ESPN and the canceled women's NCAA regional

[tatertot]

Can ESPN get any worse ...

 

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/31435211/ncaa-women-golf-regional-baton-rouge-canceled-sparking-outcry

 

Totally one-sided with no real "reporting." Can you imagine the "outcry" if they made the women play on what appears to be a soaked course with standing water all over the place?

 

[eagle2838]

Not sure I get this post...from the articles and videos I saw, it sure looks like those women wanted to play golf. The ESPN article is right in line with articles from other sports sources, as well.

 

I'm not sure what the point of canceling the event was, and it really sucks for the kids who wanted to play. For a good chunk of them, this was their last collegiate tournament, ever. I'm sure tons of families traveled to watch. It is difficult to say without all the information, but a course has to be in really, really bad shape to scrap the whole tournament, and that course looked pretty playable. 

 

I played college golf in New England, and we had some pretty awful fall/spring conditions. We certainly complained about them, but never would we have wished for a tournament to be canceled rather than play it, even when there were piles of snow next to greens. I think these women feel the same way. 

[tatertot]

22 minutes ago, eagle2838 said:

Not sure I get this post...from the articles and videos I saw, it sure looks like those women wanted to play golf. The ESPN article is right in line with articles from other sports sources, as well.

 

I'm not sure what the point of canceling the event was, and it really sucks for the kids who wanted to play. For a good chunk of them, this was their last collegiate tournament, ever. I'm sure tons of families traveled to watch. It is difficult to say without all the information, but a course has to be in really, really bad shape to scrap the whole tournament, and that course looked pretty playable. 

 

I played college golf in New England, and we had some pretty awful fall/spring conditions. We certainly complained about them, but never would we have wished for a tournament to be canceled rather than play it, even when there were piles of snow next to greens. I think these women feel the same way. 

You would think ESPN might interview somebody from the club, somebody from the NCAA ... anybody ... that might give some insight, and not just rely on opinions from players who were there.

 

As far as players who wanted to play ... can you imagine being a top ranked player and missing a chance to go to the NCAAs because you were playing on a soaked, crap course with greens in poor shape? 

[leezer99]

@tatertot do you work for the NCAA media department?  This is not the narrative the 100+ accomplished golfers that were there to compete had about the situation.  Even a coach went out to walk the course the day before and said the girls should be playing.  

[MWhack]

7 hours ago, tatertot said:

can you imagine being a top ranked player and missing a chance to go to the NCAAs because you were playing on a soaked, crap course with greens in poor shape? 

Everyone has the same condition

[nuthin but a hacker]

My daughter played high school regionals this season in a monsoon. Now that course was unplayable but the round went on anyway. The course was a sloppy muddy mess but it was the same for all of the players and in the end the best kids made it through. In my mind it did cut down on a lot of the cheating because the kids who needed to cheat to move on just wanted to get it over with and get out of there. The better players stayed focused and put up the best score they could. 
 

But back to the article, that course looked playable to me. Those girls had a right to be mad about the decision to not play. I would question the motives on why they weren’t allowed to play. 

[Naptime]

Seems a poor decision by the NCAA.  It would be like cancelling a football game for snow!  OMG someone might get hit with a snowflake.  Some of those remain classic games because of the adverse conditions.  Would be better than just advancing the seeds.

[Abh159]

10 hours ago, tatertot said:

Can ESPN get any worse ...

 

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/31435211/ncaa-women-golf-regional-baton-rouge-canceled-sparking-outcry

 

Totally one-sided with no real "reporting." Can you imagine the "outcry" if they made the women play on what appears to be a soaked course with standing water all over the place?

 

 

Go read the story on Golfweek. There are a number of people (coaches, players, spectators, etc.) who were quoted talking about how poorly managed the whole event was. Yes, there was a ton of rain but they said they didn't see a single maintenance worker doing anything to try and make the course playable the entire week. There are videos of people walking the course on Tuesday between rain storms and aside from a few bunkers the course was very much playable. It sounds like the club officials and the NCAA threw in the towel on this one before it ever even started. They were just waiting until they could "officially" cancel it.

