Finchem Predicts Global, FIFA-type Platform Integration Of Tours To Capitalize On Multinational Corporate Movements
Doug Ferguson reports that Commissioner Finchem, still drying out from his Ryder Cup first tee duties, is predicting that a "world tour" is in golf's future.
“I think that at some point in time, men’s professional golf will become integrated globally,” Finchem said. “Now, what form that takes, whether it’s a total integration, whether it’s a FIFA-type, I don’t know. One question is how the competition is organized. Another question is how the organizational structure behind it is organized. The first one is the key thing.”
How the organizational structure is organized translation: how many VP's we lay off.
One reason Finchem believes a world tour is inevitable is marketing and sponsorship, which includes the players. Phil Mickelson is sponsored by Barclays, which promotes tournaments in Singapore, Scotland and New York. He is playing all of them this year.
The U.S. tour also has such multinational title sponsors as Deutsche Bank and BMW (both playoff events), Accenture and Zurich.
“I think it’s a matter of time,” Finchem said. “Golf generally is a splintered sport, multi-organizational at every level. But there’s movement. The last 15 years there’s been a lot of movement. I would see that continuing to develop toward integration.”
Movement to integration. He always knows how to make it sound so sexy!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 07:54 PM
Reader Comments (20)
The organization that Finchem envisions already exists --- it's called IMG.
Mark McCormack must be having a pretty good laugh right about now.
Del: +1
Dig: +0.5 (that one was just too easy)
Accepted.
I tried to dress it up with 'thesaurus', but it's a stinker . no doubt.
When I was a young kid 50 years ago we would get The Old Farmers Almanac. One year they had a fascinating page that I still recall. They took sixty words that were divided into three columns - you joined any word from each to form a nonsensical yet compelling phrase.
Whenever I read a Finchem statement I wonder if he has this page at his fingertips.
If you can't baffle them with brilliance, befuddle them with bullshit!" ~Anonymous
Folks who don't follow football (soccer in America) closely may not realize that FIFA is on top of a pyramid that also includes regional Football Associations beneath it, with national FA's beneath that and then the leagues themselves. For example UEFA conducts a championship of team from leagues like the English Premiership, the German Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A, among others. Those are the top-level leagues of the national FA's. The EPL is above their second-level League Championship, which is above League 2 and so on.
All that said, I am not really certain that the FIFA model applies, because even though one could roughly make an analogy between the PGA Tour and the English League System, it would be rough indeed and it really wouldn't follow all the way through. Plus, again, the politics and power struggles would inevitably lead to rifts and the whole idea disintegrating long before implementation.
i understand the movement, the motive and the reality.
I just hate to see what corporate involvement has done to all sports as to the ability of the average fan to attend. is it no surprise that minor league baseball has had a resurgence: could it be, that with promotion the golf fan will finally discover the quality golf on ghe secondary tours? I don't know.
Even with reduced ticket prices, the attendance at a lot of PGAT events has been paltry. I suppose the TW era of golf fans attending has skewed the expectations. And unlike a football (either kind) game, or an auto race, the carnival atmosphere of a golf event is pretty bland, unless you throw in post competition concerts etc.
I know that a 'midway' has been a boon at some events, to attract the casual fan.
While the international money need may be inevitable, that does not mean I have to like it. It places the journeyman in a position of NEVER getting to the next level, much like the limited fields keep making sure that the money stays at the top, while the suits keep skimming. No,
I don't have to like it.
Money, truly is the root of all evil.
that'll be $19.95.
awesome.
Now back to regular schedule programming, McGladrey's sponsorship of PGA event at bankrupt Sea Island. Suppose there is some helluva corporate synergy there, an accounting firm at a bankrupt resort.
Sorry to correct you, but the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil....
Maybe what I meant was evil is the root of all money.
oh well.
i need to go swap these chickens for some gas. BRB.