Michael Bamberger, A Name You’ll Remember
So it wasn’t a home viewer in this case.
The updated Associated Press wire states that it was Sports Illustrated reporter Michael Bamberger who informed tour officials about Michelle’s Saturday round drop.
Johnston was bothered that Bamberger, who was at the seventh green when Wie took the drop, waited a day before raising it with tour officials. Had she been notified Saturday before signing her card, she would not have been disqualified.
Bamberger said he paced it off after Wie, playing in the final group Saturday, finished the hole.
“I did it in crude way — ‘Let’s see what she has to say.’ I was hopeful she could convince me,” in the Saturday interview, Bamberger said. “I thought about it more and was just uncomfortable that I knew something. Integrity is at the heart of the game. I don’t think she cheated. I think she was just hasty.”
Asked why he didn’t bring it up before the third round ended, Bamberger said, “That didn’t occur to me. I was still in my reporter’s mode. I wanted to talk to her first.”
Now there’s the ethical dilemma for you: Do you withhold information from your interviewee to get your story knowing that doing so could potentially disqualify your interviewee?
Wie accepted the decision: Rules are rules. She’s a class act.
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October 17th, 2005 at 6:24 am
Bamberger knew Wie would end up with a DQ if his “suspicion” was correct. I think he he purposely waited to ruin her debut as a pro. Why wait until AFTER she signed her card?
I don’t understand how you can have a sport where the outcome can be changed more than 24 hours after the fact. She was under the microscope during the entire tournament…why didn’t anyone else question the drop? I think this hurts the tour more than it hurt Wie.
October 17th, 2005 at 10:12 am
Bamberger knew exactly what he was doing. I don’t belief his story at all. If you see the mistake, report it directly to the officials. I still belief that envolvement of the public (question the rules) is not a good thing for the golf sport. These pro’s have the absolute respect for the sport and the integrity of it. Michelle is the person who can lift the LPGA to bigger and better things (they all see it but don’t want to accept it YET).
Absolutely right this will hurt the tour more than it will hurt Michelle Wie.
October 17th, 2005 at 10:22 am
I agree with FBL. Bamberger set Wie up - probably for his own good. Furthermore, many years ago (more than I can remember) the PGA stopped the practice of outsiders (on the course and off) advising the Tour Officials. So why does the LPGA Tour Official(s) listen to a spectator or writer. It wasn’t right then and isn’t right now. Like Wie - I bet Stadler never thought that towel was cheating - AND neither did his caddie. It is really dumb to think that Craig Johnston would intentionly let Wie cheat - geez he just got the best bag on the tour - why throw it away!
October 17th, 2005 at 11:35 am
You know, I think that on July 16, Anika might have taken an illegal drop and … Seriously folks, the LPGA should be embarrassed to let anyone play the next round without any expectation of victory. Get reasonable folks! No protests should be allowed once the next round begins. I am not concerned that Michelle can’t get past this ruling but the ruling should never have happened after tee-off time on Sunday. If it was her caddie’s responsibility then he should be dismissed since he is a seasoned vet.
October 17th, 2005 at 2:15 pm
Bamberger’s action is clearly unprofessional. He should have reported his “suspicion” to the Tour officials on the day it happened. There was no reason for him to question the incident a day after. Michelle would not have been disquailfied. Anyone would not have withhold such important information. His intention is definitely suspicious.
October 18th, 2005 at 3:54 am
I agree with LC, except for the “no reason” part. Do you think anyone had ever HEARD of Michael Bamberger before now? No, and he knew it. This was a perfect opportunity to steal the limelight from Michelle Wie and shine it on himself, and at the same time use his position as a reporter on the “inside” of professional sports to ruin the biggest event that the LPGA has seen in a long time. This is an excellent example of a reporter manufacturing news instead of reporting it, and we know that bad news and controversy garners a lot more attention than good news. Had Bamberger not generated this controversy, he would have been forced to write just another “feel good” story about Michelle Wies first pro tournament, like everyone else wanted to, and his name and words would have been lost in the crowd.
October 18th, 2005 at 2:47 pm
Anyone notice that SI is running a story on their website “The Inside Story about Michell Wei’s DQ”…..
Now say again that Bamberger and SI had no hidden agendas???……..
Is SI now NI?
October 18th, 2005 at 3:52 pm
Since when do spectators become officials. Michael is an idiot and BJ Wie only encouraged Michael’s action because he was protecting his daughter’s image. Everybody knows Michael is an idiot but as a celebrity you must protect your image and take one for the team. Michelle had no intention of cheating and neither did the millions that watched her debut. To say Michael wants his 15 minutes of fame is an understatement…what better time is it to have your name put on the map than Michelle’s debut. If Michael wanted to maintain the integrity of the game he should’ve brought it Michelle’s attention before she finished the round. Once the card is signed any actions performed prior to that should be rendered inadmiscible…unless something is under investigation…and if it is underinvestigation a solution other than a DQ could be generated. Who waits 24 hrs. On the bright side though, I am happy that you did not win the tournament Michelle because that would have made Michael look like a bigger idiot.