 

If I remember correctly this isn't the first time they have had some serious issues with LSU's golf course and hosting a post season event there. Which makes the story that much worse....

[BloctonGolf11]

Pretty obvious @tatertotjust has an axe to grind against ESPN. You could try and conceal it a little better next time. The TD straight up said the course was "playable" but not to a "championship level"  That is a full on cop out. If it is playable it is the same for everyone go out there and play. 

 

"can you imagine being a top ranked player and missing a chance to go to the NCAAs because you were playing on a soaked, crap course with greens in poor shape?"

 

That means  you got beat by other players playing the exact same course. Can you imagine putting all the work in to get to be at regionals and being denied a chance to compete. Tatertot, get out of here with this foolishness. 

[dcmidnight]

The MondayQ Twitter account said the same course was basically unplayable the week before and they only played because of an extraordinary effort. On top of that the same course then got 5 or so inches of rain in less than two days, right before the event. 

 

One guy that lives a couple miles south of the course actually said they got closer to ten inches in two days. 

 

At what point do you pull the plug? They said they "could" have played if they took sections of a few greens out of play and changed one or two of the longer holes to play as short par 3s. At what point is it a farce?

 

Easy to judge in hindsight.

 

 

[dcmidnight]

12 minutes ago, Abh159 said:

Yes, there was a ton of rain but they said they didn't see a single maintenance worker doing anything to try and make the course playable the entire week.

 

THIS is the issue that should be talked about.

[Abh159]

"For days now, several coaches have maintained that there were windows of time in which golf could have been played. Miami coach Patti Rizzo walked all 18 holes on Tuesday afternoon and said that maybe four or five bunkers were in bad shape. She did not see any of the maintenance crew working on the golf course during that time."

 

"Young, who has served on NCAA committees for several years, like Rizzo, felt that the decision-makers in Baton Rouge were unprepared. Young was one of several coaches who noted that she hadn’t seen a single pump on the golf course."

 

“This place has zero business hosting another regional,” said Chadwell, who said zero effort was made to adjust as it became clear that the tournament couldn’t be played in a normal fashion."

 

"Wanamarta called it the most poorly managed tournament she’s ever seen."

[Skaffa77]

The gist I got - Weather was a massive factor with complete course saturation after days of rain, but NCAA stated the course to be "playable", but NOT at a "championship" level.  You have competitors who wanted to play regardless...

 

With the blow back from the coaches and players, it feels like the NCAA threw in the towel early without doing their all to try to host the event.  It feels like there was more at play here than just the course conditions...

Edited May 13, 2021 by Skaffa77

[darter79]

Keep in mind it was playable but not championship playable per the quotes from the NCAA. That's absurd you didn't even try. Just horrible experience especially a way to end their careers for some. 

[tatertot]

30 minutes ago, dcmidnight said:

The MondayQ Twitter account said the same course was basically unplayable the week before and they only played because of an extraordinary effort. On top of that the same course then got 5 or so inches of rain in less than two days, right before the event. 

 

One guy that lives a couple miles south of the course actually said they got closer to ten inches in two days. 

 

At what point do you pull the plug? They said they "could" have played if they took sections of a few greens out of play and changed one or two of the longer holes to play as short par 3s. At what point is it a farce?

 

Easy to judge in hindsight.

 

 

But a bunch of college players really wanted to play ...

 

And they could be right ... but at least talk to officials and get their viewpoint. Talk to locals. Talk to somebody other than those with vested interest. 

 

We see courses on the PGA Tour get ready for play after rain, but the man hours invested in that is immense, and I doubt this course had those resources. I'm not saying this story is necessarily wrong ... I'm saying we're getting one side of the story because it fits ESPN's current narrative, which has an axe to grind against the NCAA.

[BloctonGolf11]

4 minutes ago, tatertot said:

But a bunch of college players really wanted to play ...

 

And they could be right ... but at least talk to officials and get their viewpoint. Talk to locals. Talk to somebody other than those with vested interest. 

