Golf... Since Nothing Else is Really Going On

It's true! There isn't much going on in the sports world that is really blog worthy, at least to me. I'm not a huge fan of baseball, and I'm still patiently waiting for my favorite sport, football, to begin. Golf feels like the only thing left for me to talk about. One thing I am cynically excited about is how bad Tiger Woods is doing. He hasn't won a major title in six years. Right now one of the four yearly major competition in in progress, the British Open. I objectively understand that Woods is still considered one of the greatest golfers of all time due to his past winning record, but since the news of his infidelity broke in 2009, he lost me as a fan. I'm now rooting for Rory McIlroy.

I admittedly care about athletes private lives, and info i learn about their private lives helps decide whether I'm a fan or not. Tiger Woods is not the first athlete to lose me as a fan for a personal scandal. He is however a great example of how sports media doesn't only report on athletic ability, and sports media aren't the only outlets reporting on athletes. There is a growing desire from fans to know more in depth information on our favorite athletes. That's why we fans follow their social media profiles, and why media outlets have been increasing their coverage of athlete's personal lives (Rowe, 2007). Back in 2009, Woods' scandal was big news and was covered by what felt like every media outlet there was. The negative attention lost him endorsement deals, and the public outcry may have been the largest contributor to his sub par game play (at least for his standards). Now, in 2014, anything in an athlete's personal life makes news and can be seen all over the internet, social media, TV, print, and even heard on the radio. None of their actions are safe since anyone can be a journalist with a smart phone, and with endorsements on the line, athletes better be on their best behavior.