October 19th, 2005 at 2:54 am
i urge all S.I. subscribers to boycott their subscriptions. bamberger is a disgrace to all journalists. if s.i. wants to support him, the public should show their distaste with their cancelling their subscriptions and demanding that bamberger be fired.
October 19th, 2005 at 7:58 am
Kenny, I totally agree with you and all the others who have written in. What happened to Wie is wrong. What a terrible precedent the tournament officials have set in allowing spectators to change outcomes after the fact even if it’s a bad call. Every other sport accepts “human errors” in refereeing–if all the official participants (players and officials) missed the call and Wie had no mal-intent, why should she be punished? What a disgrace that Michael Bamberger is to his profession. Why should she pay for his mistake in not reporting something he believed to be an infraction sooner? Where is his punishment for lack of judgment? Shame on SI for using this opportunity for a scoop and being supportive of a cowardly and perhaps unethical reporter!
October 19th, 2005 at 11:32 am
Well said Laura. For anyone who believes Bamberger’s account of being in his “reporter’s mode” for not notifying officials earlier - well - I think he may also have a bridge to sell you along with the obscure books he’s written. For damaging the game he says he loves then hiding behind his press badge, I believe the only honorable thing for this “senior writer” to do is to DQ himself from golf reporting and resign from his position at SI. But since he will probably never do this, I’m in agreement with Kenny that SI should be reprimanded for their complicity by having subscribers vote with their wallets. Maybe Nike and Sony can also quietly move some of their advertising dollars elsewhere. I’d like to see if they can take the heat as gracefully as MW did following her bogus DQ.
October 19th, 2005 at 6:57 pm
I’m not sure Bamberger had malicious intent, but I disagree with his definition of integrity. My own conscience would have told me that I relinquished all right to report the incident once the scorecard was signed. It would NOT have let me bring up the matter a day later, because the difference in timing would mean a loss of over $50K and a crushed, humiliated 16-year-old girl. To me, that is far less ‘integrous’ than letting a clear yet unintentional rule violation slide. And it would be MY fault, because I couldn’t make up my mind to report on Day 1.
Either way, Michelle Wie just made a new fan with the classy way she handled this hard-as-a-brick lesson. I wish her the best and am looking forward to following her upcoming and no doubt fantastic pro career.
October 20th, 2005 at 6:11 am
It is hard to imagine that the LPGA allows a reporter to interject himself into the deciding whether a player is DQ’d . His explanation is a crock, completely full o f himself and his own lack of self importance. But, the LPGA is mostly to blame for allowing this hack to change their own rules for a spectator and a day after the event.
I wish Michelle good fortune in the future and hope she has learned an important lesson. (Never trust the so-called free press.)
October 21st, 2005 at 4:33 am
Its very hard to imagine that Bramberger has no personal agenda.
He admitted pacing the distance immedately after Michelle has taken that shot at the 4th hole. And he did absolutely nothing for the next 11 holes.
Shame on you, Bramberger.
October 21st, 2005 at 7:29 am
Bramberger is obviously a pathetic..reporter..not even a real one at that (i dont see him reporting for time or newsweek).
A real reporter would have gotten to wie..stopped her from signing her scorecard and immediately contacted a rules official..how hard is that?? Wie probably would have thanked him for this saving grace..and given him an even better interview.
Now hes only a well known wanna be reporter…that everyone thinks is a looser.
October 21st, 2005 at 2:25 pm
well guys, bamberger is quoted as aying he did it because he wants to keep golf honest, we should now scrutinise mr bamberger for every expense claim, tax return, traffic offense, jaywalking and any misdeameanor he may cause or commit, in the interests of keeping the world honest …and report him at every occassion,
October 22nd, 2005 at 2:21 pm
I know that it’s been a while since the incident, but I’ve finally had some time to read a bit about it. I think that Michael Bamberger is a typically dispicable journalist. By his own words, his assignment from SI was to write about Wie in her first professional appearance. A disqualification is a LOT bigger story, and thus more profitable than covering a 4th place finish. I think, though, that he may be disappointed by the long term effect of his call. He will most likely be longer remembered as the man who turned in the youngest player on the LPGA for an unintended violation, than as a sports writer. Kinda like the “dirty little coward who shot Mr Howard and killed poor Jesse James.”
October 22nd, 2005 at 6:46 pm
You can get back at Sports Illustrated by canceling your subscription if you have one, or any of the Time Warner subsidiaries. Notice you haven’t seen any criticisms from CNN, another Time Warner Company. You can let them know how you feel about Bamberger’s and his boss’s actions. You can also cancel your subscription to AOL, another Time Warner company, and replace it with another vendor like your local telephone company’s DSL service. Don’t let them go unscathed by this travesty. Vote with your pocketbook.
October 22nd, 2005 at 7:16 pm
Rather than remembering Michael Bamberger as the asterisk on Michelle Wie’s debutante tournament DQ, I think I’ll remember him as the Hamburglar. Yes, I seem to see in my mind’s eye a picture of him forever skulking in the bushes dressed in black and white horizontal stripes, a badly cut domino, red bandana and all the verve and panache of Alfred E. Neuman.
“Who steals my purse steals travelled trash, but he who filches from me my good name steals that which enriches him not and makes me poor indeed.” — Wm. Shakespeare (from memory, sorry in advance for any bad drops.)