One of the big occurrences over the past weekend was the one on one interview granted by Tiger Woods to ESPN. Over the past few months Woods has been out of the limelight as he and his family have been working through the personal issues that led to a bizarre incident on Nov 27th. He reportedly spent 45 days undergoing intense sexual therapy treatment and as he has said is attempting to live a life of amends.
While I was watching the interview one statement of his stood out. He is nervous about how he is going to be received by the fans at Augusta. He is hoping for a few claps but I imagine he is expecting a mixed reaction. As I was thinking through what the introduction is going to look like for him on the first tee, I started asking myself the question: Why would anyone boo Tiger Woods?
Tiger is unique in that he has sold himself as a brand to make millions of dollars a year (more than 90 million last year). As I was thinking about who should boo Woods, the only person that comes to mind is the parent with a child who looks up to Woods as a role model. As Charles Barkley so famously quipped years ago "I am not a role model". Acutally Chuck, you are. Tiger is too. Whenever you are put in a position where you are paid what you are to be a spokesperson for companies and to lead your own charity, you are a role model, like it or not. You don't have that choice. If a parent wanted to rag on Tiger, I would accept that.
But what about a grown 29 year old man who decides to rip on Tiger for the fun of it? Is this right?
At no point in my adult life have I expected that athletes are above reproach when it comes to their personal lives. What has Tiger done to me over the past 4 months? As far as I am concerned he has taken a 4 month sabbatical from golf. He used to do that frequently, mostly playing in the events that he hand picked for himself. When I watch Tiger Woods golf I am evaluating him as a golfer, whether I like his demeanor, the way he hits the ball, his post put celebrations, his ability to get up and down. I am not evaluating whether he is a good husband or a loyal father. Now, do these things play into whether I like a golfer or not? Probably. But to stand there and openly boo someone because he has failed in an area of his life that does not affect me at all does not give me the right to slag on a guy.
Its funny how naive we can be as fans. We assume that Tiger Woods is the only married athlete who is not faithful. How come it was such a big deal when he got caught when Steve McNair was shot by his girlfriend while his wife and kids were sleeping at home? McNair was honored by teammates and friends alike at his passing for being a warrior when he had many personal issues. Magic Johnson contracted the HIV virus in the late 80's through many escapades on the road while his wife was at home taking care of his kids. Now he is one of the most recognizable ex NBA players and business savant. Michael Jordan's propensity for living it up on the road led to a divorce with his wife of many years yet it is hardly talked about. Baseball players have a long history of infidelity due to the many nights they spend away from their wives during the season. In fact writers have recounted stories about when girlfriends have been mistakenly given seats to games that the wives are at. Athletes infidelity is no secret yet we all act surprised when these stories surface.
So why is the Tiger Woods scandal such a big deal? I have a couple theories...
1. Tiger is a golfer.
Typically we do not think of golfers running mad game on the road during the golf season. I can't imagine golfing groupies waiting on the 18th hole (maybe in Happy Gilmore, but that's about it!). Golfers are typically white family men who come from wealth and have beautiful wives waiting to hug them after big wins. They are not guys who try to keep up with Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley in Vegas. If anything, what caught up to Tiger was that he was accepted as cool. He became too famous and couldn't handle the pressure that came with the spotlight. Tiger did no more immoral acts than many professional athletes, he just didn't have anyone to coach him through how to 'properly' cheat on your wife. Other athletes play the game better and Tiger just happened to be a rookie.
2. Tiger sold himself as untouchable.
He trained harder than Phil Mickelson. He was more mentally tough that David Duval. His "bedside manor" was not endearing to everyone but it didn't matter because he was on top. He was the best golfer most of us had ever seen and he seemed larger than life. When someone embraces that role the fall from grace is typically epic. Hearing Woods talk about his insecurities about whether he will be received well by the Augusta makes you shake your head. This isn't the same guy who can scare grown men into missing putts by just looking at them? Now that Tiger has a flaw everyone is eager to get their shots in.
As a culture we like building people up, but we love watching them fall down even more. Michael Jackson, Bill Clinton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire,...we cheered, watched, were amazed by all these people, but we were equally fascinated when their lives started to unravel. i think the cause of this is that it makes them more human. Before, I thought Woods was a robot who was put on this earth to play golf better than anyone ever had. When he wasn't golfing, he was training for golf and spending time with his family. How could someone with so much fame and money be so focused? We become insecure about whether we could even deal with that type of fame. In fact I've often wondered how I would do in those situations (and many times been thankful that I shoot in the 90's on the course, not low 70's). Failure humanizes the same stars that we have put on a pedestal. Tiger Woods is finding that out right now.
3. Tiger was unbelievably stupid.
The sheer number of women Tiger was reportedly with in the last 3.5 years and the lack of discretion he showed had to catch up with him eventually. Once the number started getting higher and higher people could not believe that someone with so much to lose would act so recklessly. The snowball was rolling down the hill and there was nothing stopping it.
4. Tiger was a reported 'sex addict'
Our culture has a fascination with anything to do with sex. Imagine if Tiger had a cocaine addiction and 16 dealers from across the country came out and reported they sold Woods drugs when he would come to town. I think the story would have still been big but there would have been a lot more public sympathy for someone battling a drug addiction instead of a sex one. I imagine if you took a poll of the American public the majority would not believe that Woods was addicted to sex. Substitute cocaine or alcohol and public sympathy goes way up.
So, do I agree with the way Tiger Woods has conducted his life over the past few years? Of course not. Am I running out to purchase a new Woods brand Nike golf shirt for the summer golf season? Probably not. Do I have the right to boo him because he showed indiscretion in his personal life? Absolutely not. If I bring morals into the equation when I cheer for professional athletes I imagine I'll have to take up a new hobby sooner rather than later.
