Will a tainted Tiger return to golf toothless?
The daily revelations about Tiger Woods' personal life have been like gold dust for media outlets around the world, the salacious speculation proving too sensational for any reader to be without reaction or thirst to find out more. From disgust and disbelief to sympathy and support, as details of the golfer's misdeeds continue to unravel it is hard not to have an opinion on the transgressions of the tarnished Tiger.
However, a more pertinent opinion for golf fans might be how the events of the last few weeks will affect the performance, and ultimately the legacy, of a player who from the start of his illustrious career has been tipped to become the greatest golfer to ever grace the game.
Such status would not be confirmed by conjecture, but hard statistics. The 33-year-old American, since claiming his first Major in 1997, has racked up an amazing 14 titles, winning in a manner that has drawn countless new fans to the game.
His current standing is just four short of the overall record of 18 Major tournament victories set by Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus retired in 2005 aged 65 - the potential for Tiger, whose career is in its infancy by comparison, to not only match Nicklaus but to surpass the great man's mark, is there for all to see.
Tiger's ascension to greatness was widely assumed a foregone conclusion, but given the ferocious nature of the current media storm, who is to say what kind of player will emerge back onto the greens?
Sure, Woods has shown his unrivaled caliber for competing under pressure before, but now the intensity of the media glare on the greens is matched in the realm of his private life too. Extreme focus and mental strength will be required for such scrutiny to not affect the man, let alone the player putting for prizes in front of an audience of millions.
The pre and post-round interviews, so long a stroll-in-the-park for the media-savvy Woods, now look a daunting prospect; a minefield of loaded questions primed to further damage his already battle-scarred image. Will Woods be able to keep a clear mind while playing in the knowledge that competition means more questions?
How will the crowd react? Will Woods ever be able to play on a golf course again without distracting comments from the galleries that surround his place of work? If his performance dips on the course how many of the brands associated with him will want to weather his off-course problems?
How Woods manages his comeback will be fascinating to watch, but only time will tell whether the world's best golfer has hampered his own bid to become the greatest ever, in a more emphatic way than any of his golfing rivals could have delivered.
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since when did one's ability have anything to do with their sexual apetite. I continue to be amazed at the double standards that are emualted in the country. We hail pron stars and support the biggest industry in the world. Actors and Actresses treat marriage like causal dates and the list of imorality goes on. Tiger never professed to be a hero, or any one's model. you are the ones who put him on the pedistil. Word of advise, the persons we look to for guidance and moral values are our parents..their are the ones with the responsibility
I think he is going to be fine and more focused the other golfer are the ones who need to worry. Meaning if Tiger stays out for a long while the purse will drop like a rollercoaster since there is not another golfer who command the same attention.
A focused Tiger will only break Jacks Record sooner we will all witness that and the same media will be back on his side but I hope he does not give them a moment of his time.
Sponsors who drop him now are stupid the man will come back he is young, strong and has the determination of a real Tiger-so I believe he will get his family in line first and I believe he will never allow this to happen again-then the TOUR he will simply lead the pack!
I personally am very tired of hearing about Tiger Woods' sexual escapades. It's none of our business.
WE ARE A HYPOCRITE SOCIETY. ALMOST ALL MEN IN THAT POSITION LIKE TIGER, LIVE THAT TYPE THE LIFE . THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT HE GOT CUT. NOTHING MORE. WE ARE POINTING FINGERS AT OURSELVES
Tiger remains a hero. The media has to leave the family in peace.
We humans are all sinners and have no right to pick up the first stone.
Love is the answer; Tiger and his family need our love and affection.
He has done a lot, even for kids at his academy.
Tiger please do not worry. We your fans are on your side, we will always admire you and allow you not be perfect like God, but imperfect like a human being.
God favours the brave, keep standing Hero, we will pray for you and your family. We will not allow them to destroy you and your family.
Garam Masala
Millions of dollar + Super athlete + travel = cheating. I'm not sure why everyone is so surprised. The only reason why other golfers will be upset with Tiger is because now, their wifes will start looking at them. If Tiger was a basketball star, this wouldn't be a big deal because it happens all the time in that sport. Golfers have been good guy for years but at the end of the day... their just men. I'm pretty sure plenty of Tigers' fellow golf mates knew what he was doing, even the guy who introduced him. I wonder how many professional golfer made phone calls to there side girls right after they heard what happen to Tiger. Also, I think yes he will loss some fan, but I think he will gain more. Bill cheated and people loved him anyway. The same thing will happen to Tiger. He will go on to be great and we will forget about his wife. He will go to become the greated golfer of all time and she will go down as the biggest mooch of all time. I think most would prefer Tigers spot. In conclusion, I think after all is said, at the end of the day, Tiger earned his man card.
He has been my hero since he was in college. Forget it now. I will be forever disappointed if his wife takes him back and if he is held in high esteem again. Let him play golf but don't let him make any money off the course play. He's such another far from developed little boy in a man's body.
He may not have claimed to be a hero or a role model but that was the image he presented to the public, went to great lengths to protect (paying off witnesses to his "transgressions" for example), and clearly benefited from enormously. If he had never gotten married and lived the life of a famous bachelor no one would have faulted him for it and many would have probably admired his prowess, but that wasn't enough, he wanted to have his cake and eat it too. In his public life he was Tiger the family man pro golfer, attracting huge sponsorship deals and becoming the wealthiest athlete in the world, in private though he was still Tiger the playboy. He deceived his family, he deceived his sponsors and he deceived his fans, and he did it all for his own greed. Of course no laws were broken here, but fans have a right to be angry, his wife has a right to leave him if she chooses, and sponsors have a right to drop him if they don't feel he's representing them in the way they desire.
