2016 Olympics: Why Golf Will Be a Terrible New Sport for Summer Games

Golf is going to be a part of the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics.

I'm so excited I can barely contain myself.

Now, you probably can't tell I'm being sarcastic because you're not hearing me actually speak these words.

But, I think golf is the most terrible idea for a sport for the Olympics.

About a week ago, I wrote a story that talked about why tennis didn't deserve to be in the Olympics, and I caught a lot of flack, which I can understand.

This week, I've cooled down a little on that (after a little convincing) and have moved onto golf.

Here are three reasons why I think golf is terrible for the Olympics.

Possibly More Representation for the U.S.

If golf was going to be in the 2012 Olympics, the U.S. would have eight men's golfers representing them, while most other countries would have two, with England being the only exception with three.

According to the proposal by the International Golf Federation to the International Olympic Committee, the field would be chosen as follows:

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A field of 60 players for each of the men's and women's competitions, utilizing the Official World Golf Rankings as a method of determining eligibility. The top 15 world-ranked players would be eligible, regardless of the number of players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players would be eligible based on world ranking, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15.

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With this holding up, we would see a field comprised of a lot of Americans, creating an unfair advantage for them to bring home one, two or all three medals.

And, of course, it could be more come 2016 if the U.S. has more players inside the top 15.

Is that really an equal playing field, which is something that makes the Olympics great?

The Field Will Look the Same

One week golfers from around the world will be participating in a PGA or LPGA tournament, while the next week will see many of the same golfers playing in the Olympics.

How exciting is it really going to be to watch Tiger Woods tee off on the 18th hole in the Olympics?

While some will watch it because they're golf addicts, I'm predicting that it will be one of the least-watched Olympic sports because there's no newness there.

The same rivalries will be present, but the only difference is, there won't be as many Americans participating.

Same Format as Majors

Every time there's a golf tournament (except for the Ryder Cup and Pro-Ams), the same format applies.

There are 72 holes, with a tie-breaker if two people are tied atop the leaderboard at the end.

The only difference here is that there will be a tie-breaker for the top three places to determine medals.

Where's the excitement in that?

If I wanted to see a 72-hole tournament, I'll tune into The Open Championship, U.S. Open or The Masters.

I don't want to tune into the Olympics and watch the same format where they compete for a gold medal, instead of a trophy and a check.

My hope is that golf dies from the Olympic schedule after 2020, unless they can make some major changes to the format.