Royalty doesn’t sit well with Americans. Our ancestors sailed across the pond to free themselves from pompous aristocrats. Americans believe that all men are equal before God, not that certain men should be treated as gods.

If you’re a pro athlete and you want to win fans in America, you need to respect American ideals. These include gratitude and humility, of which basketball star Lebron James has proved deficient throughout his process of moving from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat as a free agent.

Lebron James celebrates his move to the Miami Heat. Image credit: FOX Sports.

Americans want choice. We want to choose our celebrities and we expect our celebrities to at least appreciate where they came from. We don’t mind if they drink Champagne for breakfast and get chauffeured to their private jets. We don’t even hold it against them if they’re a celebrity for no apparent reason (i.e. Paris Hilton).

But, if you’re Lebron James and you dub yourself ‘King,’ believing your fans will eternally grovel at your feet – regardless if you leave them for another city, use an hour of prime-time TV to announce your decision to move and then celebrate with a wild fanfare – you’ll turn American sports fans away from your alter.

You’ll cause your sport’s commissioner to label your “Decision” as “ill-conceived.” You will incite your hurt and angry hometown fans to tear down your mural, set fire to your No. 23 jersey and throw rocks at your billboard.

Here are three tips from our own hometown hero, Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, rated the most “fan-friendly” athlete in all of sports by “Joe Phan” of ESPN The Magazine.

Look yourself in the mirror everyday.

Joe Mauer faced a similar decision to Lebron about a year before he would have become a free agent. Mauer decided to sign an eight year contract extension, essentially guaranteeing that he would retire with the same fans that brought him to life. Mauer chose his hometown team and says he’s never looked back.

According to Joe Phan, Mauer answers and signs all his fan mail with a personal touch. Mauer told ESPN, “I remember getting that first fan letter. It still feels cool. It’s not work when you read this stuff from people. So I decided a while back that this is important.” Here’s a video of Mauer responding to fan mail with his mother:

Mauer is not one to preach from the pulpit and tell other athletes how to act. His one piece of advice for Lebron reveals his genuine desire for the basketball star to succeed:

Joe Mauer enters a news conference at the Twins' training facility in Fort Myers, Fla., on March 22, 2010 during which he signed a new $184 million contract extension, flanked by Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, right, and Justin Morneau, second from right. Image credit: AP Photo/Steven Senne.

Mauer told MLB.com, “He [LeBron] has to live with what he decides and I hope that he’s happy with it. It’s kind of tough. I’m not sure with how the NBA works with all the salary caps but he’s probably going to sign a pretty lengthy deal so he’s going to be there for awhile. So I just hope for him that he’s happy with his decision.”

LeBron said he has “no doubts,” about his decision. But, so far, many sports fans and former LeBron fans are expressing emotions ranging from disgust to outrage at his decision and the manner in which he announced his decision.

Look outside yourself.

Joe Mauer took home the jackpot when this year’s All-Star Game votes were counted. Mauer received the most fan votes to the 81st All-Star Game and the third-highest number of votes in all-star history. 5,372,606 to be exact. At the end of the day, LeBron openly admitted that his primary motivation in choosing the Heat was his personal obsession with winning. He may discover that this self-centered motivator will backfire on him in the years ahead.

Although faced with shoulder, hip and back pain and a grueling schedule, Mauer still chooses to get up early and meet with fans, hold press conferences, and help multiple charities. Due to his pain, he considered sitting out of the All-Star Game, but ultimately said, “I kind of went back and forth a little bit, but this is a great event. It’s a great honor to be the top vote getter.”

Joe Mauer preps for game against Oakland A's on July 22, 2009. Image credit: Brad Mangin.

Mauer is loyal to his fans and his hometown team, and they are loyal right back.

Get in touch with your human side.

While Lebron James refers to himself in the third person and appears to consider himself royalty, Joe Mauer’s humble talent leads his opponents to treat him with respect, even when his performance is down. Perhaps Mauer’s talent is more believable because it’s more human.

