17 OCTOBER, 2022 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: ON MONDAY NIGHT IN PARIS THE 66TH BALLON D'OR CEREMONY TOOK PLACE, THE AWARDS TO RECOGNISE THE BEST FOOTBALLERS ON THE PLANET BROUGHT THE GOOD AND GREAT FROM THE ENTIRE WORLD OF FOOTBALL TOGETHER UNDER ONE ROOF, FOR ONE NIGHT. LEGENDARY FIGURES SUCH AS RONALDO, ZIDANE, FIGO AND SCHEVCHENKO WERE IN ATTENDANCE, TO WITNESS ALONG WITH AN INVITED AUDIENCE AND MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD, THE VERY BEST OF MEN'S AND WOMEN'S FOOTBALL CROWNED FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE 2021-22 SEASON.
the ballon d'or was created in 1956 by France Football, the leading football magazine in France, and UNTIL 1995 THE AWARD WAS LIMITED TO FOOTBALLERS WHO PLAYED AT EUROPEAN CLUBS. SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN A GLOBAL AWARDS FOR ALL FOOTBALLERS FROM EVERY CONTINENT. IN 2010 THE BALLON D'OR WAS MERGED WITH THE FIFA WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR TO CREATE THE FIFA BALLON D'OR, A PARTNERSHIP WHICH LASTED UNTIL 2015.
SINCE 2016 THE EVENT HAS BEEN RUN BY FRANCE FOOTBALL ONCE AGAIN, WITH THE CEREMONY TAKING PLACE IN PARIS. A WOMEN'S BALLON D'OR WAS ADDED IN 2018.
THE FACT THAT THESE AWARDS ARE RUN BY AN ENTIRELY INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION AND VOTED ON BY JOURNALISTS AND INTERNATIONAL CAPTAINS, MEANS IT STAYS AWAY FROM THE INFLUENCE OF UEFA, FIFA, THE PREMIER LEAGUE OR LA LIGA. THE BALLON D'OR IS A CELEBRATION OF FOOTBALL, NOT THE ORGANISATIONS WHICH RUN THE SPORT.
GOLF DOES NOT HAVE ONE, SINGLE AWARD CEREMONY AS IT IS A FRACTURED SPORT WITH MULTIPLE PROFESSIONAL TOURS, AND WITH MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS WHICH ARE RUN BY ADDITIONAL DIFFERENT BODIES AND ORGANISATIONS. THE PGA OF AMERICA AWARD THEIR OWN PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD, AS DOES THE PGA TOUR, EUROPEAN TOUR AND LPGA. GOLF IS A DISJOINTED AND DYSFUNCTIONAL SPORT AT PROFESSIONAL LEVEL, AND ONE WAY OF UNIFYING THE SPORT IS TO CREATE A GLOBAL AWARDS, AND NAME THEM AFTER ONE OF GOLF'S MOST CHARISMATIC, INSPIRATIONAL AND UNIVERSALLY LOVED INDIVIDUALS - SEVE BALLESTEROS.
THE SEVE'S WOULD BE GOLF'S OSCARS. SEVE BALLESTEROS UNITED THE SPORT OF GOLF IN ADMIRATION FOR HIM AS A GOLFER AND A HUMAN BEING. THE SPANIARD WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST GOLFERS OF HIS GENERATION AND OF ALL-TIME, WINNING FIVE MAJORS AND MORE THAN 90 TOURNAMENTS WORLDWIDE. THE FASHION IN WHICH HE PLAYED THE GAME WAS CAPTIVATING TO MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD, AND HE INSPIRED A WHOLE GENERATION OF NEW GOLFERS AROUND THE WORLD.
THE PASSION, THE SHOTMAKING, THE SHORT GAME, THE STYLE, THE SMILE. SEVE WAS UNIQUE. ALL OF THAT WAS ON DISPLAY AT THE 1984 OPEN IN ST ANDREWS, WHEN HE HOLED THE BIRDIE PUTT ON THE 72ND HOLE TO WIN HIS FIRST CLARET JUG AT THE HOME OF GOLF. THE NOW ICONIC PHOTOGRAPH CAPTURED BY DAVID CANNON HAS BEEN SEVE'S LOGO FOR NEARLY 2 DECADES, AND THIS ICONIC SYMBOL COULD BE IMMORTALISED IN THE TROPHY FOR THE SEVE'S.
THE AWARDS WOULD BE INDEPENDENT OF THE MAJOR ORGANISERS AND THE MAJOR PROFESSIONAL TOURS, TO ENSURE NEUTRALITY AND IMPARTIALITY, AND IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE THE AWARDS ONES WITHOUT BIAS TOWARDS THE ESTABLISHMENT. THE CURRENT DIVISIONS IN MENS PROFESSIONAL GOLF, WITH THE ARRIVAL OF LIV GOLF, NEED TO BE HEALED, AND THE PURPOSE OF THESE AWARDS WOULD BE TO RECOGNISE THE BEST GOLFERS, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHICH TOUR THEY PLAY ON.
