Can NCAA Golf Become as Popular as Other College Sports?
NCAA golf is here again, but can it become as popular as other college sports?
The college golf season is upon us, and it’s shaping up to be an exciting time. When we last saw NCAA golf in action, the Oregon Ducks defeated the Texas Longhorns in dramatic fashion with a match-winning putt to take the national championship.
In its rich athletic history, Oregon had never won a golf championship until this past June. So, with the Golf Channel exposure of the highly dramatic NCAA golf championships, can golf compete with other big-time college sports?
It’ll certainly never reach the level of college football and basketball. But baseball, for example, has grown immensely over the years, especially with the popularity of the College World Series.
Golf can definitely catch up to baseball, as the college game boasts something that we very rarely see at the pro level: the team aspect. As I mentioned in my Ryder Cup piece from yesterday, we, as sports fans, love team play.
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Furthermore, for a sport that is mostly known for its individuality, it would be refreshing for fans to get to see team play on a regular basis. This is what you get with the college game.
Furthermore, the athletes bring the spirit of collegiate athletics to the golf course. As we know, college and pro sports are on two totally different planets.
The PGA Tour is a war of individuals, and there’s not as much emotion shown unless it’s from the winner of the tournament. With college golf, all of the players come together and are passionate about the same goal of winning an NCAA title.
Sure, the pros have the Ryder Cup, and I absolutely love and adore it as one of the best sporting events in the world. However, it only comes around every other year, and at the end of the day, a lot of players are still more focused on the majors.
College golfers don’t have majors to aim for. They aim for that trophy, which stands for team achievement rather than individual success.
Plus, the love of college sports lasts a lifetime, and that includes golf. Many of us still root for our schools long after we graduate.
My alma mater, the Illinois Media School, didn’t have sports, but I still always love hearing about successful grads of the college. I also grew up as a Northwestern Wildcat fan, so I always root for them as well.
Even though I went to a school that didn’t have sports, I am still passionate about my alma mater. This is the kind of impact that institutions of higher education leave on us, which is great for college golf.
Alumni will cheer on any of their teams because they know, at the end of the day, it’s still their former institution of study. They aren’t going to dislike their team because of the sport that is being played.
This powerful attachment is what will help boost college golf’s popularity, especially with the help of Golf Channel’s coverage of the championships.
So yes, I think college golf can at least get up there with the likes of baseball. Consistently strong television coverage will help in this regard. Also, if the tournaments are as fun as they have been lately, it will get the boost it deserves.
So break out those pennants and golf balls with school logos, because it’s time for another fun season of college golf. If we can have as dramatic a finish as we saw at last year’s championship, then we’re in for a treat.
What do you think: will NCAA golf gain any popularity this year? Let us know in the comments, and keep it here at Pro Golf Now for more college golf updates.
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