As Blue Jays catcher John Buck told Kelsie Smith with the St. Paul Pioneer Press,

“When you talk about him in the meetings, it’s the same things,” said Buck, who called pitches against Mauer in Toronto last week. “I think if you go to any pitcher, any pregame pitchers’ meeting, there is not one pitcher for one second thinking, ‘Oh, Joe Mauer is struggling.’ He’s still Joe Mauer; if you make that mistake, he’s still going to hit you.”

“If you’re going to throw him balls off the plate, he’s still not going to bite. He’s going to stay disciplined. I think that’s obviously what makes him so tough to pitch against, even now while he’s so-called struggling or not being Joe Mauer. I think people are realizing he might be superhuman rather than super-nonhuman or robotic. He’s actually just superhuman now.”

Lebron would stop hemorrhaging fans if he followed Mauer’s lead and expressed genuine gratitude to his hometown, made peace with Cleveland fans and began de-emphasizing his royal ‘Kingdom.’  After all, royalty is so overrated.

By Katie Kieffer

Pass U.S. the ball. ‘Cause she’s a winner, winner, winner.

Team USA did not hoist the World Cup trophy on its shoulders in South Africa. But, what the sports world, even in the U.S., has overlooked, is that Team USA and the U.S. have made soccer the popular and profitable sport that it is today.

Today, the U.S. influences and contributes to the growth and development of soccer more than any other country in the world. Here’s how:

ROLE MODELS

• Safe and fun atmosphere: In America, we are passionate about soccer without becoming obsessed. Players do not need to fear for their lives if they make a mistake like the late Colombian soccer player, Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga. As sports columnist Christine Brennan of USA Today points out, “By not being single-mindedly devoted to soccer, aren’t U.S. fans exhibiting a laudable sense of perspective? They respect the World Cup, mostly — bad calls, bad acting, bad leadership and all — but they don’t live and die with it. One could make a case that this is a very good thing.”
• Sportsmanship: Our team played honorably and stood out from the Ghana players faking injuries and the French handballs that robbed Ireland of a chance at the 2010 World Cup.
• Responsibility: The U.S. soccer team takes their celebrity seriously. As Ronald Bum of the Associated Press reported, U.S. coach Bob Bradley said, “You want to have a team that the people who care about … and follow that team and root for that team and can feel part of. A team that people believe in and a team that people are proud of. And so, that’s part of our responsibility, and we’re excited in the moment that there’s that kind of feeling.”

Team USA head coach Bob Bradley during the FIFA World Cup Qualifying soccer match between the USA and Mexico at Azteco Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico on August, 2009. Image credit: Donald Miralle/Getty Images North America.

$OCCER’$ GREEN MACHINE

• Economic boon for other countries: If it weren’t for U.S. investors, soccer would be a whole different ballgame – one with less glamor, fun and profitability.The U.S. hires foreign-born stars such as David Beckham and Fredrik Ljungberg to play on her teams and recruits British pros like Martin Tyler to analyze her game on ABC/ESPN. Thanks to American sponsors such as McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Visa, and live TV coverage of the World Cup on American networks, there are suddenly millions of Americans are familiar with players from the Republic of Cameroon. Millions of Americans watched Spain’s historic soccer glory yesterday on ABC. No doubt this will prove a boon for Spain’s floundering economy.
  

  David Beckham plays for the LA Galaxy.

• Television coverage & Sponsors: A primary reason TIME Magazine can report that, “Africa was the world’s third largest TV audience for soccer in 2006″ is because of U.S. investment in soccer.FIFA president, Joseph S. Blatter, was able to bring soccer to Africa and Asia because of the U.S.’ success in soccer and investments made based off of that success.Television is “central” to the World Cup and allowed Blatter to make “the game truly global, taking it to Asia and Africa,” says TIME Magazine.Television coverage and financial sponsors for the game came from the U.S.According to TIME Magazine, “The still unsurpassed success of the U.S. tourney allowed Blatter to float TV packages for the 2002 and 2006 tournaments to the highest bidder on a country-by-country basis. Under Blatter, FIFA began soliciting only the biggest brands and corporations, and all rights packages and sponsorship deals were sold for two World Cups at a time, guaranteeing fees against volatility in the global economy. The packages don’t come cheaply: in 2006, Blatter enticed more than $875 million from FIFA’s top sponsors.”

