Rugby YES, Golf NO

The International Olympic Commitee has recognized the need to give more exposure to the props, locks and wings of the world. They have added rugby to the 2016 and 2020 Olympic games.

Good on ya!

Rugby, while a big sport around the world, has suffered from immense under-exposure in Canada. It's considered a niche sport but anyone who has played the game, understands that it is quite possibly the quintessential 'team sport.' No helmets or padding (okay, extremely limited for some players), cauliflower ear, broken everything, it's all part of playing rugby.

Hopefully, the exposure the sport will gain will help generate more interest and, in the end, more funding for the national programs.

But at the same time as making a wonderful decision to let rugby in, the IOC has also decided to give more exposure to the hundreds of men and women who make thousands and millions of dollars playing golf on the PGA and LPGA tours.

Oh who am I trying to fool, they just want to get Tiger Woods into the Olympics!

For the love of...okay cue the rant...

The professional golf season runs for about 51 weeks of the year. By the time it ends, the next season is only a fairway (or trip to Hawaii) away. The golf audience is then subjected to 51 weeks of "how is Tiger doing? Did you see Tiger's shot? What spot is Tiger in?" On and on it goes.

I love watching Tiger Woods. He's a phenomenal player...the best in history (sorry Jack and Jack's fans)...but I don't need to see him in the Olympics.

The same goes for all the other professional golfers on tour. Will a professional golfer really see an Olympic gold medal as a pinnacle of their career? I bet dollars to doughnuts that they'd give up five gold medals for one green jacket.

Maybe the IOC will deem that the only players that will be eligible will be, GASP, amateurs. Somehow I doubt it.

We've seen Jordan, Gretzky and Federer in the Olympics...I'm sure Woods is next.

So in 2016 when you see Tiger strolling the course wearing his Nike gear, his Rolex watch, sipping Gatorade and counting the millions he's made just from endorsements...make some time to cheer on those Canadian men and women on the rugby pitch who need to return all of Tiger's Gatorade bottles, just to make ends meet.

And if you need just one reason to watch some rugby during the Olympics...



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