The ugly scenes at the Ryder Cup, where European players were subjected to slurs and crude insults about their families, were no surprise given the breakdown of public discourse in America, according to a leading sports commentator.
Writing in The Guardian, Bryan Armen Graham said the behaviour of some fans at Bethpage Black in New York was a reflection of Donald Trump's 'all-caps America'. The former president made a fly-in visit on Friday, fist-bumping and posing for photos, with MAGA hats dotted throughout the galleries.
Graham argued that the tournament organisers failed to act decisively when the crowd turned venomous on Saturday. Insults aimed at players' wives, homophobic slurs, and cheap shots at Rory McIlroy's nationality were allowed to continue, with only a handful of spectators ejected.
The PGA of America said it bolstered policing and pushed more frequent spectator etiquette messages on the big screens, but Graham said that once a thousand people have decided a backswing is their cue, you cannot manage it with a graphic and a frown.
Sunday brought a tacit admission that the line had been crossed when the first-tee master of ceremonies, comedian Heather McMahan, stepped down after leading a chant of 'Fuck you Rory!' on Saturday morning. The PGA announced her departure and apology before the singles.
Graham concluded that the behaviour at Bethpage did not invent the tone of American life but reflected an incremental breakdown in public behaviour, from school-board meetings that sound like street rallies to comment sections that have spilled into the street.
