How Social Media Has Altered the Perception of Golf

For years golf has been considered a boring sport that hasn’t been able to remain current the way the four major sports have.  While golf has always seen its fair share of participation, it has not gathered a great following in terms of viewership until recently.  This increase is due, in large part, to the rise of social media.  Not only has the PGA Tour been marketing itself in new and improved ways through social media, but its players have also allowed fans to get an inside perspective into their lives both on and off the course.  After all, as Jason Peck writes, social media has the ability to “complement real life events.” I wanted to focus here on five social media outlets that have been extremely influential to shaping the modern public perception of golf:

1. Facebook

Not surprisingly Facebook is the most widely used social media network, and therefore has the ability to reach a massive amount of people.  The PGA Tour’s Facebook page acts as a dashboard for all of the Tour’s activity, and allows users to consume content that includes video highlights, upcoming schedules, and even a Google+ hangout that allows fans to interact directly with Tour players.  Through Facebook, fans are provided with everything Tour-related that they need in a single place.  This essentially reminds fans that golf cares about its viewership and wants to retain its fans in all ways possible.

2. Instagram

In the past, we had to wait for magazines or web articles to see cool photos from the world of golf.  With the rise of Instagram, everything comes together in a single place.  Instagram gives fans instant access to some of the most captivating photos of both courses and players from all levels of golf.  Suddenly people are able to see a slow motion swing from an amateur player overseas, or the seventh hole of a world-renowned links course.  Instagram visually connects golf fans around the world and establishes a stronger sense of community, which goes against much of the early perception of golf as an exclusive sport.

3. Snapchat

This social media outlet is perhaps the most influential for the game of golf, particularly through the PGA Tour.  Snapchat gives fans an up-close-and-personal perspective of golf from people that are actually on the course at an event.  Fans can see action from their favorite players through a quick picture or video.  Additionally, many professional golfers have their own Snapchat accounts so that fans can see what the life of a golfer is actually like.  Often times they are surprised because they see just how different of a life they live off the course, a life that is much more lively and fun than the stigma surrounding golf.

4. Twitter

The exclusivity of golf has been severely diminished in recent years, and Twitter has played a major role in that decrease.  Twitter has given golf fans the ability to follow along in real time with analysis and stats that they previously couldn’t obtain.  The site also allows fans to voice their opinions, both positive and negative, and hear reactions from the professionals they see on television.  Twitter eliminates barriers between fans and the game, and continues to provide one of the most direct ways to consume golf in a much more contemporary way.

5. YouTube

One of the biggest downsides for many golfers in the past has been the cost of lessons, which are too expensive in many people’s opinions.  However, YouTube has provided a platform for golfers to receive free lessons from anywhere they are.  YouTube has not only saved money for golfers everywhere, but has also given users a chance to share their own content and publicize their work.

Five Products of the Times: Part II

This is of course a continuation from last week's post about "products of the times."  This week, we look at five players from the 21st century whose careers would be much different during baseball's early years than they currently are.  Here we go:

5. Bryce Harper

(Nick Wass/AP Photo)

Harper is an interesting case as far as this blog goes because he is such a unique player, both physically and mentally.  I put Harper on the list because his style of play today is often frowned upon by a lot of baseball fans, yet it is something that would fit in regularly with players and spectators of the early 20th century. What do I mean by that? Well, Harper plays with an intensity that truly makes him stand out because a majority of the players in the MLB do not convey the same level of passion when they play.  During baseball’s early years, players competed with so much passion that Harper would not only fit in, but also be overlooked.

4. Aroldis Chapman

(Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo)

Aroldis Chapman has consistently been the hardest throwing pitcher in Major League Baseball for the better part of the decade.  With a fastball that hovers around 101 miles per hour, even today’s hitters have trouble catching up.  That speaks volumes considering how training methods have developed over the years to help players increase bat speed and catch up with, on average, faster pitching in today’s game.  If Chapman played during the early 1900s, I believe he would have more strikeouts than he has today, simply because on average pitchers threw slower back then.  During the 1980s average velocity sat around 88-89 miles per hour, which, by today’s standards, is not fast at all.  Given these numbers, it would be safe to assume that this velocity was even slower seventy years prior. Of course, there are outliers such as Walter Johnson and Bob Feller who are said to have thrown nearly 100 miles per hour, but generally pitchers did not consistently throw as hard as pitchers today, especially as hard as Chapman.

