As mentioned in this space a while back, there's such a thing as media darlings, particularly when it comes to the world of sports. These are the people that are hyped to no end for various reasons.
The media wants them to win. They WILL them to win and, if there was a way the scribes and talking heads could stack the deck in their favor -- by God -- they WOULD win. As someone much smarter than me once put it -- the media likes to play king or queen maker. Sometimes it has to do with good looks, personality, gender, or even race. Yet other times one wonders where the media is coming from with their latest anointed "superstar".
Michelle Wie might be a good example. As a 13-14 year old golfer, Ms. Wie was trumpeted as the next queen of the ladies' professional golf tour. Before she was old enough to qualify for a driver's license, much less vote or drink, Wie was given exemptions to participate in many events she hadn't earned the right to play in. The media wanted it that way -- and so it came to pass. Through somebody's audacity, Michelle even found a way to tee it up against the top male professionals -- where she was predictably humbled. Even the "little engine that could" blew a gasket trying to climb that particular hill. Several years later, and after all that hype, what did she amount to? Just another lady golfer in the middle of the pack of the LPGA. Nothing special.
Tiger Woods, of course, had the best of all worlds. Not only did the hype begin shortly after young Eldrick was out of diapers and swinging a club on a TV talk show, he grew up to be a handsome young man and, oh my, could he ever play golf. He was blowing away everybody at every level along the way, including going on to dominate the PGA circuit for several years. Did the fact that Tiger was a black man playing a predominantly white man's game make him a novelty and therefore a media favorite? Perhaps, but there was no questioning his ability. Sure, the last few years Tiger hasn't been anywhere near the dominant player he once was, and the constant force-feeding of his replays to the TV viewing public can be irritating to objective golf fans that are not amongst Woods' groupies, especially when he's fading fast on a weekend at any particular tournament. Why would we want to see replays of a guy that's 5, then 8, then 12, or whatever strokes behind, to the detriment of seeing the people that are in contention? I suppose Woods at least earned some of this for once being so great, but hey, does anybody want the TV cameras to concentrate on Jeff Gordon's #24 car in NASCAR these days? Gordon was every bit the winner Woods was several years ago, but he's been slip-sliding away as well. Show me the leaders.
Oops, this has run on too long. Danica next time. Go Daddy indeed......
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