I am not a golf fan, but I am a Tiger Woods fan. Yesterday he won the Memorial and it was good to see him in the winner circle again. We all witnessed his fall from grace and we can make no excuses for his unwise choices, but the man did nothing criminal, but the media that once loved him crimialized his bad behavior. The media seemingly took great joy in chronicling his losses over the past 2 years so it was good to hear that he won yesterday, and and that the Tiger magic was back.
We live in the communication age and that is a blessing and a curse. Some people simply communicate too much. Twitter has provided people with a forum that allows them to chronicle all of their idol thoughts. Some thoughts should be kept to yourself. Case in point Jim Carrey recently tweeted about the Tiger Woods scandal “No wife is blind enough to miss that much infidelity. Elin had 2 b a willing participant on the ride 4 whatever reason. kids/lifestyle ;^)” So it’s Elin’s fault that her husband is a serial adulterer. Yes let’s blame the wife she must have known. We don’t know what she knew or when she knew it but it is unfair to try to fault her in this situation. This tweet borders on calling her a gold digger.
On the eve of the Masters Nike has released a new Tiger Woods ad. I admire the fact that Nike stood by their embattled star, but Woods has been a cash cow for the retailer, and we all know money talks. That being said I don’t know if this is the route they should have taken. Tell me what you think.
Today Tiger Woods held a press conference at the Masters. He was sufficiently contrite, but not pathetic. Woods answered questions that ranged from his infidelity to if he had used performance enhancing drugs. He answered questions for almost 35 minutes. Enough already. The guy did some bad things, but he is human. He has suffered for his bad behavior, but hopefully we can move on. I know this is wishful thing because every time another woman claims she was with him the press clamors for more. Woods is the most famous athlete on the planet, but he is definately not the most important story on the planet, but over the past 5 months it has appeared he was.
In February Vanity Fair featured Tiger Woods on the cover, but it was Woods like we had never seen him. It was the menacing muscular scary Tiger Woods who fooled America for so many years so this was for them a big reveal. Vanity Fair is continuing their assault on Woods in the upcoming May issue. Just in time for his Masters comeback. We get the opportunity to hear more tales from the women who claim to have had affairs with the golf superstar, but they go further than that. They take pot shots at his dead father, Earl Woods, and they also tell us how Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan were bad influences on Woods. What is the real point of this article? Is Vanity Fair this desperate for readers? It seems all of these women with their assorted tales have stayed long past their designated 15 minutes of fame, but if there is a microphone or a check with their name on it they are more than willing to share intimate details of their affairs with the superstar, and as long as they are willing to talk Vanity Fair is willing to print and that’s a real shame.
The media finally got what they wanted. Tiger Woods talked to ESPN and the Golf Channel. he admitted his wrongdoings and he is committed to change. Woods said he was living a lie. He was asked why he ever got married, and he responded that he loved his wife. Is this enough? For some but for those that want him to recite all the salacious details they will forever be disappointed. What Woods did was immoral, but not illegal. At this point he has said enough and it is time for him to get back to golf.
Tiger Woods announced today that he will return to golf to play in the masters. Woods said “The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I’m ready to start my season at Augusta. The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it’s been a while since I last played.” This will probably be the most watched golf event ever. The world will be watching and the press will be commenting on more than his swing. Undoubtedly the press will be commenting from today until the tournament starts, but it is time for Woods to get back to work, and hopefully the press will get out of the way and let him do just that.
A few weeks ago PETA released an ad comparing the TLC Duggar family ( they have 19 chilren) with dogs. Over the summer they compared obese women to whales. They also used the image of Mrs. Obama and other celebrities without their permission. There latest ad takes a pot shot at Tiger Woods. What has happened to this organization. The message that you need to spay and neuter your animals is simply getting lost in the controversy. Sure the ads get talked about but is that the goal of the organization? Do they simply want to create buzz or do they really want to help the animals? From where I sit it looks like buzz is the goal.
Tiger Woods had numerous affairs with a myriad of white women. This would be a big story under any circumstances, but would we see this same level of indignation if the women had been black? I was talking to a friend about this today after Tiger Woods made his statement. She said it would be a big story, but what she has noticed is some of the press have tried to legitimize some of his conquests. Rachel Uchitel has landed a TV Job on the show Extra. She might have gotten this job anyway, but her notoriety probably played into the decision. CNN correspondent Lisa Bloom, said that Tiger Woods should also apologize to all of his mistresses. Bloom said “These women may have just been sex objects to him, but they are human beings also hurt by his actions, and also deserving of an apology. Why were they left out? Are they still just playthings in his eyes?” (By the way Lisa bloom is the daughter of Gloria Allred who represents two of the women who are now suing Woods.) This kind of thinking intrigues me. When you knowingly date a married man you know what you are doing is wrong. Woods did not knock these women out, drag them to a cave, and have his way with them they were willing participants. They all knew he was married with children, and they like him simply did not care, but why are we treating these women with kid gloves. Would America be reacting with this level of indignation if their names were Shaquita, Tanisha and Ebony? Would they be characterized as victims or bimbos? I had never wanted to go down this road, but as I watch the media react to the apology, and the anger some have shown it does make one wonder if they want to start calling Tiger Woods “uppity”, and if they do would it be about his need to control or something else.
You would think Tiger Woods had murdered 13 women judging by the level of anger being waged against him. Morning talk was full of pundits who expressed pure indignation at the upcoming Tiger Woods statement. Some have questioned what makes this national news? Two things come to mind: Tiger Woods is a global brand and the news organizations decided this was worthy of the spotlight. So many in the journalistic community are angry that Woods did not consent to a press free-for-all. They feel he should be answering their questions, but what would they ask him and is it really any of their business. Some have said this is the same ole Tiger. They resent that he is trying to control the situation. They believe once his personal life spiraled out of control he should now realize he is just like anyone else, but the reality is he is not. Golf needs Tiger Woods. Television ratings are down as well ticket sales for golfing tournaments. Tiger Woods is a money maker and the golf world need him to come back and make it rain. This is almost a perfunctory apology. It is a necessary evil that must happen for Tiger to proceed. Some have said that his wife will not be with him. Well that’s his business. He has to continue to repair his marriage and frankly that is none of our business, but this statement is also about business, the business of golf and without Woods business is suffering. So when Woods comes back he will know how OJ felt. He will not be welcome where he was once welcome, but if he wins tournaments he can find comfort on his way to the bank.