3.  Dustin Pedroia

(Rob Carr/Getty Images)

In my opinion, Dustin Pedroia is one of the best second basemen of the 21st century.  Much of what he has accomplished in his career has been underlined by the fact that he is much shorter than the average baseball player. His height seems to magnify his stats in many people’s opinions because he has defied the odds his entire life.  If he played during the MLB’s early years though, he would not be much different than his fellow competitors.  In fact, the average height of early baseball players was about five feet, eight inches, which hovers right around Dustin Pedroia’s mark.  That’s a big difference than today’s average height of about six feet, one inch.  Similar to Harper’s case, I do not believe Pedroia would stand out as much as he does today because he would fit in more, given that his height would not be as big of a factor.

2. Giancarlo Stanton

(USATSI)

He can hit it farther than anyone in baseball today.  The Miami outfielder is one of the most exciting players in baseball to watch, especially when he’s locked in at the plate.  Despite playing in a park with larger-than-average dimensions, Stanton has continued to be an offensive force for the Marlins.  However, I believe Stanton’s home run totals would be even higher back in the early 1900s because ballparks were constructed much differently. Early parks such as the Polo Grounds, Memorial Stadium, and even "current" parks such as Fenway and Wrigley, were built with much shorter distances down the lines than today’s parks.  With Stanton’s power from the right side, he would seemingly have no problem piling up more and more home runs with shorter distances to the walls.

1. Mike Trout

(Associated Press)

He’s the best player in baseball today, but he would be astronomically better if he played during baseball’s early years.  The twenty-five year old outfielder is one of a kind, possessing the “five tools” that determine a player’s ability: power, contact, throwing, fielding, and speed.  During the early 20th century, players did not typically have all five tools, and those who did certainly didn’t use them to the level that Mike Trout uses them today.  Trout would be even more of a standout player in those times because he would be so much more developed in all aspects of his game than most of the other players.  Now I’m not saying he would hit for more power than Babe Ruth, or hit for a better average than Ty Cobb, but I believe Trout would be the best player to incorporate all five of these skills into a single talent. 

Top 5 Moments of the 2016 MLB Season: Fourth Quarter

We’re a couple weeks into the postseason here but I wanted to make sure I stayed true to my word.  Here we go:

5. David Ortiz sets final season home run mark.

It was a magical season for the Large Father, surpassing expectations of just about everyone in the baseball world.  On September 20th, Ortiz launched his 36th home run of the year to put himself ahead of Dave Kingman for the all time final season home run record.

4. Gary Sanchez reaches 20 in record fashion.

I’m not sure if he’ll win Rookie of the Year because he’s had such few at-bats, but he has just as good a case as any, if not better.  Sanchez burst onto the Major League scene once again in early August after just two at-bats in 2015, and took the league by storm.  On September 27th, Sanchez tied Wally Berger of the 1930 Boston Braves for the fastest to hit 20 home runs.

3. Miguel Cabrera collects his TWELFTH 100-RBI season.

We may be looking at one of the best, if not the best, pure hitters of this generation in Miguel Cabrera.  With a triple crown and back-to-back MVP awards, Cabrera is well on his way to the Hall of Fame.  On September 27th he moved one step closer by recording 100 RBIs for the 12th time in his career.  For a 33 year old, that’s pretty damn good.  He becomes just the 9th player all time to reach the 100-RBI mark 12 times.

2. Dodgers clinch the NL West in Vin Scully’s final home game.

Vin Scully is perhaps the most legendary baseball broadcaster of all time, having been the voice of the Dodgers since their days in Brooklyn.  Before the 2016 season, Scully had announced it would be his last in the booth, capping off an eventful 67-year career.  On September 25th, Vin Scully’s final game at Dodger Stadium, infielder Charlie Culberson drilled a walk-off homerun to left field to give Los Angeles its fourth straight division title.

1. Dee Gordon lifts Miami.

I don’t think any of us will ever really get over the death of Jose Fernandez, not only because of how sudden it was, but also because of how great of a person he was both on and off the field.  After news broke of the star pitcher’s death on September 25th, the game between the Marlins and Braves was cancelled.  The next day, the Marlins began a three-game series with the Mets.  Lefty hitter Dee Gordon took the first pitch of the game from the right side of the plate out of respect for his teammate.  On the third pitch, he did this:

Miami defeated New York 7-3.

What a season.  2016 did not disappoint.