Week 2 Quiz: Television & The Modern Major Era

Answer each question carefully. Questions 1-4 are multiple choice. Questions 5-7 ask for your own analysis — there is no single correct answer, but your response should demonstrate that you engaged seriously with the material.

1) What was the primary challenge television faced in covering golf in its early years? *

Golf was considered too elitist for a mass television audience

The PGA Tour refused to allow television cameras at tournaments until the 1960s

Golf was played across vast landscapes making it technically difficult to cover with fixed cameras

Early television technology could not capture the speed of a golf ball in flight

2) What made Arnold Palmer particularly well-suited to television coverage compared to most golfers of his era? *

He was the most technically precise golfer of his generation

He was emotionally expressive, attacked courses dramatically, and was visually compelling to watch

He was the first professional golfer to hire a public relations team

He had an agreement with CBS that guaranteed him significant airtime

3) What was the significance of Mark McCormack's management of Arnold Palmer? *

McCormack negotiated Palmer's first television broadcast deal with CBS

McCormack invented the concept of prize money in professional golf

McCormack pioneered the model of athlete-as-brand through commercial endorsements beyond the sport

McCormack founded the PGA Tour's commercial division

4) What does the data on PGA Tour prize money between 1950 and 1980 most directly demonstrate? *

That Jack Nicklaus won more prize money than any other player in history

That television rights fees transformed golf from a modestly compensated profession into a financially significant one

That the Masters was always the highest-paying tournament on the PGA Tour

That prize money growth was primarily driven by increased ticket sales at tournaments

5) Gary Player has said that his success on the American PGA Tour as a South African player "opened a door that could never be closed again." What did he mean by this, and do you think his assessment is accurate? (Short answer, 3-5 sentences) *

6) Jack Nicklaus was initially resented by Palmer's fans despite being an extraordinarily talented golfer. What does this tell us about the relationship between sporting excellence and sporting celebrity? (Short answer, 3-5 sentences) *

7) Television transformed professional golf between 1950 and 1980. Based on the evidence in this week's lessons, was this transformation primarily positive, primarily negative, or genuinely mixed? Construct an argument using specific evidence to support your position. (1 paragraph, 6-8 sentences) (100 to 1,200 characters) *