 

We see courses on the PGA Tour get ready for play after rain, but the man hours invested in that is immense, and I doubt this course had those resources. I'm not saying this story is necessarily wrong ... I'm saying we're getting one side of the story because it fits ESPN's current narrative, which has an axe to grind against the NCAA.

Every outlet is reporting it the same. The only one with bias is you against ESPN. 

[tatertot]

5 minutes ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

Every outlet is reporting it the same. The only one with bias is you against ESPN. 

Just read GolfWeek's article ... they actually tried to talk to officials and discussed reasons why the tournament wasn't delayed. It was actually well written. Came to the basically the same conclusion, but gave background and reported on the situation.

[BloctonGolf11]

13 minutes ago, tatertot said:

Just read GolfWeek's article ... they actually tried to talk to officials and discussed reasons why the tournament wasn't delayed. It was actually well written. Came to the basically the same conclusion, but gave background and reported on the situation.

And there you go. You don't care about the kids or the tournament you just have an axe to grind against ESPN when the conclusions they drew were the exact same as every other major media outlet. You are making something out of absolutely nothing. The ESPN article was a snapshot not an in-depth examination because ESPN is a broad stroke sports reporting website.

[tatertot]

32 minutes ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

And there you go. You don't care about the kids or the tournament you just have an axe to grind against ESPN when the conclusions they drew were the exact same as every other major media outlet. You are making something out of absolutely nothing. The ESPN article was a snapshot not an in-depth examination because ESPN is a broad stroke sports reporting website.

You got me ... I hate kids. As a matter of fact, I often times yell at them to get off my lawn. Sometimes I throw rocks at them. I've hated ESPN since they stopped showing Aussie rules football in mid 80s. Oh how I dream of the days of watching Ken Patera carry a refrigerator on his back while pulling a 747 ... BUT NO ... now nothing but Stephen A. yelling at Max for hours on end ... but thankfully you've freed me of my tormented guilt and allowed me to come clean. How can I ever repay you!

[BloctonGolf11]

3 minutes ago, tatertot said:

You got me ... I hate kids. As a matter of fact, I often times yell at them to get off my lawn. Sometimes I throw rocks at them. I've hated ESPN since they stopped showing Aussie rules football in mid 80s. Oh how I dream of the days of watching Ken Patera carry a refrigerator on his back while pulling a 747 ... BUT NO ... now nothing but Stephen A. yelling at Max for hours on end ... but thankfully you've freed me of my tormented guilt and allowed me to come clean. How can I ever repay you!

Cute...you started the thread as supposedly calling out ESPN for bad reporting and that the tournament was wrong to cancel then ended up reinforcing everything ESPN said in the article that was the same as every other major media outlet. Literally no one is defending the NCAA on this one. This is a golf forum, not a whine about bias against ESPN forum. 

[tatertot]

1 minute ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

Cute...you started the thread as supposedly calling out ESPN for bad reporting and that the tournament was wrong to cancel then ended up reinforcing everything ESPN said in the article that was the same as every other major media outlet. Literally no one is defending the NCAA on this one. This is a golf forum, not a whine about bias against ESPN forum. 

You're right again ... nobody has ever whined about anything on Golf WRX before. My bad. Let's talk about Tiger vs. Jack ... or why 20 handicappers should play blades ... or music on the course ... or maybe why rounds take 5 hours ... why would we want to actually discuss things on a forum? Good call. Everyone says NCAA is bad ... conformity good ... NCAA bad ... who cares what residents of the area say or people who played the course the week before said ... NCAA bad ...

[ConcernedBoutCOVID]

I'm just surprised ESPN actually reported on college golf

[Skaffa77]

For what it's worth...I'm not a big fan of ESPN reporting either (that kind'a comes with being a NU fan and watching ESPN pile on as if the last 20 years of crappy football hasn't been bad enough). 

 

With that said, this specific situation itself isn't a great look for the NCAA.

[blaird]

This is a bad call for the NCAA for more than just "playing conditions". I know there is a deadline that said Regionals must be done by Wednesday, 5/12. I dont get why that couldnt have extended a day, and they go 36 today. This is one of those rare circumstances where an exception should have been made. 

