Shorts Or No Shorts?
About the only thing of real interest to come out of Turkey this week is a renewed debate over pros wearing shorts. I've always been for it but then when I see grown men in anklets contrasted with players in pants, I'm opposed. (Just look at this photo of Obama and Kasich in pants vs Biden and Boehner in shorts as proof in the Golf Digest slideshow.)
Chris Millard makes the case that it's time to let pros wear shorts:
But the tour, in all its antiquity, still feels that shorts on players would diminish the image of its product (Pssst, Tim. Your biggest star ever was revealed as one of the sleaziest people on the planet. You think knobby knees could hurt your image?). Some of the greatest professional athletes in the world perform in shorts. Imagine Usain Bolt taking on the 200 meters in corduroys. Not cool. Literally. Shorts, even very short ones, served John McEnroe pretty well in the 1970s and 80s. Even the NHL, whose rinks are maintained at between 20 and 22 degrees, requires shorts after a brief and unpopular experiment in 1981 with long pants. In fact, aside from cricket and bowling, I'm hard-pressed to find another sport that's so beholden to pants. Do we really want to model ourselves after the PBA? Again, eew.
Let's settle this once and for all with an instant poll...
Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 12:02 PM
Reader Comments (30)
Here's what I wrote in the Turkey/headbutt thread:
Someone oughta headbutt Matt Kuchar...
I don't think Daly with his shirt off looked any more unprofessional than Kuchar did today in that getup with the shorts and the tennis socks, just freaking pitiful. All the more unseemly because he's so well dressed when out on tour. Bring on Captainess!!
Speaking of Captainess, check out the 2nd message here in her twitter feed: twitter (dot) com/LNP0810
She's a feisty one ;-)
Pro hockey players wear shorts, sure ... with piles of layers equipment underneath and coming out the leg. What about the fancy-arse suits they're mandated to wear during team off-ice appearances?
Baseball players wear long-ish pants still, right?
Pro pool players (not just cricket/bowling) still wear pants too.
Usain Bolt comparison?? Uhhhmmm ... no comment. :)
Make 'em wear pants ... and less hats. Hats take away from the overall "look" of the player, the "moment" with the shot, the wind, etc.
From the article: "In fact, it may just be me, but I think a cooler, more comfortable player sells the game a little better than the pools of butt-sweat we get all summer on TV."
Really? Are they really paying this guy for such drivel? Dude probably thinks Rickie Fowler is well dressed...
From a skin cancer standpoint, I can't believe more guys don't wear
bigger sun shielding hats
Let alone the variants "creative" types like Daly and Ian Poulter would come up with...how long before some were wearing spandex things like the Tour de France cheats (I mean cyclists) wear? And some of the younger trendoids would be turning up in cargo capris -- probably orange.
Yuckkkkkkkkkkkkkk.
If it's 96* or higher maybe a temporary dispensation could be granted...but I'm not talking "heat index" or anything like that, I'm talking 96* on the thermometer, and in the shade!
Been thinking about this some...the author of this article cites a game (golf) "desperate to attract new players"...this seems to be the primary argument for the shorts-are-ok brigade...
...well people, it's over. Golf has peaked. Recreational golf has crested and will never be bigger than it is now. For that matter, the contraction we have experienced in the last few years is just the beginning. Given the economic backdrop, the time it takes to play golf, the expense involved, competing interests/sports, a society that has an increasingly shrinking attention span (I could go on)...
...it's game over for "growth" in the golf industry. Anyone that makes a living from golf would be well suited to take this into account when preparing their budgets.
Especially you private club GM's that are limping along with a below-max membership roster...be prepared to cut or eliminate the initiation fee. If you are somehow dumb enough to rely on initiation fees to supplement the operating budget, stop that right now! If you are in a market with several competing clubs, be the first mover and fill those empty spots! Figure out how you can run your club with fewer employees and get the carrying costs of membership down for your members. ELIMINATE DEBT AT ALL COSTS.
If you're a company like Scratch Golf and one of the biggies makes you a good offer -- SELL. If you think you want to be the next Scratch Golf, don't do it!
I could go on, but don't guess it's necessary... BTW, TJ Maxx seems to be getting a lot of dumped Peter Millar merchandise if you're interested. Last week I got a $145 (retail value) Peter Millar belt for $24.99, it's pretty sweet!
NOTE: talking about US market, obviously some far flung markets have some growth potential.
PS: PB, remember Tryba? How much endorsement income you figure he gave up so he didn't have to mess up that hairdo?! Even given the era had to be well into 7-figures!
