Getty Image / Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire
During the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the PGA Tour mic’d up random fans in the stands. They’ve since compiled the banter into a video and it’s some of the most wholesome and entertaining commentary and chirping they’ve ever shared with fans, and they inadvertently stumbled onto
For years I’ve been banging the drum that the United States needs a TV show like Gogglebox in the UK. For those unfamiliar with Gogglebox, it is a reality TV show where groups of participants are filmed watching whatever the most popular national TV programs that week are. As an example, there will be a pair of young roommates drinking wine, a crotchety elderly couple, newlyweds, etc., all watching the same TV programming and reacting to it.
In theory, it doesn’t sound like it is the most entrancing reality TV show of all time but there’s something about people watching people watching people that makes for the most addicting realty TV possible. And that’s precisely what the PGA Tour stumbled onto when they mic’d up random fans in the stands.
The PGA Tour also posted this video to Reddit using a PGA Tour branded/official Reddit account, which might be the first time I’ve seen that happen. Evidently, Reddit is now encouraging big brands to engage with their platform by posting their own content. Just an interesting observation after years in the Media industry, years where Reddit was completely against self-promotion of content, but those winds have clearly shifted.
For real though, the PGA Tour needs to just bottle this concept up and take it everywhere. Give us regular fans in the stands reacting to the biggest moments on the PGA Tour while they’re mic’d up. I want to hear someone’s PeePaw and MeeMaw losing their minds when Jordan Spieth chips in for eagle after going double-double in the previous two holes. I want to hear some random guy’s wife talking about her love of Adam Scott and how he reacts to that. Give us the tea!