Tiger Woods is golf.  He’s the reason why most sports fans and non-sports fans alike will tune into watch a PGA Tour event on any given Sunday.  I consider myself an avid sports fan, and I happen to love golf.  But even so, I find it difficult to watch golf at times when Tiger isn’t in the field.  There isn’t that player, other than maybe Phil Mickelson, that gives you goose bumps and keeps you on the edge of your seat.  There isn’t that player who can leave you speechless or that is so charismatic that he’s a must-watch every week.  Just recently I read a blog article written by former NBA star Jalen Rose that talked about how the PGA Tour needs to expand it’s brand to more social media platforms in order to draw in more fans in this post-Tiger “apocalypse.”  I agree that there needs to be more done by the PGA to incorporate this new technology into the sport, but it’s impossible for them to “move on” from Tiger when there is no player in the game yet that can even come close to filling his shoes.

Incorporating Social Media

I agree with Jalen that the PGA Tour needs to utilize things like Facebook and Twitter to a greater extent.  When a retired NBA player like Mr. Rose has more people following him on these social media platforms than an entire professional sport, there is a problem.  Using websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Ustream can help to reach a wider audience.  Fans do love interaction with the players and the sport, so responding to tweets, writing on fan walls, and doing things like live golf lessons on Ustream can add to a fan base.  Requiring more of the PGA golfers to have Facebook and Twitter accounts can allow fans to feel that they have a connection with a certain player, and this in turn can increase viewers on PGA events because these pro golfers will now have “fans” in the real and technological sense.  I know nothing less about a player like Bubba Watson, but because he has a Twitter account he is able to talk to fans and increase his popularity.  Because of his account, he may have 9,000 additional people pulling for him on Sundays.  The PGA Tour should also create additional promotions through these websites to encourage participation in their social media pages.

You Can’t Replace Greatness

A agreed with Jalen Rose up to the point where he said “I think that what the game of golf really needs to do is promote the other “Tigers” who are out there. When Michael Jordan retired from the NBA, the game still went on. And the NBA did not pin a single successor, but many successors that have taken basketball and the NBA to new heights.”  The problem with this statement is that there are no other “Tigers” in the PGA Tour right now.  There is no one that comes close to his talent on the golf course.  Perhaps that player to challenge Tiger’s popularity and fame is just learning the game of golf as we speak, or perhaps he’s not even born yet.  But whatever way you put it, you can’t replace a Tiger Woods, one of the greatest professional athletes we have ever seen.  There just  aren’t many who come around in the sport of golf like him.  After Michael Jordan, the NBA had Kobe Bryant and now LeBron James.  The PGA Tour doesn’t have that next “big thing” at this point in time.  While increasing their efforts on social media platforms will help the sport, it still doesn’t make up for players who lack that special something that gives you the goosebumps.  Tiger Woods will play golf again, and all of those “casual fans” will start tuning back in.  However, where in most other sports you have a great rivalry, the PGA Tour doesn’t really have that because Woods is so dominant.  The day will come when we’ll have that player to push Tiger and make the Tour more exciting; even on days where he’s taking a weekend off.

References:

Rose, Jalen “How The PGA Can Use Social Media to Rebuild Its Brand”

http://mashable.com/2010/01/30/pga-golf-social-media/