GROWING THE GAME

The U.S. is popularizing soccer at an unmatched pace.

• Fan base: “More tickets to the World Cup were purchased in the U.S. than in any other country except the host nation,” reports Bill Saporito.
• Participants: TIME Magazine reports that, in the U.S., “Soccer trails only basketball in the number of participants.”
• Media: American media giants have helped give credence to soccer as an American and worldly pastime. Vanity Fair has featured foreign stars such as Christiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba on it’s cover – while the Fox network chose live coverage of an Inter Milan vs. Bayern Munich soccer game over live coverage of a New York Yankees vs. New York Mets baseball game, reports TIME Magazine.

Soccer is thriving in America, and it is alive and well in the world. Much of soccer’s growth is attributable to the passion of American soccer fans and participants – as well as the investments of American capitalists.

This video showing the reactions of from Team USA fans across the U.S. and around the world to Landon Donovan‘s last-minute winning goal against Algeria. It will shred any doubts of America’s passion for soccer:

World Reacts To Landon Donovan’s Goal – Watch more Funny Videos

As the NFL draft draws near, football fans are paying close attention to Tim Tebow. The Heisman Trophy-winning Florida Gators quarterback is considered one of the “fastest risers” in Thursday’s NFL first-round draft.

Vikings coach Brad Childress took a look at Tebow in practice this month. If another team doesn’t fall in love with Tebow before the Vikes can nab him with the 30th pick overall, Childress could take Tebow, with these potential consequences:

Tebow in the locker room, ‘Pants on the ground!’

Tim Tebow has an attitude that would take the Vikings locker room to the next level. As ESPN Monday Night Football commentator, Jon Gruden says, “What I’m really impressed with is the way he sits on the edge of his chair and his work ethic and relentlessness to become great is really second to nobody. I think his commitment to what he believes in is real. It doesn’t waver.”

A young player with a positive, can-do attitude like Tebow’s would raise the Vikings team up, and Brett Favre could be back to singing ‘Pants on the ground!’

Tebow in, Favre out?

As much as I’d like to see Tebow on the team, I have to acknowledge that it could ruffle Favre’s feathers. Some argue the Packers-Favre divorce started when the Packers drafted a first-round quarterback in 2005 when Favre wanted immediate help at another position. If we gave Favre a reason to go sour, it would probably be a quicker and cleaner divorce.

To keep Favre happy, the Vikings would need to justify adding a fourth quarterback to the roster over another position. The Vikings could justify it if Tebow were willing to play H-back for them, but he likely wants an opportunity to play the quarterback position.

Feminists graffiti Metrodome

Remember NOW President Terry O’Neil’s fuss over Tebow’s pro-life Super Bowl commercial? If Tebow joins the Vikings, don’t be surprised if NOW members spray paint pro-abortion statements all over the Metrodome. No worries, though. If Tebow is tough enough to handle a little controversy, Minnesotans are too.

More realistically, the Vikings will draft a different position, such as cornerback, offensive lineman, defensive tackle or safety, that fills a gap in the roster. It’s unlikely that the Vikings will get Tebow this year, but I think his attitude, moral courage and work ethic could add tremendous value to the team. Skol, Tebow, let’s go!

Image credit: Ben Woloszyn Photography/www.benwphoto.com

If you can’t buy a bucket, you have no business in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. I blogged here about how the NFL is corrupting itself with perverse “equalizers” like the Rooney Rule. I wrote here and here about Congressional plans to force college football to switch from the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system to a playoff system.

Although Big East Commissioner John Marinatto is getting chatty court-side with former president Bill Clinton and ESPN did an extensive story and video stepping us through President Obama’s bracket, the NCAA doesn’t need politicians to break its players’ ankles and short-sell its fans – it’s doing it on its own.

The NCAA is currently considering expanding its tournament from 65 to 96 teams. The 96 expansion option is a good analogy for what can happen when bureaucracy, greed and politically ambitious snobs multiply, whether in business, politics or entertainment.

