R-E-S-P-E-C-T
I heard an Aretha Franklin song today and it got me thinking about a little respect. Thus Morgan Pressel and Annika Sorenstam make their debut on the Goffshot’s blog.
The much ballyhooed Michelle Wie turned professional at a press conference in October where Nike and Sony made her the highest paid female in the history of golf. Wie will garner $10,000,000.00 annually in endorsement deals. She has more talent than Ty Tryon, and a resume as unimpressive. Tyron and Wie have collectively won very little on the course. (Wie’s only victory being the 2004 USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links)
Tyron got a gig wearing the Target Bullseye and Wie is flashing Nike’s Swoosh and toting a Sony bag as a 16 year old unproven talent. Tyron’s career to date has been a flop. Wie looks like a can’t miss star, but has wilted in every men’s event as the cut line loomed and pulled a “Goosen” at the 2005 US Women’s Open. Her lack of composure is the issue that will remain under the microscope until she starts winning events. She also will need to prove how her way is better than the proven “Tiger Woods path” to golfing success. (ie. dominate at every level until you are the best in the world) Woods waited in line to ride the roller coaster until it was his turn, Wie just cut to the front of the line.
Wie is an awkward specimen. She has the raw gifts of a twenty something man. This manchild talent is the very thing stifling her progress. She should be playing junior golf against other girls (See Morgan Pressel.) Wie instead chooses to jet set across the globe playing both men and women events. Wie and her 300 yard drives have no clear focus and no clear path to domination. Pick a genre and be the best of that genre. (See LPGA phenom Paula Creamer)
Meanwhile, Morgan Pressel, another teen, turned pro this fall. Pressel’s press conference was more discreet. She didn’t have any endorsement deals as of the announcement. All she has is a rock solid resume with 11 AJGA titles. She would be the reigning 2005 US Women’s Open champion if not for Birdie Kim’s hole out of the bunker on the 72nd hole. Let’s take a look at Annika Sorenstam’s resume which boasts 62 career victories. Annika teed it up 20 times this year on the LPGA, winning 10 times, and finishing in the “top 10” 15 out of 20 events.
So how does Pressel not have companies lining up with millions and why Annika is playing second fiddle on the pay chart? Should Wie be more marketable than a proven teen like Pressel or than Sorenstam, the game’s greatest champion? Somehow her “manly” gifts coupled by her blended ethnicity put her ahead of the rest of the field and make her worthy of $10M a year? Wie’s endorsement deal shows how reality can be distorted and R-E-S-P-E-C-T is no longer a requirement in selling shoes or peddling electronics.
Just ask your wife or a female co-worker if they have ever heard of Wie or Pressel. The media has slanted the public perception of female golf. Maybe this will be a reason for the Pressel’s and the Sorenstam’s of the world to keep winning. All I can say is Wie better win, and win big, or she is going to be the biggest bust this side of David Duval.
The much ballyhooed Michelle Wie turned professional at a press conference in October where Nike and Sony made her the highest paid female in the history of golf. Wie will garner $10,000,000.00 annually in endorsement deals. She has more talent than Ty Tryon, and a resume as unimpressive. Tyron and Wie have collectively won very little on the course. (Wie’s only victory being the 2004 USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links)
Tyron got a gig wearing the Target Bullseye and Wie is flashing Nike’s Swoosh and toting a Sony bag as a 16 year old unproven talent. Tyron’s career to date has been a flop. Wie looks like a can’t miss star, but has wilted in every men’s event as the cut line loomed and pulled a “Goosen” at the 2005 US Women’s Open. Her lack of composure is the issue that will remain under the microscope until she starts winning events. She also will need to prove how her way is better than the proven “Tiger Woods path” to golfing success. (ie. dominate at every level until you are the best in the world) Woods waited in line to ride the roller coaster until it was his turn, Wie just cut to the front of the line.
Wie is an awkward specimen. She has the raw gifts of a twenty something man. This manchild talent is the very thing stifling her progress. She should be playing junior golf against other girls (See Morgan Pressel.) Wie instead chooses to jet set across the globe playing both men and women events. Wie and her 300 yard drives have no clear focus and no clear path to domination. Pick a genre and be the best of that genre. (See LPGA phenom Paula Creamer)
Meanwhile, Morgan Pressel, another teen, turned pro this fall. Pressel’s press conference was more discreet. She didn’t have any endorsement deals as of the announcement. All she has is a rock solid resume with 11 AJGA titles. She would be the reigning 2005 US Women’s Open champion if not for Birdie Kim’s hole out of the bunker on the 72nd hole. Let’s take a look at Annika Sorenstam’s resume which boasts 62 career victories. Annika teed it up 20 times this year on the LPGA, winning 10 times, and finishing in the “top 10” 15 out of 20 events.
So how does Pressel not have companies lining up with millions and why Annika is playing second fiddle on the pay chart? Should Wie be more marketable than a proven teen like Pressel or than Sorenstam, the game’s greatest champion? Somehow her “manly” gifts coupled by her blended ethnicity put her ahead of the rest of the field and make her worthy of $10M a year? Wie’s endorsement deal shows how reality can be distorted and R-E-S-P-E-C-T is no longer a requirement in selling shoes or peddling electronics.
Just ask your wife or a female co-worker if they have ever heard of Wie or Pressel. The media has slanted the public perception of female golf. Maybe this will be a reason for the Pressel’s and the Sorenstam’s of the world to keep winning. All I can say is Wie better win, and win big, or she is going to be the biggest bust this side of David Duval.
posted by bullmizer at
8:35 PM
1 Comments:
First and foremost, it is unreasonable to call Duval, who is a major champion and has double figure wins on tour, a "Bust." Your standards for success must be set a little too high.
Secondly, Wie earned 1.5 million in appearance fees for travelling to Japan to play the men (more than 9 of the top 10 women made on the lpga last year). Certainly she fell short of making the cut yet again, but keep in mind she would have been top ten on the womens money list in only 7 events played this year. These are men she is playing, not women. How do you think Pressel would fair against the men.( We already know about Sorenstam, MC Colonial).
Lastly, Nike is not paying Wie to win anything. Her endorsement deal success comes merely from exposure, publicity, and awareness of the brand she promotes, NIKE. She can generate interest from a variety of audiences that the other women cannot. I am willing to bet most of the avid golfers reading your blog have not watched 18 holes of womens golf this year (excluding Wie), and certainly cannot name the LPGA major winners. (most cannot name the majors, let alone the winners).
BOTTOM LINE. Noone cares about what clubs or clothes or shoes Pressel, Soremstam or Creamer (her pink shoes are kinda cool) wear. People do pay attention to Wie and her reach is far beyond golf
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Anonymous, at 10:15 PM
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