Having the chance to take a week and step away from the hectic corporate world allowed me to have a lot of time to reflect on the status of the sport I know and love: golf.

As a collective fan-base, we all witnessed quite a few interesting story lines this season regardless of which professional Tour you follow the closest. Whether it be stories about new commissioners, playoff structures, or even pace of play, golf writers and media are constantly focusing on topics that do not necessarily have anything to do with the quality of play by these talented athletes. Sadly, I am no exception to this media group.

Even today many writers have focused on the recent announcement by one Jerry Rice, the NFL Hall-of-Fame receiver who has decided to throw his hat in the professional golf arena. While this topic is certainly newsworthy, are we as a fan-base really interested in the possibility of Rice being a successful competitor in this new professional arena, or are we more focused on the fact that it is just the "next big thing" that can potentially bring excitement to what has been a rather un-exciting golf season?

Another example that definitely hits home for me is the possibility of Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympic games, which will be right around the time golf becomes the newest Olympic event. While there has been a ton of buzz surrounding the benefits and disadvantages of holding the Olympic games in a city like Chicago, many golf enthusiasts are again questioning the possible course options for the world's best to compete in the Chicagoland area. In other words, does Chicagoland have the quality of courses necessary to showcase the first ever Olympic golf competition?

While all of these questions and news stories will be addressed soon enough on their own, I cannot help but wonder when the attention of the golf media will once again focus on the play of the professionals who tee-it-up each week for millions of dollars. While fans are drawn to the uncertainty of potential story outcomes, can we not also focus on the play of professionals who play a game that we all love for a living?