Scrambling for pennies

The NCAA generates 90 percent of its income through the NCAA tournament. Now, some sports analysts and coaches are accusing the NCAA of trying to boost profits by expanding March Madness to include more teams at the expense of the sport, players and fans.

“Jim Isch, the N.C.A.A.’s interim president, and the 18 university presidents and chancellors on the Division I board decide” whether to change the tournament’s format to the 96 team system, The New York Times reports. If they do, it will likely have the following repercussions:

• Hurt students. ESPN analyst, Dick Vitale, says it best, baby!

ESPN sportscaster, Dick Vitale. Image credit: Associated Press

“To mess with something that is so good is absurd. What they should be doing is concentrating on the integrity of the game and doing something about the current student-athlete. For example it is an absolute disgrace to the term ‘student athlete’ in the manual of the NCAA guide when we look at the one-and-done scenario.

The one-and-done is simply a situation of players playing to put their skills in front of NBA people and hoping to go to the next level and could care less about academics, could care less about the value of an education. They should be concentrating on that.

They should be concentrating on violations and things happening within our system that have led to the embarrassment and humiliation at Southern Cal, what happened in the Memphis situation. All of that should be in consideration not spending time trying to ramrod 96 teams and to blow up something that has been so fantastic to so many people. It is the greatest three weeks in all of sports. Why don’t we just go to all 300 and let everybody in?”

Furthermore, Davidson Coach Bob McKillop told The New York Times:

Davidson Wildcats head coach Bob McKillop. Image credit: REUTERS/John Gress.

“Isn’t this whole thing a window into society? We’ve diminished so many other things. We’ve diminished test scores. We’ve diminished admission policies. We diminish so much for reasons that are not accentuating excellence and performance. It’s almost too inclusive.”

• Water down the tournament.The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that ESPN’s resident bracketologist, St. Joseph’s Joe Lunardi: “…recently put together a mock 96-team bracket for this season. Carolina was one of the last teams in, and 13 of the 16 Big East teams made it.”
  

  ESPN bracketologist, Joe Lunardi. Image credit: AP.

“I think that’s silly,” Lunardi said. “I really don’t know how else to say it, and that’s no disrespect to the 13th team. . . . From a basketball standpoint, [expansion] is absolutely not necessary. No team that has a legitimate chance of being a national champion is excluded now. It’s not like we need a bigger field to make the champion more legitimate.

“I hope they give it considerable thought. How great is it when a late regular-season game has so much meaning or a conference tournament game has so much meaning? To a large degree, that will be diluted if the most dramatic expansion plan goes into place.”

• Let down fans. As Michael Hiestand of USA Today puts it:

“Diminishing the Big Dance and popping debates about who’s on the bubble would inevitably devalue college basketball’s regular-season, conference tournaments and its NCAA selection show.

And other than gratitude from coaches hanging onto their jobs because grade inflation got them into the tournament, what would the NCAA get in return? Probably lots of new games of little interest to casual fans nationally — thus lots of low ratings.

Consider that CBS’ first-round NCAA time slots last year, which combined regionalized audiences from overlapping games, averaged 4.2% of U.S. TV households. Showing teams that wouldn’t make the tournament in its present format likely would produce smaller ratings.”

A better strategy

Hard work, sacrifice, perseverance and a positive attitude are traits of leaders. Minnesota Gopher basketball coach, Tubby Smith, motivated his players to ignore the naysayers and overcome team challenges to achieve a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Smith pushed his players to come together as a team and demand respect from the college basketball community. He set the bar high, and his players responded. High, yet realistic expectations are the best motivators in life.

In our government, as in sports, there is a tendency to lower expectations so that “everyone is a winner.” Some people and some teams are losers and they don’t deserve a trophy, get over it. They won’t work hard, they have negative attitudes and they are unwilling to make sacrifices to achieve goals.

