I'm not one of those guys who thinks the PGA Tour isn't populated by professional athletes. Tiger Woods and all the Tiger wannabe followers have convinced me otherwise. Sure, there's John Daly, but I'd argue Daly might be one of the best athletes in any sport. The guy won two majors, was morbidly obese when he did it (okay, that's an exaggeration, but he was chubby; give me that) and is still playing at an age (41) when many people thought he'd be dead. Plus, has anybody seen Dmitri Young lately?
Still, one of the differences between golf and other sports -- and perhaps this has a lot to do with the whole "yeah, it's just glorified putt-putt, really" perception -- is that some players routinely smoke cigarettes. During the round. I can't think of another sport where an athlete could compete at an equally high level while chugging smokes. I mean, I'd love to see Greg Paulus bringing the ball up the court while puffing on a clove ciggy, but it ain't happening. For one, it's against the rules; second, it apparently isn't good for you.
All of this got the Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi to thinking:
Maybe it's just apathy -- because Tiger Woods doesn't light up, nobody notices or cares. In fact, Tiger, the ultimate competitor, says he has no problem with tobacco on tour and even jokingly encourages cigarette-toking opponents like John Daly to, "smoke more."Eh, I can't get too worked up about smoking, particularly if the argument is that "it looks bad." Yeah, so does Tim Herron, but I don't see PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem trying to do away with him. And you know what? Most of the current smokers on tour are all in their 40s. None of the young guys smoke (that I know of, anyway) because it would automatically torpedo their already remote chances of catching Tiger. In 10 years this won't even be an issue. Until then, enjoy the contact buzz.
Glad to know Tiger is concerned about the well-being of his fellow competitors. But even if you totally disregard the enormous health risks, smoking during competition just looks bad. How are we supposed to take golf seriously as a true "athletic" competition when pros are smoking while they're playing?
ADVERTISEMENT
_thumbnail.jpg "NASCAR Cowboy Hats")
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Ryan you are the jerk. Yes, you are excusing Tiger who is also a jerk. He needs wwad (what would Arnie do) lessons. You don't hear Michelson or anybody with class complaining. Just grow up, it's part of the game!
Posted at 4:49PM on Mar 25th 2008 by John Evans
2. DALY, IS HIS OWN MAN AND SEEMS HE ALWAYS HAS BEEN FROM THE START -BACK IN THE DAY. IF, HOWEVER, HE KNEW WHAT LIGHTING UP AND DRAGGIN' 3, 4 TIMES ON THAT CIGARETTE DOES TO THE HEART RATE HE MIGHT THINK AGAINST IT: HEART SPEEDS UP AND THERE GOES YOUR "AIM OUT THE WINDOW" AND THIS HAPPENS TO SHARPSHOOTERS AND POOL PLAYERS AND YES EVEN RACE CAR DRIVERS -ESPECIALLY WHERE THE "TREE" IS INVOLVED IN DRAG RACING. OH, AND IT DO "ALTER" THE EYESIGHT. M
Posted at 12:47PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by tooslick
3. DALY, IS HIS OWN MAN AND SEEMS HE ALWAYS HAS BEEN FROM THE START -BACK IN THE DAY. IF, HOWEVER, HE KNEW WHAT LIGHTING UP AND DRAGGIN' 3, 4 TIMES ON THAT CIGARETTE DOES TO THE HEART RATE HE MIGHT THINK AGAINST IT: HEART SPEEDS UP AND THERE GOES YOUR "AIM OUT THE WINDOW" AND THIS HAPPENS TO SHARPSHOOTERS AND POOL PLAYERS AND YES EVEN RACE CAR DRIVERS -ESPECIALLY WHERE THE "TREE" IS INVOLVED IN DRAG RACING. OH, AND IT DO "ALTER" THE EYESIGHT. M
Posted at 12:59PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by tooslick