The recent passing of George Foreman brought an outpouring of praise and affection. All deserved.
Big George was, in many ways, smaller than his heart. The kind words, even the public gushing, were expected and appropriate, especially considering that he was the one in a million who turned his personality around from teenage thug and bully to savvy businessman and humanitarian.
Foreman’s departure forces us to ponder something else. Let’s call it the addiction of rivalry and the power of three. With Foreman gone, it warrants a longer look, at how competition in individual sports can create huge fan bases and almost cosmic devotion. And how rare that is.
Foreman boxed in a time of Muhammad Ali and George Frazier. They were joined at the hip by greatness and public passion. Others fought successfully in the ‘60s, '70s and '80s, roughly the same era as Foreman, Ali and Frazier. But when two of these three stepped into a boxing ring, the world stood still. Not just the boxing world or the sports world. The world. It was international news.
Read more:George Foreman, boxing legend who fought Muhammad Ali in the 'Rumble in the Jungle,' dies
It was like that in golf in a similar era. Arnold Palmer charged down the fairways of the world surrounded by an army of semi-unhinged followers. They would follow Arnie to the ends of the earth, and sometimes his go-for-it-at-all-costs approach brought them close. Then along came a younger and arguably better player in Jack Nicklaus. He won a lot, hit more sensible shots, occasionally swung for some singles and doubles instead of the fences. That attracted a different kind of fan, and lots of them. Never quite Arnie’s Army, but close.
While this was going on, a magnificent little ball-striker, Gary Player, showed up from South Africa and made it a threesome. With this trio, the dry, predictable pro golf world became must-see.
They were the Big Three: Palmer, Nicklaus and Player. Their nicknames upped the hype and made them impossible to ignore. Television soon discovered that and turned up the volume. When The King was charging down a fairway with his army in tow, the Golden Bear was matching him birdie for birdie a few holes behind, and the Black Knight kept hitting his irons inside five feet, nobody thought golf was boring.
When it was over, Palmer had won 62 PGA Tour titles and seven majors, Nicklaus 73 titles and a record 18 majors, and Player 24 Tour titles (22 more on the senior tour) and nine majors.
Palmer died at 87, Nicklaus is 85 and Player 89. They were the ...