Likewise, the NCAA needs to trust that the money will come if it does right by its players and fans and sets high levels of performance expectations. This will improve the game and bring long-term money to college basketball. Otherwise, its unchallenged ballers will be running to Kobe Bryant for ankle insurance that covers their weak, unchallenged ankle tendons.

Image credit: Red Bull

Wouldn’t it be fun to shred the U.S. recession into oblivion the way a skier shreds the Jackson Hole gnar gnar? It would be as exhilarating as finding a cure to cancer – on an economic level.  Well, the U.S. does have a nearly fail-proof template to follow for ending the recession and creating jobs: Lindsey Vonn.

Vonn is often hyped for her amicable personality and good looks. Lost in this hype is the bigger story: the tale of sheer American grit, rugged persistence, sacrifice and goal-focus. Vonn’s story shows that America can shrug off her recession if she acts like a champion.

Many athletes at one point appeared to be all-around champions, and then disappointed, such as Tiger Woods, Mark McGwire and Marion Jones. But, Vonn is the template we’re looking for. Below is her recipe for bouncing out of recession. Let’s rip.

Champions race when it hurts.

There is a disease in America called apathy. Symptoms include a lack concern for anything deeply meaningful. Apathy is different from liberalism. It is disengagement from the entire civic arena. When you hear someone say something like,”I don’t get into politics. It stresses me out. Besides, Jersey Shore makes me happy,” they’re probably apathetic. We cannot bounce out of recession if we sit and widen our bums while China’s economy grows. We need to get up and take action. A fall, even as big as our economy has taken, is no excuse to disengage.

When Vonn crashed in the 2006 Torino Olympics and was helicoptered away, she was visited by her life-long idol, three-time Olympian, Picabo Street, in the hospital.  Street bluntly told Vonn, “A real champion would get up and race.” Vonn proved her metal by racing two days later in excruciating pain and still finishing eighth overall.

When Vonn fell again in the Feb. 2, 2010 pre-Vancouver Olympics practice run in Austria and badly bruised her shin, she didn’t have a bailout. As loved as she is, there was no sponsor, no coach, no friend who could do it for her. Last week in Vancouver, she was not even able to take an injection to fully dull her pain, but has had to suffer through with ordinary painkillers to avoid violating Olympic antidoping guidelines. Still, she plans to grit her teeth, and race.

Likewise, the U.S. can stand up and race her way back to the top if she is able to handle some pain and stops trying to mask it with government stimulus packages, proven to fail.

Champions are coachable

“Don’t hunch over,” Street recalls telling the young Vonn. “Stand up straight. Stand tall. Be proud.” Vonn has made a concerted effort throughout her career to reach out to other champion skiers, like Street, and model her game after their success. Once-respected champions like Tiger Woods fell from favor with fans and sponsors partly because they became so self-absorbed that they forgot to listen to reason and wisdom.

Vonn is almost always accompanied by her husband, coach and spokesman, Thomas Vonn. Rather than imitating Woods and filling her mobile phone with the contacts of hot ski-patrols, Vonn works hand-in-hand with Thomas Vonn to achieve success. Vonn also has a deep respect for other members of her “team,” including her ski technician and communicates frequently and openly with them.

Lindsey and Thomas Vonn. Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images North America.

Similarly, the U.S. could recover from economic wipe-out if our elected officials would start listening to their best coaches, constituents. Americans are tired of government spending, bribery and growth. We want the government to start listening to us, and to our small businesses.

Champions work hard

Lindsey Vonn celebrates her World Cup victories with her ski technician, Heinz Haemmerle. Image: Doug Haney/NYDailyNews.com

Lindsey Vonn does a lot of behind-the-scenes hard work for her big wins. Vonn’s professionalism and work ethic are extraordinary. Her “ski man,” Heinz Haemmerle says, “She’s very focused on where she wants to get. She wants to win every race,” he says. “I get so many informations from her about skis.”

Unlike many super-star skiers, Vonn goes the extra mile and provides her ski trainer with detailed notes every day. Vonn has made notes after skiing in different weather conditions and she tried between 20 and 25 different skis in 2009. In skiing, even a fraction of a second can make a difference, and she puts in the work necessary to conquer time. “I never had anybody else do this,” says Haemmerle. “After each run on the chair or whatever, she writes it down. It’s very professional. Every day she makes her notes.” And, Haemmerle is no newcomer to the sport. He is the “best available” ski technician.

