhabit and should be enjoyed by all who have the patience and interest. According to one of the best golfers ever golf is easy. “Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing”, Ben Hogan.
To football’s credit, they have marketed their sport extremely well. They do a very good job of appealing to the younger generation’s eye. Unlike golf, which is viewed as a patient, methodical sport, it’s harder to market to this generation. Gambling is another reason that football is strides in from of other sports. In the article, “Why Pro Football is the Most Popular Sport in America,” Randy Inman explains, “football is a great sport to gamble on because the games all take place within 2 days which makes your bets easier to keep up with.” (para. 3) If you think about it from an editor of a newspaper that is trying to boost their readers, more times than not, you would see football on the front page instead of golf. When is the last time you saw two golfers collide a full speed causing a collision? How about never? A wide receiver getting crushed by a massive, out of control, freak athlete is astronomically more entertaining than an out of shape 5’ 9” sack of bones hit a ball in to a tiny hole. That’s just the way it is and from what I can see its not changing anytime soon. In 2003, 6.1 million children for ages 5-17 participated in golf, the following year, 4.4 million. Since then it’s been declining even more. Without the interest of young people golf will have no future. Golf could end up in the same boat as tennis. Since 1975, tennis has dropped in participates from 34 million to 1.3 million.
We’ve become accustom to the era of the super star. Super stars rule basketball and football. In golf there’s only one person that is marketed as a super star, and of course it’s Tiger Woods. With Tiger’s latest antics the game has turned even more people away because everyone sees him as the face of the sport. All sports have multiple dominate athletes, except golf. If you asked a typical sports fan to name the top five golfers, they would struggle to name and besides two or three. If you ask the same question about basketball they could name more than likely over ten.
As much as hate to say it golf is a game of failure. Its always been that way. In golf you count you’re strokes and aim low. In other sports you strive to get the highest point total. To go along with our fast pace so society, people want instant results and instant gratification. In golf you don’t get that. Even to be an average recreational golfer you most discipline yourself to become better. Many people could golf one round and not hit one good shot. But in basketball even the worst player could make 50 percent of their just shots, shooting around by themselves. “Time” may be the biggest killer of golf. In our lives we just struggle to find the time to spend over two hours to walk around a course but shooting around in the drive way or playing catch with a football can take less than a half an hour.
With the future of golf seeming to fade, another killer is the prices. Not only the outrageous prices but the equipment required for golf is through the roof. One single club can cost upwards of $500. In this area for a slightly above average green fee it cost about $15 for nine holes. Not to mention will cost from 6 to 10 dollars. As a golf course, they must charge these prices to make up for the lack of revenue due to the decrease in golf popularity.
Technology has innovated the sport of golf greatly, as it has all sports. According to Geoff Shackelford how authored the book, Future of Golf, “PGA (Professional Golf Association) Tour driving distances increased a foot per year from 1968 to 1995 thanks largely to subtle technological improvements, better athletes, the advent of practice, and better instruction.”
(26) Technology can possibly be the beginning of an evolution to bring the game of golf back to where it once was. With newly designed clubs and balls, player’s confidence can be boosted due to the control and distance of each shot.
In closure, golf is a struggling sport that needs to be revamped by the youth of today’s society. Golf may never be able to surpass the overwhelming popularity of football in America but golf is a wonderful hobby to inhabit and should be enjoyed by all who have the patience and interest. According to one of the best golfers ever golf is easy. “Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing”, Ben Hogan.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Earth Day..
In a world of fast pace, and technology. “Going Green” has become more innovative and is used as a marketing premise for many big corporations. According to Leslie Kaufman’s article in The New York Times, At 40, Earth Day Is Now Big Business, “the momentum for the first Earth Day came from the grass roots, many corporations say that it is often the business community that now leads the way in environmental innovation.” (para 14) Businesses say that they do not intend for people to purchase there items, because they are promoting a greener planet, its hard to deny to inevitable. Why would businesses throw the millions of dollars at a campaign to not reap the rewards?
