Here we are a full week later, with Tiger Woods himself back in rehab, and his public apology remains a fairly common topic on sports-talk radio. It has also reshaped sports talk radio in one major U.S. market for at least another week.While the Tiger topic sounds like overkill to some, it's obvious fodder for sports talk -- because people cleary care -- and sports talk radio exists not so much to inform as to evoke response, thereby driving listeners and and ratings. At least in theory.
Numbers from ESPN last week prove people have an interest. During ESPN's live telecast of the statement, it averaged a 1.4 rating -- three times the audience in the timeslot the day before and higher than some live sporting events the network airs. Likewise, ESPN2's audience was 48 percent higher than the day before and ESPNEWS attracted four times its normal number of viewers.
Online -- ESPNRadio.com recorded its largest concurrent streaming audience for a single event in its 10-year history (85,000 listeners) -- and in mobile applications, ESPN's other numbers were similarly huge. And those are just the result for ESPN. Other cable channels and networks enjoyed a similar boost.
So, Tiger clearly ranks a topic people care about. Even a week later.
Also, talking Tiger at least partially led to Tony Kornheiser's suspension from "Pardon the Interruption." Without Tiger last week, it's not likely Kornheiser would've been watching ESPN midday -- and thereby not watching Hannah Storm at work. Nor would he have been commenting about her clothing selections on that day.
He was doing both, though, and his critique of Storm's attire was ruled ESPN-on-ESPN crime by officials at the all-sports network, who removed him from his TV gig for two weeks starting earlier this week. He remains on radio on Washington, D.C., though. And the suspension does seem a little overboard.