Washington could take a lesson from Lindsey’s work ethic. Instead of blowing up the budget, Washington needs to do its homework, treat the American people like a team, as Vonn treats Haemmerle, and be transparent about new legislation instead of bribing Senators to clandestinely pass unfavorable health care “reforms” on Christmas Eve.

The U.S. can take inspiration from Vonn’s willingness to put in the extra effort to come up from behind to become the strongest female skier in the world:

Some argue that Julia Mancuso, another member of the U.S. Ski Team, who won gold in the giant slalom in Turin, was the “naturally gifted junior, a fine all-round skier who occasionally took her talent for granted.“ Today, “Lindsey Vonn” is practically a household name and Mancuso has faded to oblivion. I think this is because Vonn spent the past four years working hard in a challenging Austrian-based training program, mastering men’s skis, and focusing on developing as a skier, while Moncuso proclaimed that, “I think underwear is my calling” and channeled part of her time away from the slopes to develop a lingerie line called Kiss My Tiara.

Image: Getty Images/AFP-Fabrice Coffrini.

Unsurprisingly, rugged grit and persistent hard work proved a better strategy than living like a ski princess since Vonn, not Mancuso, emerged to become the most decorated American female skier in World Cup history, winning back-to-back overall World Cup championships in 2008 and 2009.

Likewise, the U.S. can no longer flaunt herself as the “biggest and the best” – she has to go out there and prove herself again on the world stage. But, in order for this to happen, big government needs to step out of the way and give individuals, banks and small businesses breathing room.

Champions make sacrifices for their goal

Luck is not a strategy to win. Having fun is not a strategy for success. Blood, sweat and tears are.

Think of how much sacrifice goes into being an Olympic skier. You never have an off-season. For four years you are working towards a few minutes on the slopes. Vonn often sacrifices leisure to achieve her goals. According to Parade, ‘Between practicing, competing, eating, and sleeping, it’s tough to work it (watching other Olympic events) in. “I highly doubt that I’ll have time to watch any other events, but if I get a chance, I would really like to watch figure skating. Or maybe speedskating. We have a lot of pressure, a lot of obligations.”‘

Like Vonn, the U.S. can use setbacks to grow stronger. “It is important to note that Vonn always comes through. She has skied with an injured hand taped to one of her ski poles and still won. Her back was a mess after the fall in Turin and still she competed. If she can stand up, she’ll attempt to make it down the hill,” the Pioneer Press reports.

Americans have something special. We have a unique Constitution that provides opportunity, independence and freedom for all. As long as we uphold the Constitution and respect the proven success of capitalism and the free markets, our economy will flourish. But, if the U.S. continues to increase its dependence on unnatural governmental supplements, such as bailouts and stimulus packages, it will perpetuate its floundering economy.

Similarly, Vonn’s sacrifice and focus has made her so strong that Street says of Vonn’s Olympic odds, “As embarrassing as it is for the rest of ‘em, I’m sorry but, yes, she can spank you on 80 percent.“

Even now, with a severely bruised shin, Vonn “spanked” the rest of the competitors on the slopes this week. She tore up the gnar gnar and brought in the fastest time in the women’s training run.

Similarly, America is bruised and her economy is in a sling, but she need to grit her teeth and deal with some of the pain of this recession in order to move forward. As Glenn Beck implies nearly daily on his radio show, it will hurt Americans a lot more if we allow government to grow bigger and rely on Washington to patch up our oozing economic wounds with freshly printed junk dollar bills.

Ultimately, whether Vonn, who is still experiencing “throbbing” pain when she skis, but plans to “grit my teeth and fight through it on Wednesday,” wins five, one or zero gold medals in Vancouver, she has proven herself on the world stage. Vonn is a champion.

Take on the recession like a Vonn, America.