THE AWARDS WOULD BE MANAGED BY AND BENEFIT THE SEVE BALLESTEROS FOUNDATION, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A MANAGEMENT GROUP SUCH AS IMG. THEY WOULD CREATE THE SEVE BALLESTEROS AWARDS PANEL, MARKET THE EVENT, DISTRIBUTE IT TO BROADCASTERS AND SELL TICKETS.
THE SEVE BALLESTEROS AWARDS PANEL WOULD CONSIST OF MEMBERS OF THE GOLF MEDIA AROUND THE WORLD, WHO WOULD NOMINATE PLAYERS IN EACH CATEGORY. ALL PLAYERS WITH AN OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING OR A ROLEX RANKING WOULD THEN BE HANDED A VOTING FORM TO DETERMINE THE WINNERS OF EVERY CATEGORY.
THE CATEGORIES FOR THE SEVE'S WOULD BE:
MEN'S GOLFER OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S GOLFER OF THE YEAR
MEN'S SHOT OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S SHOT OF THE YEAR
MEN'S BREAKTHROUGH STAR OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S BREAKTHROUGH STAR OF THE YEAR
MEN'S EVENT OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S EVENT OF THE YEAR
MEN'S TOURNAMENT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
MEN'S ROUND OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S ROUND OF THE YEAR
MEN'S AFRICAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S AFRICAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
MEN'S ASIAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S ASIAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
MEN'S NORTH AMERICAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S NORTH AMERICAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
MEN'S AUSTRALASIAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S AUSTRALASIAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
MEN'S EUROPEAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S EUROPEAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
MEN'S SOUTH AMERICAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
WOMEN'S SOUTH AMERICAN GOLFER OF THE YEAR
THE SEVE AWARD FOR COURAGE
THE SEVE AWARD FOR CADDYING
THE SEVE AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY
THE SEVE AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO GOLF DEVELOPMENT
THE SEVE AWARD FOR THE COACH OF THE YEAR
THE SEVE AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
THE SEVE AWARD FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
THE SEVE AWARD FOR JOURNALISM
THE SEVE AWARD FOR AGRONOMY
THE SEVE AWARD FOR BROADCASTING
THE SEVE AWARD FOR THE GOLF DESTINATION OF THE YEAR
THE SEVE AWARD FOR THE GOLF TOUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR
THE SEVE AWARD FOR THE GOLF CLUB MANAGER OF THE YEAR
THE CEREMONY WOULD TAKE PLACE IN ST ANDREWS EVERY YEAR, DURING THE WEEK OF THE ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, AT YOUNGER HALL ON NORTH STREET, THE STREET ON WHICH OLD TOM MORRIS WAS BORN. YOUNGER HALL HOSTED THE 2015 WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME CEREMONY, BOBBY JONES AND JACK NICKLAUS RECEIVED THE FREEDOM OF ST ANDREWS THERE ALSO.
THE AWARDS WOULD BE BASED UPON GOLF PLAYED BETWEEN OCTOBER 1 AND SEPTEMBER 30, JUDGING THE BEST IN EACH CATEGORY OVER A 12-MONTH PERIOD.
THE SEVE'S WOULD BE BROADCAST FREE-TO-AIR ON YOUTUBE, THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE, AND THE BROADCAST PARTNERS OF THE MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS ACROSS THE SPORT.
A MOCKUP OF A POTENTIAL LOGO FOR THE SEVE'S
THE ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHY OF SEVE AT THE 1984 OPEN IMAGE CREDIT DAVID CANNON/GETTY IMAGES
SEVE BALLESTEROS IN THE AUSTEN GALLERY IN THE RUSACKS HOTEL, ST ANDREWS COPYRIGHT JOE AUSTEN
UNIFYING A DIVIDED SPORT AND CELEBRATING ALL THAT MAKES THIS SPORT SO GREAT WOULD BE AT THE CORE OF THE SEVE'S. THE SEVE'S WOULD HONOUR THE BEST IN 37 CATEGORIES AND SHINE A LIGHT ON GREAT MOMENTS AND PEOPLE FROM EACH YEAR, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY PLAY.
SEVE BALLESTEROS PLAYED ALL AROUND THE WORLD, WINNING IN SPAIN, NETHERLANDS, FRANCE, JAPAN, KENYA, SWITZERLAND, ENGLAND, SOUTH AFRICA, ITALY, AUSTRALIA, GERMANY, SWEDEN, USA, IRELAND AND PHILIPPINES. SOME OF HIS GREATEST MOMENTS CAME IN TOURNAMENTS LIKE THE OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS AT CRANS SUR SIERRE IN 1993, OR AT WENTWORTH IN THE WORLD MATCH PLAY, SO ACHIEVEMENTS OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES WOULD BE RECOGNISED AND REWARDED WITH EQUALITY.
THESE AWARDS WOULD BRING THE WHOLE OF THE SPORT TOGETHER INCLUDING PLAYERS, TOURS, GOVERNING BODIES, TOUR OPERATORS, GOLF COURSE MANAGERS, CADDIES AND MEDIA. THESE AWARDS WOULD UNITE GOLF ONCE MORE.
