As we all know, Jordan Spieth won the Masters golf tournament last week. Along the way, he equalled or bettered several scoring records. Very impressive stuff indeed.
To boot, Spieth has been on quite a roll over the last few months. Virtually unknown and buried in the world golf rankings a scant year ago, JS has become the hot topic in golf and zoomed into the Top Five. Again, credit where credit is due.
But these days, you just know what's going to happen next -- and it's already begun. With apologies to the Bard, cry havoc and let slip the dogs of hype. The create-a-hero maniacs are up to their usual shenanigans. Appreciating a run of very fine play isn't enough for them. They're always looking for ways to make it into something more -- and sell it to the masses. Evidently, they think the sporting public would wither away if they didn't have a hero, real or created. There MUST be a #1 sensation at all times. While many have claimed nature abhors a vacuum, it could also be argued that filling it with empty sound bytes and pseudo-hype isn't the best scenario either.
The cover of the latest edition of Sports Illustrated is a good example. Ignoring the obvious groaner pun -- JORDAN RULES, they say. The Spieth era begins now.
Well, maybe it does, but maybe it doesn't either. Jordan Spieth has been on a hot streak of late, winning a few tournaments, coming close in others, and just chalked up his first Major, replete with the coveted green jacket. And he's still only 21 years old. Did I mention impressive stuff?
But the dogs of hype are out of control -- again. It's like they expect Spieth to continue a run of dominance for the next several years on the PGA tour. Could it happen? Sure. Odds against it? High.
The competition is too ferocious, with new young guns popping up like dandelions every spring. Remember not long ago, much the same was said about Rory McIlroy. Yes, he's still the #1 ranked player in the world, but it's not like he's blitzing the field every week. Far from it. He misses cuts in some tournaments, finishes in the pack in others, and occasionally wins one. After he went on a hot streak a few years back, including winning a couple Majors by wide margins, he was anointed as some sort of golf god by the hero-makers. These days, Rory's just another good player. Creating false idols can be tricky business, especially when a new object of worship seems to pop up every few months.
The same hype-droids are still clinging to their biggest hero of all. Tiger Woods. They will force feed us Tiger highlights, even if he's hopelessly out of contention in any given tournament. We still see the obligatory Tiger press conferences with the media hanging on his every word -- though he might be 15 shots back. They are pulling out all the stops to resurrect their hero of yesteryear. Never mind the game is better than ever since Eldrick went in the tank a few years back, it's like they just -- can't -- let -- him -- go.
So here's an idea. How about holding off on elevating a 21 year old phenom like Spieth into golf's version of future sainthood and give the kid a chance to breathe and just play the game?
Is that asking too much?
It would be fitting if the media monsters that continue to peddle their sensationalism of sports figures were held to the same standards. After writing a good article or doing a TV interview with an athlete that was an eye-opener -- maybe we should expect them to win a Pulitzer or an Emmy every year. After all, if they want to put pressure on those they cover by creating ridiculous standards -- why shouldn't they be subjected to the same themselves? Anything less would deem them as not having lived up to their potential.
Seems fair enough.
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