91Èȱ¬

First poster! Yay! Just wanted to say congrats to Nadal! Well deserved!

Also wanted to say sorry to roomie JL (you know why!)

Funny how so many tennis players have won this award in recent years (or at least Nadal and Federer)

Zinedine Zidane a lifetime achievement award for doing things with a football in almost every game he played that the rest of us would struggle to manage just once. Either that or it was for his stellar efforts in helping to bring the World Cup to the region in 2022.

He was professional and paid to be ambassador of Qatar. England had Prince William, David Beckham and David Cameron. Much bigger line-up than Qatar. What about Russians? Just come over it. We Brits always find it difficult to accept reality. Focus on Football and think about winning those two World Cups that will be a better way to demonstrate your anger/joy.

Interesting blog! I do have one issue - in the caption beneath the photo of Nadal and Spacey, you refer to the sport they are playing as 'ping pong'. As a former North Yorkshire Under 16 'Table Tennis' champion, I would appreciate the correct notation. Together, Matt, we can eradicate the prejudice that still exists today in regards to the definition and understanding of this beautiful sport. Thank you.

Not a bad gig! Must beat being sat in the High Court waiting to see what's going to happen to Portsmouth FC.

Must admit, that although I knew about the awards, I didn't know much about the Foundation behind them. Sounds like a noble idea, hope it can continue to spread its magic

Sorry Matt (not your fault) but why are the 91Èȱ¬ sending you to this when spending on grass roots services such as 606 are about to be cut.

91Èȱ¬ I don't care about the Superbowl or Laureus awards.

It was Graeme McDowell who won the US open. Martin Kaymer won the PGA championship.

Come on man, get it right man... Graeme McDowell is the current US OPEN champion, not Martin Kaymer!!!

Oh, and by the way, here's a list of Graeme's achievement's in 2010

Celtic Manor Wales Open - June 2010

US OPEN Pebble Beach - June 2010 (The 1st European winner in 40 years)

RYDER Cup - Oct 2010 (Held his nerve to hole the winning putt, when all other's around him were losing their's, Kaymer and Westwood included!!)

Andalucía Valderrama Masters - Nov 2010

Chevron World Challenge - Dec 2010 (Beat Tiger Woods in a playoff, holing 2 massive putts, the 1st on the 18th to reach the playoff knowing Tiger had a tap in himself and the 2nd at the 1st extra hole, a 30foot putt across the green that swung at least 5feet left to right to leave Tiger shell shocked as he tentatively missed his 12foot putt straight up the green)

GRAEME 'GMAC' MCDOWELL, probably the best golfer in the world right now!!!!

Not surprised that Morgan Freeman knew nothing about the rules of rugby; the game is governed by laws.

Would be better if the 91Èȱ¬ saved money for more useful matters rather than sending someone to the Middle East who knows nothing about sport it would seem.

Would like to see a justification of this from 91Èȱ¬ but won't hold my breath OR was it paid for by the organisers ?
We should be told.

sending you to this when spending on grass roots services such as 606 are about to be cut.

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Yes sending someone to do some journalism at a sporting event is wrong, while keeping a blog which is used by kids to wind each other up is very important.

10 - I totally agree. What is the justification for sending someone there? Especially when you seem to have nothing to say whatsoever from a sporting context - it seems you spent the time being star struck! Not interested in spending my license fee money on this Matt, but I don't get a choice.

11 - the 606 argument is redundant - there is no need to swap one from the other. Get rid of both and spend money on good sports journalism, none of which is present in this article I'm afraid.

Matt, sorry but it does come accross like was a total waste of money and that you know next to nothing about sport!

4 - again I agree. It's called table tennis, not ping pong. It's a real sport! Argh!!!

Hate to get picky but it is actually the PGA championship and not the USPGA. The PGA championship is organised by the body which represents professional golfers in the USA. This includes club professionals as well as the tour pro's. You may be confusing this with the USGA which is the governing body for golf in the USA. The USGA organise the US open and not the PGA championship.

"Kelly won a third Laureus award in the 'Action Sportsperson of the Year' section"

Odd title for an award. Is there any sport that doesn't involve action?

Matt,
How does the 91Èȱ¬ justify the expense of your trip and socialising, all the better to litter the golfing content of your article with factual inaccuracies, when they say you can't afford 606?
A clear sign your (91Èȱ¬'s) priorities are upside down.

Re the Ping Pong/Table Tennis argument:

Surely, as the word of Boris Johnson is indisputable, its Wiff Waff?

Matt,
Would you inform your crack golf staff that Martin Laird finished 3rd at yesterday's conclusion of the Phoenix Open. Terrific achievement and surely worthy of at least a footnote on your Golf page? Where will people get their Golf coverage when 606 disappears?

VAMOS - there are some people out there who are not WUM's and do use the forum constructively to highlight sporting issues and news that the 91Èȱ¬ forgets in their Premier league and F1 obsession.

Monkeyphoenix we agree to disagree and I would like some quality journalism on a wide range of sports that we can comment on freely.

Dear 91Èȱ¬,

It's a disgrace, how dare you report on an organisation that use the celebrity of international sporting heroes to raise money for the disadvantaged children of the world. Like my fellow readers above, I am disgusted.

By reporting events like this you are simply promoting their agenda for good - I am appalled. Surely it is clear from comments above that we are for more concerned with the antics of our modestly paid footballers as they endeavour to inflate the egos of their international sugar daddies and save up for a new supercar - that's what's important after all.

Anyone who suggests our indignation is born out jealousy as we stand on the chilly terraces of England rather than attend an internationally important sports based event could not be further from the truth!