 

I spoke with a girl down there that Ive known for years and shes saying the same thing being reported. That they could have played at some point, conditions were the same for everyone, etc...One girl tweeted out that they werent allowed on the course but LSU mens team was on the course practicing one of the days (dont know if true just saw her statement) which would be awful if true. Feel terrible for Seniors that are looking for one last tournament to end their career like this. 

 

Imagine this happening at a bigger event like March Madness or NCAA Football playoffs. They would find a way to get it in and done and not just send the higher seed on its way. 

[Abh159]

19 minutes ago, blaird said:

This is a bad call for the NCAA for more than just "playing conditions". I know there is a deadline that said Regionals must be done by Wednesday, 5/12. I dont get why that couldnt have extended a day, and they go 36 today. This is one of those rare circumstances where an exception should have been made. 

 

I spoke with a girl down there that Ive known for years and shes saying the same thing being reported. That they could have played at some point, conditions were the same for everyone, etc...One girl tweeted out that they werent allowed on the course but LSU mens team was on the course practicing one of the days (dont know if true just saw her statement) which would be awful if true. Feel terrible for Seniors that are looking for one last tournament to end their career like this. 

 

Imagine this happening at a bigger event like March Madness or NCAA Football playoffs. They would find a way to get it in and done and not just send the higher seed on its way. 

 

This was true. There are several pics / tweets floating around showing the LSU men's team out using the practice facilities while the women weren't allowed out there. To me though, this is separate and has nothing to do with a men vs women thing.

 

It is LSU's course after all so there is no reason the men's golf team should be banned from their own practice facility. The only reason the LSU girl's team couldn't go is because they were part of the field in the regional and had to abide by whatever the tournament committee said.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Abh159

[LeoLeo99]

2 hours ago, Abh159 said:

 

This was true. There are several pics / tweets floating around showing the LSU men's team out using the practice facilities while the women weren't allowed out there. To me though, this is separate and has nothing to do with a men vs women thing.

 

It is LSU's course after all so there is no reason the men's golf team should be banned from their own practice facility. The only reason the LSU girl's team couldn't go is because they were part of the field in the regional and had to abide by whatever the tournament committee said.

 

The point is the course was playable.  If it was neutral territory it would be one thing but to have it at LSU and have them cancel and give a spot to LSU seems sketchy and then the committee was behind locked and guarded doors and wouldn't explain things properly.  The committee needed to give more details about why the course was unplayable for the championship.  If they said the greens to 4,5, 7, 11, and 15 are unputtable due to standing water and the entire fairways on holes 8, 9, and 10 are temporary water and invite the coaches out to inspect then we can disagree with their decision but at least we can understand it.  Now, we don't understand it.  I heard a course in Arizona has offered to host the championship.  

[leezer99]

4 hours ago, LeoLeo99 said:

 

The point is the course was playable.  If it was neutral territory it would be one thing but to have it at LSU and have them cancel and give a spot to LSU seems sketchy and then the committee was behind locked and guarded doors and wouldn't explain things properly.  The committee needed to give more details about why the course was unplayable for the championship.  If they said the greens to 4,5, 7, 11, and 15 are unputtable due to standing water and the entire fairways on holes 8, 9, and 10 are temporary water and invite the coaches out to inspect then we can disagree with their decision but at least we can understand it.  Now, we don't understand it.  I heard a course in Arizona has offered to host the championship.  

TPC Louisiana offered to have them come out and play.

 

[kmay__]

Barstool and Foreplay guys are tryin...

 

https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3364018/breaking-the-ltp-classic-is-a-go-and-a-recap-of-how-we-got-here-letthemplay

 

 

[llamont]

The tournament should’ve went on.  The (human) powers to be at the NCAA made a terrible decision to take this opportunity away from the deserving competitors.  

Edited May 14, 2021 by llamont

[darter79]

2 hours ago, kmay__ said:

Barstool and Foreplay guys are tryin...

 

https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3364018/breaking-the-ltp-classic-is-a-go-and-a-recap-of-how-we-got-here-letthemplay

 

 

They are gonna play but the NCAA championship are set. Either way these women got done wrong.