I am not mad at Tiger for all the infidelities. I am mad at Tiger for lying to me. Even though I never met him, I felt like I knew him as I am sure many people felt. He was on the TV screen, but for me it felt like he was in my home. I greeted him with open arms and loved watching him play the game. Tiger will never understand what he meant to his fans. I don’t think he cares. I still believe that Tiger isn’t regretful for what he did. He doesn’t feel bad for letting us down. He is only concerned about himself. He’s mad that he got caught. He is not remorseful, he’s angry that the media blew this story up. For over a decade, Tiger portrayed himself as the perfect person. He was the talented, hard working, family man that we all fell in love with. But it was all a lie. Tiger wasn’t the perfect human. He made mistakes, even more than anyone could have imagined.
I remember that day on Friday, November 27, 2009 when the golf world changed. I was at a hotel in Appleton Wisconsin. On the TV in the lobby, there was breaking news that Tiger Woods was in a serious car accident and he was in critical condition. The first thing that entered my mind was fear and sadness. Tiger will never understand how much worry his fans had for him that day. All of the bad thoughts entered my mind. Will Tiger be ok? Will Tiger ever play golf again? Will the best golfer I have ever seen be able to continue is historic career? I was worried for his safety and concerned that the best golfer of my generation and maybe of all time would not be able to complete his legacy.
But Tiger had me fooled. He had us all fooled. I wanted the legend; I wanted the perfection; I wanted to see history. Instead, I was disappointed to see Tiger get knocked down. The legacy is gone, the perfection is gone. Tiger will still probably be the best golfer my eyes have ever seen, but it isn’t the same anymore. I still believe that Tiger will beat Jack’s record of 18 majors, but it won’t be the same. The dominance is gone, the intimidation is gone, and the legacy of the perfect sports athlete is gone.
I wish I lived in the days of Jack Nicklaus, a true champion of the game. Jack has that perfect legacy. He was the best player in golf for almost two decades. He was a great competitor and didn’t pout when he lost. He was somebody you could look up to and follow, somebody you could admire. He was somebody you felt good about cheering for. I wish I could have been there to watch him play and be his fan.
I deserve better than Tiger Woods. The world deserves better.
picture from casinocamreport.com
picture from casinocamreport.com
What's difficult today is to have the "perfect" sports hero. Athletes like Tiger, Favre, and A-rod, have all seen their legacies suffer because of one thing, today's media coverage. 30 years ago, athletes had a personal life that the world did not see. Whether it was marital infedility or other off-the-field antics, all the fans saw was their game performance and postgame demeanor. I'm not saying Jack Nicklaus was picking up ladies from the local Denny's or Joe Dimaggio was throwing singles at strippers, but they weren't perfect either.
ReplyDeleteTiger is still the most exciting and dominant golfer to have played the game. That's all I care about. If I want a family man, I'll go watch Bob Saget in Full House. But then again, that's not the real Bob Saget either.
I agree with most of what you are saying, but the difference is that Tiger made his money based on his golf game AND his image. Tiger would say that family matters more than anything in most of his interviews. He was selling everybody a lie. That's what I have a problem with.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't the lifestyle or the fact that he wasn't perfect. It was the fact that he sold the image of him being a perfect person, not a perfect athlete.
We need more athletes like David Wright and Ryan Braun, Steve Stricker and Vijay Singh, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.....well, maybe not him.
Tiger wasn't the one who sold himself as a family man. The problem is that everyone assumed that Tiger was a family man. They didn't want another selfish athlete, they WANTED something more.
ReplyDeleteEvery interview Tiger did focused on one thing, golf. He brushed off current events and race issues. He never was the one to bring up his family. The fist pump is how he celebrated, not rushing over to his family for a hug like Phil.
I'm sure Tiger knew his fans wanted him to be the "family man". Maybe he even got a wife and a child so he could give his fans what they wanted. But when it came down to the 18th green, Tiger was trying to win for one person, Tiger. If anyone ever thought otherwise, they were only lying to themselves
That's not true at all actually. In almost every interview, they would ask Tiger what his plans were for the week off, etc. Tiger would always say that he is spending time with his family or that family comes first.
ReplyDeleteTiger would hug his dad after tournaments, sometimes crying, and always talked about his father and what his family meant to him. Tiger talked more about the importance of family than any other golfer, even Phil.
That's the truth. Tiger isn't stupid. He made the best image he could to sell the most advertisements and make the most money. We believed him, but he is the one who started the "perfect" image.
Well I'm sure you watched more of Tiger than I did, but I guess I never viewed him that way. I never expected that he was doing what he was, but I always knew deep down he was selfish.
ReplyDeleteGolf itself is a family oriented sport. You always see the wives and kids in the ropes on Sundays. Even at home, it is something that is passed down through generations, not something that is usually just learned on the go like basketball or baseball. so perhaps his family image was partly atrributed to the sport itself.
I'm sure a lot of people have things they would like to say to Tiger, mostly stemming from anger, remorse, disgust, or sadness. All I would ask is why the most popular athlete in the world was going after the women he did. Why throw it all away over some average run-of-the-mill Perkins girls and far from classy porn stars? It's like robbing a bank for $20 dollars, not worth the risk.