Hurrumph

They call it Laureus Sports Award, but I have hardly ever seen a cricketer being feted with individual awards at this global stage. Last I remember is the Team of the Year award given to Steve Waugh's Australian cricket team.

I would like to know is there any specific bias towards cricket.

#19: Chris Doggart,
Good point, but the 91Èȱ¬ is inconsistent. They have comprehensively failed to acknowledge the Phoenix Open, one of the most charitable events on the PGA Tour, despite the success of (91Èȱ¬ Blogger) Martin Laird in finishing 3rd.
The only place on the 91Èȱ¬ website where this coverage exists is 606. Is Golf to be excluded entirely from 91Èȱ¬ sports coverage when 606 is killed off?

sorry Mclaren MP4 you arecompletely and absolutely wrong. Keymer won ( as Matt stated) the USPGA title.

Mc Dowell the US open. there is of course the European BMW PGA tournament but it is not a major. In fact many countries have a PGA tournament none of which are official european tour events so to say Keymer won the PGA title is not correct , you need to differentiate it from all the other PGA tournaments by saying USPGA.

I actually saw you at it, I was a few feet away in the photographers' box. Not particularly overwhelmed by the whole thing either. The intentions are good but somehow it felt lacking in class. Bigger and more gold does not equal better.

I agree with the posts on the 91Èȱ¬ spending choices. What is the 91Èȱ¬ going to do about the accuracy of sports reporting when 606 goes? I've lost count of the number of basic factual errors made by the "tennis" journalists whose lack of knowledge betrays a lack of interest.

Chris Doggart while the objectives and activities of this foundation ARE worthy.

I'm not sure they're worthy of this coverage when numerous UK sports charities are crying out for this sort of attention from the 91Èȱ¬ as they lose funding and grants.

Hate to be pedantic, but for the purposes of clarification, Martin Kaymer won the "Annual Championship of The Professional Golfer's Association of AMERICA".... Nowhere is it known as the USPGA, so let's be clear about that.
Congatulations to Nadal by the way, well deserved.... And who cares whether it's called Wiff-Waff, Ping-Pong or whatever... It's not a real sport!!

Have to agree with Comment No 4. Table tennis is not called ping pong. It annoys me when people call it ping pong as it would be like a sky sports commentator calling football soccer.

Forget the naysayers and their griping. As the best journalist on the site, I am glad you got this gig. Hope you had a good time.

Especially as your next gig is probably Russians interested in Portsmouth.

Re: #27 bigal

Nowhere is it known "Annual Championship of The Professional Golfer's Association of AMERICA." It's PGA Championship or USPGA to differntiate between other events called 'the PGA.'

Interesting read....just wondering though, are there no African sportsmen worth at least a mention?

Matt,
The comments about 606 were in the context of 91Èȱ¬ golf coverage. Fact is that 606 golf board visits certainly do not reflect that it's "increasingly unpopular".
Perhaps it would be if Golf received decent coverage on the rest of the site but it doesn't.
Meanwhile, even with substantially fewer links from 91Èȱ¬ golf page articles, 606 golf comments are increasing, not reducing.
Your inaccuracies regarding golf were taken as symptomatic of the disdain with which 91Èȱ¬ On-Line treats golf, no more and no less.
Hopefully you'll be able to influence an improvement?

Re 30 golfpro14
If you don't believe me that it's known as "The Annual Championship of the Professional Golfers Association of America", then perhaps you should check the wording on the front of the Wannamaker Trophy.... That'll be the big tin pot presented to the winner of what everyone else WRONGLY refers to as the USPGA.

Why not post links to all the good stuff you got there Matt? I have to say I share the general finger down throat attitude to celebrity award do's and charity work. As for the 606 messageboards, I thought the football ones were an embarrassment to the 91Èȱ¬ and it's right they close. I'm surprised you say they were expensive though, can I ask how much?

Matt,

It seems that most people who are critical of the sports site just want accurate journalism - some of your colleagues lack attention to detail. 606 contributors frequently pointed out basic factual errors.

We know that the 91Èȱ¬ needs to make cuts. I don't understand why it doesn't start by sacking Clarkson and the many other very highly paid people with precious little talent (Moyles etc.). Watching the gleeful 91Èȱ¬ coverage of the Gray/Keys affair was a little cringeworthy for the hypocrisy on display. Clarkson makes that pair look like apprentices in the art of being offensive.

I think the word you were searching for is NO!

Re: #34 bigal

I believe that is the inscription on the Wannamaker Trophy, but what I meant was nobody calls it the "The Annual Championship of the Professional Golfers Association of America" - except you, obviously - they call it the PGA Championship or USPGA. You're also right that it isn't called the USPGA, it's just what people call it to differentiate between other events of the same name. It's the same story with the Open - Americans call it the British Open as they call the US Open the 'Open.' They are wrong to call it that, but you know what they mean.

Matt

I fail to see how making a mistake for decades or more makes it acceptable to continue doing so. Would you call the Open Championship the British Open.

Would you agree golf is essentially very easy to cover for a general audience. There are two main tours who have an event almost every week. So that is two stories a week that an organisation like the 91Èȱ¬ could report accurately. The PGA tour, although not British is very much part of the UK golf scene. Due to the prime time viewing of PGA tour events on sky many players in the UK will watch more PGA tour golf than Euro tour golf. There are also many UK players who play on the PGA tour.

Why did the 91Èȱ¬ report so heavily on the most recent ashes if you follow your logic. It was a sporting event about a sport many in the UK play in a foreign land. Does that sound similar to the PGA tour? Hence you would have thought a mention of your owns bloggers success in such an event may have warranted an opinion.

You do know you could solve your problem very easily?


Just pop Kwiniaskagolfers weekly article up on the main page.

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