Monday, April 5, 2010
It's a Great Time for Sports
This Monday may be the beginning of the best sports week/ weekend of the year. Donavan McNabb was traded from the Philadelphia Eagles after 11 years of being there starting quarterback. Also, college basketball is nearing its end, bringing us the frenzy called “March Madness.” Major League Baseball kicked off last night with the Boston Red Sox defeating the defending World Champions. On top of all that, the biggest story is that of Tiger Woods making his appearance back on the PGA Tour.
The Philadelphia Eagles brought us the biggest off-season move of the year. They traded star quarterback Donavan McNabb to a divisional foe, the Washington Redskins. The Eagles ideally did not want to trade him within the division, but they claim that they wanted him to go to a place he could succeed. The way I see it, it’s not going to matter anyways because both teams will be battling for last place.
This year was one to remember in sport of college basketball, along with the tournament. Although my bracket was busted within the first couple of hours of the tournament starting, it was definitely entertaining. This tournament has seen more upsets than ever before. The Butler Bulldogs were a 5 seed who face the likes of power houses; Syracuse, Kansas State, and Michigan State, to reach the Championship game against Duke.
Baseball is Americas Greatest Pastime, and its back. Although it’s a long season, every team starts out in first place, even the Pirates and Royals.
Finally, the five month wait is over, Tiger Woods is back on the course and off the tabloids. Even though It seemed like such a big deal at the time, I have a feeling that if Tiger is down one stroke going into the 18 hole, we’ll all be rooting for him. Tiger is a superstar, regardless of his off-field predicaments.
The Philadelphia Eagles brought us the biggest off-season move of the year. They traded star quarterback Donavan McNabb to a divisional foe, the Washington Redskins. The Eagles ideally did not want to trade him within the division, but they claim that they wanted him to go to a place he could succeed. The way I see it, it’s not going to matter anyways because both teams will be battling for last place.
This year was one to remember in sport of college basketball, along with the tournament. Although my bracket was busted within the first couple of hours of the tournament starting, it was definitely entertaining. This tournament has seen more upsets than ever before. The Butler Bulldogs were a 5 seed who face the likes of power houses; Syracuse, Kansas State, and Michigan State, to reach the Championship game against Duke.
Baseball is Americas Greatest Pastime, and its back. Although it’s a long season, every team starts out in first place, even the Pirates and Royals.
Finally, the five month wait is over, Tiger Woods is back on the course and off the tabloids. Even though It seemed like such a big deal at the time, I have a feeling that if Tiger is down one stroke going into the 18 hole, we’ll all be rooting for him. Tiger is a superstar, regardless of his off-field predicaments.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Education, what is it good for?
This guys point is very insightful. I argee with most everything he said. I think it's too bad that we go to school for 14 to 16 years and when we get a job they have to train us anyways, defeating the purpose of all that schooling. Obviously, schooling can't hurt and may be critical for occupations such as a doctor or a lawyer. But for a cop, salesman, or a recptionist, they should be able to get by with a short training course spcefic to that job.
Also, i agree with him that the most important education is taught in the younger years, and the best form of education is learning humanity before math, etc. If child is taught something at a young age, they are more likely to learn it easier and it will stay with them for longer.
Also, i agree with him that the most important education is taught in the younger years, and the best form of education is learning humanity before math, etc. If child is taught something at a young age, they are more likely to learn it easier and it will stay with them for longer.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Somebody Has to Say It
How can you increase your self-esteem? Self-esteem is defined as “a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect.” So, what can you do to raise your self-esteem? In order to increase your self-esteem, treat others with respect and do not tolerate people disrespecting you. Treat people well.
There are many things that you can do to treat people well. Listen to them and try and understand them, be honest with them, be considerate of them, be kind and courteous to them, care about them and show concern for them. If you practice these things on a daily basis with the people that come through your life, your self-esteem will grow. Your life will become more fulfilled and you will feel like you have more purpose and that you are more important than you ever realized.
