ATET!

I don’t golf. Never have except for the miniature version which I have often, in the past, found amusing. I am not a fan of golf nor do I watch it on television exept once in a while when Tiger Woods is competing. It’s an intriguing sport to a large number of people and seems to be the bonding agent between business colleagues of all stripes. My perception is that it’s mostly white, middle-aged men, although I could be wrong.

I suppose it’s an intriguing sport if, like most other athletic endeavors, you grew up playing it (and could afford to do so). But this is about Tiger and his fan base. The coverage of his career and success seems spotless and everybody loves Tiger, right? You could be wrong there, bunker-face. It came to my attention a couple of years ago that there is an undercurrent of resentment at his incredible success. My first clue about this dawned on me when some friends of mine, golfers all (yes, middle-aged men), were discussing who they wanted to win a particular tournament. The consensus seemd to be synthesized down into one short phrase, namely “ABT.” Upon questioning I learned that this stands for “Anybody But Tiger.” Say, what?

Is this racism or just simple jealousy and resentment of somebody who more often than not, week after week, kills the competition. Did Jack Nicklaus have to deal with this? Or Arnold Palmer? Was “ABJ” or “ABA” whispered around the clubhouses? How about Ben Hogan or Sammy Snead? Not being a student of golf I can’t think of any others but I’m sure you can come up with other famous names with great golfing careers. You can draw your own conclusions but I hope your answer is not the same one I perceive. In the meantime this negative aura that wafts around water coolers and locker rooms has an odor I, personally, don’t like. From now on I’m “ATET,” “All Tiger Every Time.”