Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Heroes
Heroes

Amid Media Madness, Tiger Pauses to Reflect on Black Golf Pioneers

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Tiger Woods has a chance to win his fifth U.S. Open this week at the historical Merion Golf Club just outside Philadelphia.

The major story lines?

He’ll play in an electric group on Thursday and Friday with the No. 2 and No. 3 golfers in the world, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott. Sergio Garcia, he says, still has not personally apologized for his statement about making peace with Tiger after a recent spat by making him fried chicken. And a win this week would put him three majors behind the all-time leader, Jack Nicklaus.

But a member of the media at Tuesday’s noon press conference, amid the history and paegentry of Merion’s mystique related to Bobby Jones, asked Tiger to reflect on African-American pioneers Calvin Peete and Charlie Sifford and their impact on his life.

Said Tiger, “[They] led the way for the likes of Lee Elder. It was a tough time for Charlie to go through what he went through, but he paved the way for a lot of us to be where we’re at.

“I know my dad probably wouldn’t have picked up the game if it wasn’t for what Charlie did.”

Woods is enjoying a stellar 2013, in which he’s reestablished himself as the No. 1 golfer in the world. For some, he may not be all the way back from the knee injury that caused him to rebuild his swing until he wins a major. At any rate, he has four wins in eight starts this year, including a win at the Players’ Championship last month.

On the business front, Woods was reported to be on the cusp of a brand new deal with Nike, which was to make him one of the richest endorsers in sports. It was not clear Tuesday if a deal had been reached, but Nike did release a 30-second spot recently which had Tiger swinging a driver, and another to promote the new TW ’14 golf shoe.

But on Tuesday, the focus — for just a little while — was on the legacy of African- American achievement in which Woods follows.

“I’ve always called him my grandpa, the grandpa I never really had,” Woods said of Sifford. “I’ve gotten to know him through the years and it’s been fantastic. We owe a lot to him and all the pioneers that have paved the way for us to be here.”

Source: blackenterprise.com

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top