I don't really want to see most pro's in shorts, but it also doesn't really bother me It's just legs and I don't really believ in legislating things that aren't harmful to anyone
I realize the hats are a ricebowl for the pros (which, with a little thought, could likely be implemented elsewhere) ... the cancer concern is very valid.
I'm just looking at it from a production/story standpoint - it's easier to identify (and share emotion WITH) with a person that you can actually SEE. :)
Anyway - long pants should be a given. Overall, the guys should take some style tips from Ryan Moore too.
Love me some deals, lol ... the Peter Millar stuff looks nice. Good sweaters anyway.
@ol Harv -
Well put sir. You made me think of the classic "The Hustler" with Jackie Gleason(Minnesota Fats)/Paul Newman(Fast Eddie). Even when he's winning, the brash upstart Fast Eddie just gets sloppier and slopper, both in mannerisms and appearance. Fats, the consummate professional, "reloads" himself at an available opportunity during the long match - fixes his clothes, runs water on his face, keeps himself together.
Fats' behaviour was referred (in Tevis' excellent book as well as the movie) to as "having character".
Some of teh ladies outfits are far worse than shorts on men.
The old Scots wore long pants because it was rather cold, not because they were gentlemen. Tradition my a$$, practicality - long pants on a 90-90 day? hah
Agreed, if they're such great athletes their legs would be fine to look at. The question is/should be directed at body temperature. Wearing pants on a 90+ degree day while doing something physical is ludicrous. Certainly the summer months should see shorts allowed on the PGA Tour. It wasn't that long ago the Tour finally allowed the caddy's to wear shorts. They were afraid one of the pack mules in 100+ degrees was going to go down and die, which almost happened in Chicago. Allowing shorts during the hot months would let the Tour off the hook in the event of a wrongful death lawsuit, that could get very expensive.
I'm pretty surprised that Golf Digest put that into print. If in fact they did have any current day access to Tiger Woods -- it's gone now!
As an aside, I've been looking at the wording of that article a lot more closely and am thinking that a lot of garish polyester isn't the only thing this writer is keeping in the closet....not that there's anything wrong with that.
TT played a full PGA Tour schedule for 8 straight years and was a 2-time winner -- I figure he could have had $75k minimum (per annum) for a hat deal. That would get him to about $600k. If he had some win bonus clauses built in, etc...would add to the total.
Back in the day there was a company that used to track sponsor exposure during network telecast and value it. Meaning, if Fred Couple was near the lead all weekend they'd literally sit with a stopwatch and time how much "in focus" exposure his visor (or bag) got during the telecast, down to the second. Then they'd place a per minute value on that exposure and produce a "value derived" number for the exposure Fred's sponsor got. 20 years ago Freddie could generate $400k of exposure for a sponsor during a single weekend network telecast. This company would also measure how much visibility the event sponsor got from on-course signage and things of this nature.
I can't remember the exact name of the company but their info was solid and widely used in the sports marketing business. As PB mentioned, the visor/hat far and away the most valuable real estate. Bag is second, amazing how often a bag is sitting in the background with the sponsor name blazing away.
Lets look at hats...Why are there not more bucket hats or vineyard hats on tour. When Kirk Triplett is in the middle of the fairway, is there any doubt who it is? You would think sponsors would want to be recognized as easily as possible And as for Ian's point, getting mellon-balled by your dermatologist is not fun. As a former golf supt. and 1-3 day a week golfer in California, i only wear these two styles.
Del's aggregate is pretty close.
Ted's hair was legendary. If it was windy enough for Ted's hair to move,
play was suspended.
Allowing shorts does not mandate them, those wanting to minimize skin cancer risk may dress as they wish.
Mandating long pants negates the sense-ful act of keeping cooler on a ridiculously hot day.
Those white calves would of course .... wait for it .... tan rather quickly.
Also remember that there is a genetic pre-disposition to GET skin cancers, if you are so inclined, wear a burka for gosh sakes. Some folks are genetically pre-disposed to TAN - that, BTW is the way the BODY prevents you getting skin cancer.
Now if you're Irish and red-haired, by all means wear tight white pants and tighter black shirts and look really really stupid.
Where is common sense? Can I have some help finding it?
My sentiments as well.
Don't look for Commissioner Deferred Compensation, 15 year Golf Channel bamboozlement contract, First Tee / World Golf Hall of Fame, Presidents Cup, Schwab Cup, ReSet Cup, Q-School we're doing this my way, we've always recognised The Masters (discrimination), while keeping Casey Martin out of a cart by all co$t$ even if we have to take it all the way to the Supreme Court. Searching under this rock you wouldn't find an inkling of common sense, you'd have a better chance beating on a dead horse.