"The amount of people who owe Tiger Woods something - people on TV stations, sports stations that probably wouldn't have a job if it weren't for Tiger Woods - are complaining he's not giving them the information that they need."
/Terry Vandrovec of ArgusLeader.com questions David Feherty about an array of topics, and as usual Feherty is all over the map except when it comes to his creepy unrequited love for Tiger Woods. There's also the lingering animosity slight hostility toward the media for daring to probe into players personal lives. He also thinks that players need to open up more and become more engaging for television.
Q. Speaking of not winning, Tiger Woods - whose video games you lend your voice to -
Ah, thanks for reminding us that Mr. Feherty stands to gain financially from the success of the Woods empire. Go on...
has struggled since taking a break to deal with his much-publicized personal problems. What's your take on how the media covered that situation?
A. It was more of a British tabloid feel. Having gone through a British tabloid divorce myself, it was predictable at first and then just became sickening after a while. The amount of people who owe Tiger Woods something - people on TV stations, sports stations that probably wouldn't have a job if it weren't for Tiger Woods - are complaining he's not giving them the information that they need. I don't know where that sense of entitlement came from where we have to know everything about everybody and what happened. He said, 'Hey, look at the police report and that's it.' That should have done it.
Yes, because it was so rich in detail and answered so many questions about such a straightforward non-driving-under-the-influence DUI.
But that didn't satisfy the TMZ crew or the entertainment faction and it kind of infected the sports journalists, as well, where I think a bunch of them kind of forgot just what he's done for the game.
That's right, as a reporter you are supposed to calculate what one has done for the game before deciding whether to report on Clouseau-like driving, or, say, a player's relationship with the shadiest doctor in all of sports medicine.
I've been lucky to have been around him the last 14 years since I became a broadcaster, and look at what he's done for golf. The evolution of the sport - it was moving along at a normal pace until he showed up, but it took a quantum leap. Because these youngsters grew up with him, to them, that's the way golf should be played, that's the way golf's possible to be played. Apparently, there's a lot more possible now.
There is, well, except now the ratings are in the toilet, sponsors are fleeing and maybe he really didn't have the impact you're suggesting should be the barometer for media coverage?
Q. That said, is Tiger struggling because of the personal strife or are physical ailments and age taking a toll?
A. There's nothing wrong with his swing, there's nothing wrong with anything except the head full of slamming doors that you have when you go through a divorce - especially when there's children involved.
Hate to interrupt, but uh, no one that I know of in the golf writing world has declared Tiger to be in the middle of a divorce. Only tabloids and on-course reporters for CBS. Just saying. Guess when you're on the payroll you have inside knowledge!
It affects everybody. I think he'll recover from it faster than most people because he's so mentally strong, but golf is a game that's played with long periods of time between shots - it's not a reaction sport. That's a lot of time for your mind to wander and anytime you get children involved it's a rough time in your life.
Exactly, it's the children. Not the humiliation of becoming an international punchline.
Q. The game seems to have settled down after spiking in terms of popularity during Tiger's dominating run. What do you see as the next exciting mark?
A. It all depends on one thing and that's the TV number. That's what drives every sport. Anybody who thinks different is kidding themselves. So players have to be more fan friendly. The game will continue to fascinate and continue to drive people berserk at every level. I'm hoping over the next few years - there's a new TV contract that will be negotiated shortly - that we will see more interaction, we learn a bit more about who these players are, that they're encouraged to show a little more emotion. There's been a long period of time now where players have been encouraged to kind of do the opposite. 'This is a civil sport, it's a gentlemen's game.' Nobody loses their temper, nobody throws clubs anymore. Frankly, that's not good TV. People like to see people losing their minds, being real people.
You mean like Tiger?
I'm out there and I'm walking for five hours sometimes with the players and I have great conversations with them. There's stuff that could be on (the air). We could make that decision. You wouldn't put stuff on that's going to burn anybody, but just allow the viewer to know these players a little bit more. It boils down to who's watching golf and how many people are watching golf. We need to make sure that kids continue to be interested in the sport.
Uh, the young people aren't big fans of "You wouldn't put stuff on that's going to burn anybody, but just allow the viewer to know these players a little bit more." I think the kids call that fluff.