Tag: question

Gatorade Tiger – Biggest Athlete Ever?

Woods to Unveil ‘Gatorade Tiger’ in 2008 – New York Times:

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Golfweek magazine reported last month it was for five years and could pay Woods as much as $100 million, moving him closer to the $1 billion mark in career endorsements.

This reminds me of a debate I had about who was a more prominent athlete, Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. I’m a golf fan and I’m biased. I’ve also grown up following Woods’ accomplishments, starting with his U.S. Junior Amateur three-peat. I’m not a basketball fan, and thus cannot fully appreciate Michael Jordan’s accomplishments on the court.

However, Woods seems to have the edge over Jordan off of the course / court. What would be a good measure? Name recognition? That may be biased because Woods is a contemporary athlete while Jordan’s playing years are history. Who earns more isn’t a great measure, either because of inflation and other market forces.

There’s just a gut feeling that Woods is the bigger athlete. He’s consistently ranked as one of, if not the, most influential people in the sports world.

The drawback to Woods’ career, with respect to being a popular athlete, is that golf being the game that it is, Woods’ impact and image may fade faster than Jordan’s. We still see Jordan in Gatorade and Hanes underwear commercial (among other places). If Tiger remains healthy and his drive to compete continues, he could compete well into his 40s on the PGA Tour. Tiger has already played on the PGA Tour for eleven years. He’s easily got another ten to fifteen years to go. Jordan played fourteen seasons, total.

What do you think?

Question: Hoof it or Stay Home?

Is visiting a professional golf tournament worth the hassle?

Reasons to hoof it to the tournament:

  1. Tee shots – The trajectory of some of the pro’s tee shots is amazing to watch. The best place to appreciate this is from behind the tee box. You’ll be able to see the ball’s flight and curve.
  2. Eavesdropping – Overhearing the player-player and player-caddie banter offers a bit of an insight into to how fun it must be to play professional golf for a living.
  3. The Clubs – Being at the tournament is the best place to see the prototype tour only clubs up close.
  4. The Course – Seeing the undulations in the greens and the elevation changes on the entire course can lend an entirely new perspective to a golf tournament. And even if you don’t make it back the next year, you’ll have a better appreciation for the difficulty of some of the shots the pros are facing.

Reasons to be a couch potato:

  1. Better View – It’s much easier to follow the tournament when you’re at home. Being at the course can be disorienting and frustrating.
  2. The Commentary – While you may overhear the players and caddies talking if you visit the tournament, you’ll miss the cheesy comments of your favorite TV golf announcer.
  3. Seeing Good Shots – Being at a golf tournament is like reading a fraction of 72 different books in one day. You never get the beginning, middle and end. Seeing the tee shot, ball flight, and landing is unique to watching on TV.

Would you rather go to a tournament or watch from home?

My Torts Exam Question

Chris has an 8am meeting with new clients at Pebble Beach, but he’s new in town and completely lost on the Monterey Peninsula. In the midst of his cursing and thrashing about within the cockpit of his car, he turned on the built in emergency phone system called OnStar. A woman’s voice came from nowhere, which startled Chris and caused him to veer off the road and into a mailbox.

“My name is Linda. Are you OK, Mr. Rogers??
Chris, mistaking Linda for the voice of God reprimanding him for all of the sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll he experimented with in college, started to cry.

“Please, Linda-God. Have mercy on my soul. I promise I’ll be good.?

“Mr. Rogers, this is OnStar. Look at your dashboard. See the OnStar button??

“Oh, hah. Yeah. While you’re on the phone, can you give me directions from wherever I am to the nearest hospital and then to Pebble Beach??

Inevitably, as often happens with these new fangled OnStar devices, Chris, despite following the directions exactly and making u-turns as instructed, found himself completely lost. In fact, he wasn’t just lost. He had come to rest in the Monterey Peninsula ghetto. Yes, there is such a thing.

So, no hospital. No golf. Probably, no new clients. And now he’s lost in the ghetto. Worse yet is that he just noticed that the no-flat tires on his Cadillac didn’t make it their guaranteed 50 miles.

I think it’s quite obvious what happens next. His car breaks down. He is forced to strip from his golf clothes and is beaten with his driver by a 12 year old.