Tiger Woods: what is the big deal?
Friday's breathless analysis of Tiger Woods' admission of infidelity, in a televised press conference, left many of us wanting less, not more. (I was stuck in the car and mostly listening to NPR's BBC broadcast; in truth, I have a tiny impression that Brits and other non-Americans do not make the big moosh out of sex that we do).
Much of the hoopla, of course, is that human tendency to not only tear down but stomp around on someone who has erred -- especially when that someone is one of the celluloid/YouTube gods of our own making. Woods, an amazing athelete, the first black/Thai role model etc etc etc, fits the bill. Mr. Perfect had to get the stuffing knocked out of him.
But in the big scheme of things, borrowing from our Dante here, Tiger Woods' sins are small fry; Dante reserved Circle 2 for lust and Circle 9 for true badasses: traitors, betrayers (and he wasn't talking about guys who cheated on their wives).
Woods made some catastrophic mistakes, marriage-wise. What happens in that department is between him and his spouse. As for the rest of us, a little perspective --- and distance --- is always a good thing. Woods has done his public mea culpea; now, let his story play out minus the major hysteria, please.
Comments
I agree that the media made too big a deal of this. I really got a laugh from the Kravitz/Borshoff "analysis" in the Star. In my mind, the event was all about rebuilding the Tiger Woods brand and getting sponsorship dollars flowing in again. He could have left it alone and dealt with it privately.
I think some of the fascination with the revelation that TG is a complete wanker is that his wankerness was unknown to most of us. Most fined golfer on the PGA tour for his profane outbursts and club throwing? Bad behavior toward fans? I had no idea.
The serial philandering is only the juicy reveal of a more complete picture of him as a consummate athlete and crummy person.
Tom, I missed the fines and swearing. Are you sue about that?
The cursing and club throwing had been becoming an issue for Tiger long before the whole sex "scandal" broke out. Frankly, last year more than a few golf writers had commented that Tiger was blowing his stack during tournaments and winning them less. Can't help but wonder if his off the course activities were affecting his focus on the course.
The moralistic hand-wringing by his peers and sportswriters would be more amusing if it weren't so hypocritical. Anyone who works any sports beat damn well knows who is doing what when the cameras aren't rolling. When I worked at Emmis LONG before the Pacers' issues became daily chat room fodder, any number of the sports guys would privately talk about how much the players liked to smoke out and sleep with groupies. My guess is that Tiger's womanizing was well known by his peers, but they shut their yaps because their own paychecks were boosted anytime Tiger showed up on course to throw a club or curse at a loud fan.
an athlete was unfaithful? i'm shocked -- SHOCKED, i tell you! not by the unfaithfulness, but by the low caliber of women he associated with. he could've afforded the finest, most discreet callgirls. the fact that he chose the cheaper thrills (and played on their emotions) tells me that, deep inside himself, he probably wanted to be caught.
anyone who idolizes an athlete for anything more than his/her skill is likely to be gravely disappointed, especially in our jock-worshipping culture. when high school jocks already have a sense that they can get by with almost anything (and CAN, unless things have changed greatly for the better since my high school days), why is anyone ever surprised by their misdeeds?
'scuse me -- gotta go watch the olympics now . . .
Yay Ellen!
Nothing to see here. Move along. Much ado about nothing, save a small man with a big ego who lets his weiner drive him. Loads of those around. Lots of chuckholes these days. Any in your neighborhood? Go Colts.
Thanks Ruth.
p.s. the problem with media is that you have to filter it. Otherwise, you get sucked into their vortex and have to listen to the endless gawking crap that's out there. Like Facebook. Oops.
Tiger=Facebook. What a great comparison. Seriously.
Nothing to see here at ALL. Move right along. Allow family to grieve and heal in private. Patronize athlete's endorsed products as you choose, or not. No biggie.
Still, much empathy here for Elin, Tiger's mom, and kids.
"a small man with a big ego who lets his weiner drive him."
This gave me an image of the Wiener Mobile running wild.
Tom,
Maybe he could become their spokesperson!
Lets hope Peyton has learned a few things from this whole Tiger circus. I'll just leave it at that...
Todd,
See my previous comment about what sports reporters talk about when they are in private.
Great golfer; puke of a person.
As someone who has loved and played the game more than 40 years, I soured on Tiger sometime around 2003 for his on-the-course antics.
They say that golf is one of those games that has a way of revealing all flaws of character. I kinda believe that going back to my days as a caddy at The Evansville Country Club and seeing how locally famous guys were on the course and how they were portrayed in The Evansville Press or Courier.
Tiger's flaws were fairly evident early on and it was telling that he really has no close friends on the PGA Tour (he and Mark O'Meara were tight at one time, but as Tiger's star rose and O'Meara's fell, that relationship frayed). The thing that bugged me most was in 1999 when Tiger's drive landed behind a boulder. He declared the boulder a loose impediment under the rules of golf and had ab out a dozen of his gallery denizens roll it out of the way.
That's when I began having doubts about him, of course, they were stoked in a 1997 or 1996 profile that appeared in Esquire, which really laid him out.
All that said, Tiger surely deserves credit for all the good his foundation has brought about.
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You're probably right. My guess is Tiger will ease back into the real world. Baby steps.
This "press availsbility" had the appearance of a news event, but it was staged theatre. No self-respecting journalist would've attended. He did his mea culpa.
His addiction is tragic. I have a friend similarly afflicted...he's lost everything, three times. I had no idea this addiction existed until my college bud told me about it, 20 years ago. The "cure" involves intense introspection, over long periods of time. Sometimes drugs. Often more therapy.
My friend reports the only true fix was a powerful drug that basically stopped all sex impulses. So, pharma-imposed chastity.
My one-time experience with this, via a good friend, tells me Tiger is in for along road. That will probably have stumbles.
It's a very harrowing downward spiral. Then again, my friend didn't have Tiger's resources, he didn't have to live it out on a public stage, and it is 20 years later. Maybe treatment has improved. For the Woods family's sake, let's hope so.