Today I turned on the Masters on TV to see what is going on with Tiger Woods because the only reason I would watch golf or the PGA is when Woods is near the lead or on top. I quickly found out that Tiger was not doing well and was way back of the leaders so I got my remote and went to the NBA game.
In my opinion the PGA is just like Major League Baseball. Both sports do a terrible job in reaching the African American community and possible fans. It is truly sad in my opinion. The problem is why is this going on? When I turn on a NBA game or NFL game I see a reflection of American. White and brown faces. It is called diversity.
When I watched the Masters today, I searched and searched for diversity in the crowd. It was not found. And of course Tiger Woods is the ONLY African American in the PGA tour. Again, this is truly sad. Where are the next African American Tiger Woods on the PGA tour?
What is the PGA doing about this? The PGA and MLB have two “token” organizations. The First Tee for golf and the RBI League for baseball. In my opinion these organizations are not doing hardly anything or I will say the word again, token when it comes to what the First Tee and RBI are doing to try to reach young inner city youth and even adults.
What I saw watching the Masters this year bothered me. When I saw the crowd and even the players in the Masters, to me it did not reflect America or even the world. No diversity. It is a problem in the sports of golf and Major League Baseball also because when I see a baseball game on TV or when I go down to Seattle’s Safeco Field to conduct interviews at batting practice, I don’t see African American faces hardly at all.
Young inner city youth can care less about attending a Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field or watching Tiger on the PGA tour on TV. They are to busy shooting hoop or playing football. It seems the higher ups in PGA management and MLB don’t care readers about reaching minority youth.
Just look at the so called marketing of both sports. You do not see minorities. The commercials lack “hipness” or the word “corny” can be used sorry to say. It is like both sports think they are still in 1945 instead of 2012. Turn on NBA-TV or the NFL Network and see how the NFL and NBA market their sports readers and then turn on the MLB Network. It is as different as night and day.
It also takes African American players to reach back and give baseball and golf camps or clinics NOT in the surburbs but in the “inner city”. Baseball and golf’s higher ups have to show they CARE about reaching kids in the inner city because right now it seems they don’t give damn.
When I turned back on the Masters today and saw Bubba Watson winning the Masters, I again looked at the massive crowd and saw no diversity. And later in the day I turned on a MLB game with Texas and Chicago and the crowd had no diversity. Just like a game at Safeco Field for the Mariners.
Thanks to CeCe Sabithia and Torii Hunter and Tiger Woods for what they are trying to do with their foundations to reach youth in the inner city. But readers Major League Baseball and the PGA need to wake up and smell the coffee and do a MUCH BETTER job in reaching the inner city to get possible fans and even future players to play golf and play baseball.
Because like I said, without Tiger in the PGA, you don’t see diversity. And in baseball the number of African American players have gone way down just like the fans in the seats. Will this problem get better? I guess we just have to wait and see. This is “One Man’s Opinion” by Gordon Curvey.