On the American sports calendar, this past weekend would be on the short list for the best Saturday-Sunday couch time of the year.
The college football schedule glittered like a display case at Tiffany and the NFL is the most consistently captivating sports enterprise in the world, as the annual television ratings demonstrate with 72 of the 100 most-watched TV shows last year bearing the league’s famous shield.
At the same time, the MLB regular season was concluding with playoff brackets hanging in the balance.
Add to that the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, the most eagerly anticipated event in golf outside of Augusta, Georgia, and a question comes to mind.
What if the Ryder Cup was played at a different time of year, at least in the United States, to get away from football’s smothering shadow?
… maybe it’s time to at least consider moving the Ryder Cup … more people would probably immerse themselves in it were they not busy tweaking their fantasy football lineups or tailgating with their fraternity brothers from two decades ago.
What if it slipped into a spot two weeks before the Open Championship in July, giving people who aren’t on vacation at the beach more to watch than a Royals-Twins game?
Or some other time when the viewing attention would fall squarely on the Ryder Cup, creating three days of binge-watching golf.
No Josh Allen to worry about siphoning away viewers. No wondering if Taylor Swift is at the Kansas City Chiefs game. No channel jumping during commercials in whatever SEC games are on the television platter.
This isn’t to suggest a date change is coming but given the change-is-in-the-air vibe around the PGA Tour, maybe it’s time to at least consider moving the Ryder Cup on the golf calendar if only because it’s so entertaining that more people would probably immerse themselves in it were they not busy tweaking their fantasy football lineups or tailgating with their fraternity brothers from two decades ago.
Admittedly, the idea flies in the face of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” axiom. The Ryder Cup is immense and, because it only happens every two years and is steeped in backstories and uncomfortable moments, it’s brilliant theater.
Everything from the on-site buildout to the inclusion of entertainment A-listers last week demonstrated the continuing elevation of the Ryder Cup, so the suggestion that it should consider finding another date on the calendar rings like another hot take on a call-in radio show.
It’s just a thought. Something to think about between football games now.
Ron Green Jr.
E-MAIL RON
Clockwise from top left:
2025 Ryder Cup fans
Scott Taetsch, PGA of America
Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Brice Pollock
Chris Gardner, Getty Images
Fenway Park
Jared Vincent, Flickr/wiki commons
Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jordan Davis
Kyle Ross, Icon Sportswire via Getty Images