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Issue No. 103 | August 16, 2024
Hey,
For a variety of reasons, we haven’t done our usual Friday ping-pong potpourri of takes in a while where I get in the kitchen and just start slinging stuff around and see what sticks. The Olympics had me thinking about all kinds of different things, though, so there’s a bit of that, a few golf-specific takes and a few other odds and ends.
On to the news.
I’m looking around for someone who knows a lot about Meta ads (what a dystopian sentence that is). We would like to spend a bit on spreading the Normal Sport word over there, and — this will shock you about a 39-year-old dad of four kids who covers a sport that started 500 years ago — I have no idea what I’m doing.
Anyway, if that’s you and you’re available for a tiny amount of part-time work, just respond to this email and I’ll get back to you.
Thanks!
OK now on to the news.
1. You know … Scottie is right about the FedEx Cup. It’s definitely not a season-long race, but it’s also not really a playoff either. It’s honestly kind of stuck between release patterns (shout out to the Cat).
My take on it: Either make it an actual season-long race that ends when the regular season ends (my preference: at the Open) or make it an actual playoff.
I would lean toward the latter, but Rick Gehman’s take on the former is how you would do it if that’s your desire (Rick and I are both pro-world tour).
My plan would be closer to a “World Championship” where points are allocated to the top 20 finishers of events all year and only the top 18 finishes for each golfer count towards their World Championship points. The golfer with the most points at the end of the year, is the World Champ.
Do we really think that entering the Tour Championship with a one-point lead and entering with a 3,000 point lead should both be worth a two-stroke starting advantage?
Rick Gehman
The problem is … you know … who cares about a season-long points race that ends at the coolest major (or at any event, really)? It’s just such a difficult thing to get juiced up. Counterpoint: Honestly, who cares about the FedEx Cup Playoffs as they’re currently constructed?!
Here’s how I would do it: Top 24 players for the year get into the postseason and top eight get a bye. Then 36-hole match play for the next few weeks at like two different venues.
It’s not perfect because it doesn’t reward season-long consistency as well as a season-long points race would (other than getting a bye) — which, as a side note is a problem baseball currently has with its postseason, as the good folks over at the Seamsters Union recently pointed out — but it at least has a real identity. It at least feels like it has true stakes.
Here’s your bracket if this played out for the 2024 season with my picks on who would make it to the quarterfinals.
Perfect? No. More interesting than 216 holes in Memphis, Colorado and Atlanta? I mean, I think so. One reason match play often stinks is because you don’t get good matchups (especially at the former WGC event).
If you cut it down to the top 24 (I’d listen to the top 16 if you want!) then you get fun stuff like Rory-JT, Rory-Cantlay (!!), Xander-Akshay and Scottie-Hideki.
It could be pretty good!
2. Another playoffs take I have: Everyone outside the top 50 should not be allowed back on the big tour next year. Business smart? Absolutely not. Interesting and entertaining? Hell yes.
If you’re gonna be a meritocracy, be a meritocracy. None of this, “well if you won in the last 26 months or if you’re in the top 30 in the OWGR or if you know somebody in the top 30 in the OWGR.”
No, top 50 make it. Everyone else plays elsewhere.
I only halfway believe this take, but it would honestly be so sick for fans because the top 50 would actually be meaningful. Right now, you’re trying to explain to people, “man this Viktor Hovland being outside the top 50 thing is a big deal.”
“Why? Is he off the Tour if he doesn’t get in the top 50?”
“Well, no.”
“Does he miss any majors?”
“No.”
“Isn’t he still in the 2025 signature events because he’s ranked in the top 30 in the world, too?”
“Of course, yes.”
“So why is it a big deal?”
“Well … I guess it’s not.”
In my Hunger Games scenario, you would then bring in the top 30 (or whatever) from a feeder tour and go play your 18-tournament global schedule. Will any of this ever come close to happening? No! But it’s fun to dream on.
3. Infirmary alert: My broken brain thought this was a putter.
4. The most clicked link in our Tuesday newsletter: Nike’s new cruelly beautiful direction ($). Worthy of the click, too. It’s great.
5. I got an amazing reader email from Ean S. this week.
Also had a thought on Kuchar this morning (well, I've had a thousand thoughts on Kuchar this morning), but specifically on him getting TIO.
It has to be pointed out that Kuchar got TIO from a scoreboard that in all cases, could have been taken down because 1. It was Monday and 2. Kuchar was the only one on the course. And yet, the scoreboard stays up and Kuch gets TIO.