Additional articles cited for this piece:

St. Paul Pioneer Press: “Vonn will try to ski today,” by Frank Fitzpatrick on Feb. 2, 2010. “NOT AGAIN!,” by Tom Powers on Feb. 11, 2010, “Shin injury and all” by Tom Powers and “Street: Vonn can still win” from the Associated Press on Feb. 12, 2010.

Image credit: The Green Blazer blog

Want to embarrass yourself on the golf course? Whiff, whiff and whiff away. Fail to make contact with the ball and you’ll tee yourself up for a tense round of ridicule from your golfing partners.

Golf may have just whiffed itself into a potentially embarrassing situation during the 2016 Olympics – by participating in the Olympics. Rio de Janeiro is not a great golf town (Chicago is, no thanks to the First Couple), and Rio de Janeiro is where golf will debut as an Olympic sport. Here’s the story of golf’s unhealthy relationship with the Olympics:

Thanks to pressure from Tiger Woods, on Oct. 9, 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to include golf and rugby in the 2016 Olympic Games.

Sound exciting? It’s only exciting if you like to keep your game in the sand bunkers and water hazards.

There are more than a few things to question about golf’s push for inclusion in the Olympic Games. They all stem from the fact that the success of golf as an Olympic sport depended on the integrity of one man who fell hard, Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods pushed the IOC to include golf in the Games, arguing that the Olympics is “the grandest of stages,” and golf is a “global” and “honorable game.”

Throughout the history of the Games, the IOC has never had a vested interest in golf.  Logically so: “sports in which the gold medal is not the ultimate prize are never quite as riveting as the other competitions. And there isn’t a tennis player alive who wouldn’t rather win the Wimbledon silver cup and plate, or a golfer the Masters green jacket,” Mark Starr with GlobalPost points out.

Meanwhile, the selection process for the new game of Olympic golf is sketchy at best, but Tiger-approved.

Gold medals image: Getty Images.

So what explains the IOC’s sudden interest and acceptance of golf? The IOC was betting on Tiger’s celebrity status to extraordinarily boost Olympic sponsors and TV rights-holders during a time when sports sponsors are increasingly hard to attain.

Woods’ motivation appeared to be a new platform to garner sponsorships and international acclaim. Tiger would turn 40 in 2016, and a gold medal in the Olympics would be a perfect crown to retire his laurels on. Pre-affair leak, Tiger committed to playing in the Olympics if he doesn’t retire first.

While fans might still enjoy watching Tiger take on the Olympic gold at age forty, Tiger does not draw a crowd like he used to. Including golf in the Olympics appears to be a short-sighted vision of the sport of golf and golf fans.

Baseball’s lack of celebrity player participation motivated the IOC to drop baseball from the Olympics after the 2008 Beijing Games and now the MLB plays continuously through the Olympic Games. Currently, hockey is in a similar situation. Frustrated with the suspension of regular season play for the Vancouver Olympic Games, NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, has indicated this may not continue going forward. So who’s Tiger to say that golf won’t suffer the same predicament now that his dirty laundry is out to dry?

Who could benefit from golf’s inclusion in the Olympics? Certainly not fans, sponsors or players. They have already tuned out from watching golf and in six years they will be far less likely to tune in. In the wake of Tiger’s admitted affairs, the PGA Tour has seen a noticeable dip in America’s interest in playing and sponsoring golf as well as a continued dip in viewership. The IOC stands to benefit the most.

Tiger had an impeccable image of a devoted husband, father, philanthropist and athlete. He was the badge of honor in golf. As former vice president of programing for CBS Sports, Jay Rosenstein put it, “Tiger Woods is golf. The concern is that for a sport whose identity is so closely tied to the idea of honor, what he’s gone through has to be incredibly damaging.”

The IOC essentially based the sport of golf’s inclusion on the honor, integrity and talent of one athlete, Tiger Woods. This is called throwing all your eggs in one basket. It’s a foolish risk to take, especially if you don’t have insurance on the basket if it breaks. The Olympics will lose their appeal if the IOC continues to make political moves to garner sponsorships and base the inclusion of an entire sport on one celebrity athlete within that sport.