The Match II
How the golf phenomenon gave hope for the future of sports
I, like many other people, watched The Match II this past weekend. The golf event which paired Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady was a much needed sign of hope for sports fans. Since the coronavirus pandemic took away the sports we all know and love, many individuals have been left craving any form of sport.
The Match helped fulfill that void.
With a severe lack of sports on cable television, people have been left searching for anything to watch. However, once a sporting event was placed on TV, individuals couldn’t get enough of it. According to Turner Sports, The Match was the most watched golf event in cable history. The event drew an average of 5.8 million viewers, and peaked at 6.3 million viewers. For perspective, the recently released documentary “The Last Dance” had 6.3 million people watching at it’s peak, which was the highest amount for a documentary in ESPN history. For a golf event to rival those numbers is incredible.
The high amount of numbers is due in large part to two factors. One, the coronavirus pandemic. The lack of sports on television will cause even the most casual of golf fans to the TV set. The second being the star-power of the event. Having two of the best golfers in the world paired with two of the best quarterbacks all-time will most definitely cause interest. But not only that, the star power of the broadcast was impressive as well. Having NBA great Charles Barkley cover an event which he would most likely never be asked to was actually amazing. Barkley always makes for great TV, and this was no different.
The Match proved to be a fun watch as well. I’m not a constant golf viewer, but I do watch the major events of the year such as the US Open and the Masters. And while no moment can truly compare to Tiger regaining glory at the Masters last year, The Match was close. This is for different reasons however. Tigers return was emotional and inspiring, whereas The Match was playful. There was no real sense of tension or stress while watching The Match. It was instead enjoyable to watch Manning and Brady (especially) appear as many of us do when we play golf. Slicing the ball of the tee, and trying to find the right distance on our iron shots are just the normal golf struggles. It felt nice knowing that even superstar QBs go through it as well.
While The Match was a playful environment for charity, it still managed to draw some “wow” moments out of the audience. After struggling for the majority of the front-nine, Tom Brady hit a perfect iron shot which rolled in for birdie on the seventh hole. Brady had just finished being roasted by Barkley and golf pro Brooks Koepka before he hit the shot. The shock felt from both the announcers and Brady’s teammate Mickelson was both funny and enjoyable. After that shot, and ripping his pants, Brady started to pick his game up a little. He even sunk an eagle putt after a great drive from Mickelson.
Brady wasn’t the only QB with stellar moments though. Manning proved his iron play was much better than any average joe. The quarterback was hitting shots onto the green for the majority of the afternoon. Manning also won one of the closest to the pin challenges on a par three, beating out both of the professionals.
When it was all said and done, Woods and Manning won The Match by one hole. The event raised $20 million for COVID-19 relief. The event also gave fans hope.
Sports will eventually be back.
The sports we knew before may not look the same as the sports of the future, but that’s okay. The Match showed that fans in attendance isn’t necessary. The lack of fans also caused the broadcast to look into ways to improve the event. One aspect I enjoyed was being able to hear the golfers while they played. Hearing the trash talk between the competitors only added to the enjoyment. Golf to casual fans can come off as boring to watch. Implementing players being mic’d up could help attract a new audience.
This is just one tactic which other sports could look into when they return. New ideas may also be introduced which could help improve the fan’s experience at home. Either way, sports will be back; and The Match showed that it may be sooner than later.