Have to wonder if they kept the scoreboard up for the entire Monday shotgun start event … allowing a bunch of CEOs to enjoy some sweet TIO relief. Can't trust any GHIN numbers they are putting it if CEOs are getting TIO and lift clean and place.
Which makes me wonder if the PGA Tour had to let Kuch get lift clean and place today too when he was the only one out there. Anyways, this is probably enough for this email. Thanks for all you do online.
Ean S.
Me reading that email …
6. Our family is going through Olympics withdrawals, and I have a few things I need to get out there.
The first is that that Norwegian 1,500 guy — Ingebrigtsen — find me a better villain. He’s like if Viktor Hovland was actually Patrick Reed.
I mean, come on.
And his entire aura created so much interest around the 1,500. Rooting for him, rooting against him, rooting for him to trip and fall into the steeplechase water. At least you felt something. Golf — specifically the PGA Tour — lacks that right now. All the villains are gone. And even the ones who return at the majors are just a lot more likable now than they used to be.
7. Can you imagine the takes if LeBron and Steph were playing 18 every day with media members like MJ was in Barcelona? Stephen A. would have personally created enough thermal energy for Elon to shoot him into space!
8. Quick hit takes …
• The 10K was my favorite event of the Olympics. Mostly because I didn’t try and avoid it for tape delay and just watched it live in the afternoon, pretending that night with my kids like I hadn’t seen it. I think that’s probably the play. Regardless, it ruled.
• I’ll say it: the 100 meter is overrated. The 200 is way better.
• The men’s indoor volleyball was unexpectedly electric. The Poland-U.S. game was about as invested as I was in a single event for the entire two weeks.
• Men’s U.S. gymnastics team > women’s U.S. gymnastics team. This is actually the scariest take to put out there given the Gymnastics Twitter vortex some of us found ourselves in a few years ago during Olympic qualifying when the U.S. Women’s Open took precedent over the trials on NBC.
Buddy, Golf Twitter — even LIV Golf Twitter — has nothing on Gymnastics Twitter.
• Mike Tirico is better at what he does than I think anyone I know is at what they do.
• Sports I’ve had my fill of for the next four years: Diving, gymnastics, field hockey, equestrian.
• My friend Robert’s take on what sports should make it into the Olympics: Anything in which the Olympics represent the pinnacle of that sport. I think I like this take because it excludes golf, tennis, soccer etc. which i’m fine with excluding.
• The mixed 4×400 is incredible. More mixed events! Golf, I’m talking to you!
• Xander said you may lose some guys if you add more events like a mixed team event. In 1904, players played over 250 holes to medal. So I’m having a bit of a tough time with the sympathy!
• Gabby Thomas winning the 200, and the 4×100 AND the 4×400 feels like when DJ learned how to hit wedges. How is she that good at so many different disciplines?
• This tweet was amazing. I have read it many times.
9. Jon Rahm thinks countries should pick their representatives and that the Olympics should be less individual play and more of a team event. I agree with the second part, and I kind of disagree with the first part, but I’d be way into it. It would be like if the Ryder Cup was captain’s picks only!
10. This from Alex Noren resonated with me as a dad.
Yeah, my first British Open was like that and first Masters. But this one, because I've got two kids at home and I'm gone a lot, so I'm not super happy to leave them. But once I'm at the tournament, I'm happy that I'm there.
But this one was the easiest to leave the kids, ever, I think because they were rooting for me. They see people on the golf course and they are watching the Olympics on TV. It's like, Dad is actually going to play. They are involved and that's the coolest thing is the whole world cares about the Olympics.
Alex Noren
It reminds me of another quote I heard — can’t remember where — of somebody saying that not everyone from their country knows what the PGA Championship is or even what the Masters is. But everybody knows the Olympics. I can go either way with golf being in the Olympics, but that truth is very cool for the men and women who get to play.
11. I have watched the highlights from Steph’s nuit nuit game many many times. It reminded me so much of Kobe’s game against Spain in 2008. Alphas all over the floor, but everybody gets a little skittish when all the chips are on the table. Not Steph, though. Give me the ball, let me cook.
The end of those semifinal and championship games are such a tell because of how unique the experience is. Never is that much talent assembled, rarely is there that much to lose. You get to see the difference between who thinks they want it, who says they want it and who actually wants it.
And you get to see it as clearly as possible.
Thanks for reading until the end.
You’re a sicko, and I’m grateful for it.