Today, it appears to me that lots of people are suffering from low self-esteem. We have a high divorce rate. We have many individuals and institutions that do not show integrity in their business dealings. We have teenage mothers abandoning or disposing of their babies. We have brutal attacks from both sides of our political parties. Is our whole country lacking self-esteem?
I think in order to save our economy and save our country’s future, all of us really need to start working very hard at increasing our self-esteem. The first step to solving a problem is to admit that we have one. So, as you go through your life trying to treat people well how do you handle it when you feel like you have been disrespected? When we are disrespected our emotions start kicking in we can feel anything from mild irritation to extreme anger. You should feel something when you have been disrespected. But unfortunately, lashing out and being disrespectful right back does not help your self-esteem.
Now of course nobody is perfect and we certainly cannot be completely available to everyone all the time, so some understanding is necessary. Realize what you can control and what you cannot. You can only be in control of yourself.
There are many things that you can do to treat people well. Listen to them and try and understand them, be honest with them, be considerate of them, be kind and courteous to them, care about them and show concern for them. If you practice these things on a daily basis with the people that come through your life, your self-esteem will grow. Your life will become more fulfilled and you will feel like you have more purpose and that you are more important than you ever realized.
Today, it appears to me that lots of people are suffering from low self-esteem. We have a high divorce rate. We have many individuals and institutions that do not show integrity in their business dealings. We have teenage mothers abandoning or disposing of their babies. We have brutal attacks from both sides of our political parties. Is our whole country lacking self-esteem?
I think in order to save our economy and save our country’s future, all of us really need to start working very hard at increasing our self-esteem. The first step to solving a problem is to admit that we have one. So, as you go through your life trying to treat people well how do you handle it when you feel like you have been disrespected? When we are disrespected our emotions start kicking in we can feel anything from mild irritation to extreme anger. You should feel something when you have been disrespected. But unfortunately, lashing out and being disrespectful right back does not help your self-esteem.
Now of course nobody is perfect and we certainly cannot be completely available to everyone all the time, so some understanding is necessary. Realize what you can control and what you cannot. You can only be in control of yourself.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Its our Environment, Take a Stand
In a time where some people believe the world is near its end, due to global warming, there are many alternative ways to create energy without harming the earth natural resources. Since the world is now more electronic and electricity is used for almost everything unlike many years ago, our planet has paid is price. As a nation, we use the most energy of any per person.
One of the best ways, I feel, is wind energy. Wind energy is a clean alternative to coal power plants, which are becoming a thing of the past. Hopefully, one day power plants will completely disappear for good. Although expensive to build and put up they would pay themselves off in just a matter of years. Becoming more common is personal wind turbines. People in rural areas, typically on ridges or places of higher elevation use these as a lone source of energy and many times have power left over to sell back to the electrical company. The money one would save on electrical bills and the money they earn by selling power would pay for the cost of the turbine and installation in just a matter of years. With just one wind turbine, approximately 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide can be displaced in just one year which is a big help for planet Earth. Saving 2,000 tons of carbon is equal to planting a square miles worth of trees. Some complain about the sound they make, but personally I wouldn’t mind a slight background sound if it meant saving loads of money and a grant from the government to construct one. Also, in this time of recession, installation and maintenance of these turbines create jobs for many people. 1000 megawatts of electricity produced by wind energy is equivalent to almost 2500 jobs.
There are many more ways of alternative energy, not just wind. Solar, geothermal, and hydrogen are excellent ways of producing clean energy. One that is close to home for me, literally is methane energy. Within the next our family plans to install a methane turbine. Being farmers we produce a lot of methane gas that grouping in our manure pit. We would collect all of the gas giving from manure and use it as a source of energy. There are many things we can do a nation and also internationally. I hope that people start to realize that we must protect of natural resources or we one day won’t have these resources to feed from.
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