NewsWire: 11/21/2020
- Eleven of the top 15 golfers in the world are American, and of those 11, seven are under age 30. This marks a big change from previous years: From 2000 to 2019, the average number of top-ranked American golfers under 30 was just two. (FiveThirtyEight)
- NH: Golf is not a favorite Millennial sport. It falls into the category of outdoor activities--like boating, hunting, and fishing--that Boomers fell in love with, Xers moved away from, and most Millennials don't just connect with. What do they all have in common? They require lots of leisure time, expensive equipment, years of experience and "lore," and a love for the wilderness or at least "the great outdoors" For Millennials, these activities demand too much time and money. (See “America Goes Fishing” and "The Outdoors Isn't Looking So Great.")
- But while fewer Millennials might be playing golf overall--those who do are increasingly likely to take it very seriously. Like soccer and hockey (See “Is Hockey Becoming Too Expensive for the Next Generation?”), golf is one of those club sports that a select few parents have been training their kids to play since they could walk. These kids spend every waking hour practicing, traveling, and competing. Their parents are trying to mimic the model of training that Gen-Xers like Tiger Woods experienced.
- Now, many of these kids are in their 20s and 30s. And unlike Tiger Woods, who was sort of a one-off wunderkind, this rising generation is starting to dominate the ranks of golf's top 30.
- Jordon Spieth, a 27-year-old on the PGA Tour, hit his first golf ball when he was 4 and won his first US Junior Amateur Championship at 16. His father Shawn sometimes serves as his caddy in competition. Like so many of his champion peers, he never knew a time when everyone around him wasn't gently coaching him to cultivate such quintessentially Millennial traits as deep technical skills, an unceasing routine, a deep reservoir of patience, and a sunny disposition.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Influencing Goes Virtual. In July, Instagram influencer and model Lil Miquela debuted a music video for her new single to her 2.8 million followers. She’s not wearing a mask or social distancing—but it doesn’t matter, because she’s not real. Lil Miquela is a digital avatar created by Brud, a secretive Los Angeles-based startup that specializes in creating “virtual influencers.” These creations have been recruited to hawk everything from Prada to Balmain to League of Legends—and demand for them has grown in recent months, since they’re not subject to any of the pandemic-era restrictions that flesh-and-blood spokespeople are. And that isn’t the only benefit. Virtual influencers don’t age, don’t need to take breaks, and never complain. It’s estimated that there are currently about 125 active virtual influencers; more than 50 of them debuted on social media in the 18 months prior to June 2020. Being fictional, apparently, hasn’t made them any less relatable.