I have followed with intense interest as the story of Tiger Woods continues to unfold.
The reactions of people initially were of support, pity and surprise though they did not approve his action. However as the list continued to increase, people started to show shock and disgust with many calling for his wife to send him to the dry cleaner while other were calling him names. Yes, this is expected as he has been held in high esteem.
All these did not surprise me as I know the society is only responding to what they are given. Oprah, I know you are a smart and intelligent woman and would not just join the masses being single minded. How come no one is having a go at these women (ladies) who deliberately decide to go to bed with well known and confirmed married men? Why don’t they refuse sex and seek someone who is single? Why are they not ashamed to show their faces on the news as low level prostituting female on about seeking to lure and sleep with married men? Why is the society not questioning their dignity, morals and pride? No one seems to point out that all married men and families are in danger as long as there are women (ladies) like these out there?
AMEN Natalie!!!!
Look, Tiger Woods deserves sympathy from those of us who know the scriptures where it says' that by strength shall no man prevail' in other words, even though he answers the name TIGER, he is bound to fall without the grace and strength of the LORD.
The media is always the problem! They exploit the famous from the President down to a child. The media provides the "hype" in order to sell a story and to make the ratings. If you are a human being, you will make mistakes in life–it's apart of life. I am not supporting what Tiger or anyone else who is accused of cheating. But, this is a situation that should be a family matter between the Woods and not the media.
My thought is this, everyone has done something in their life that they may have had regrets about or even hurt someone (i.e., emotionally, spirtually, or maybe physically). But, do you go around publicizing that-No! You deal with it and then move on. The media should stay out of people's personal lives. The media puts so much energy, time, and manpower to reporting and exploiting the negative events of people's personal lives, that they should focus that same attention on things that mean something. For example, when a child or an adult is abducted, how much time and manpower do they spend on that–surely not as much compared to exploiting the negative events. They air more crime events than pursuing trying to locate a child or an adult who is missing. I wonder why??? Go figure–it is not important to them about saving a life, instead they focus on destroying a life or situation.
I agree with Natalie, Tiger Woods has had to overcome great obstacles in his rise to be number one golfer in the world and I rank him up there with Obama (even though I would normally vote Republican if I were an American). I have travelled a lot and believe that well over 50% of men have cheated on their wives at some time in their marriages. We all have weaknesses, but I also believe that when I go to St Andrews next year for the first time, I will see Tiger Woods doing well at his chosen profession.
I think that most people saw Tiger as almost super human. His talents as a golfer are obvious, but he always handled himself with such class while in the public eye and has been a terrific ambassador for the game. Many within the golf circles may have seen a different side of Tiger, but the public never got a glimpse of it. Like a lot of people, I'm a bit disappointed, but still say he's a hell of a golfer.
As for the "transgression" or as it now appears many transgressions, that's between Tiger and his wife and should be left there in my opinion.
Considering the fact that so much of the game of golf is played between the ears, I would be surprised if this does not affect his game for the short-term at least.
People love to bash celebrities. Lets remember that they have a ton more temptations directed their way on a daily basis than you or I do. This in turn, gives them far more opportunities to slip up and slip up very publicly. I'm not condoning Tiger's behavior, I'm simply saying that I understand how easily that it can happen.
"He, who is without sin, should cast the first stone".
Tiger, has made his mistakes, he should learn from it and run from it.
It will be great if he does not allow this to affect his career in any form. His mental strength and focus is now under scrutiny. Most people, definately, will take advantage of this and serve as distraction to him.
Importantly, I hope that his wife does not allow this to come between them and stand by him. Their love is now under a test. I hope it stands the test and become stronger.
Nike did a commercial once that included old family video of tiger and his father. In the 30 second spot tiger"s father narrates and I will share the the core of his words "tiger you will never meet anyone as mentally tough as you, and he never has and he never will" those words he will never forget. He will come back stronger than ever, because that's who he is and thats what he does.
I could not agree more with you Nathalie. Well said. Tiger never claimed to be the perfect father ( although he is a rookie on that one) and certainly not the rolemodel husband. The kill relationship between Tiger and Elin clearly showed at the 2009 president cup. Where Elin and Tiger never had a physical connection. I mean walking hand in hand or even eye contact. If my assumption is true even though married it was not a marriage anymore or even for long time. Besides I believe Woods never was tought moral values in his childhood days since he was 24/7 busy with the game.
I guess Earl died to early. He could not teach anything on the game to Tiger but he certainly had a long way teaching him lessons of live.
I wish to see Tiger and his Wife with their childeren soon back in the picture.
Well said!!!
I totally agree with you Natalie. I am not supporting in any way what tiger did and I totally feel it for his wife and kids. What annoys me however is to see these women coming out and confessing because they want money and popularity. Tell me now how much better are they, than women who go to a night club, dance and have sex for money.
What is worse is that some of them might even have kids of there own but really don't care about any ramifications at all.
The press is the others that I find disgusting and I am only using disgusting because I cannot find a word to express how I feel about them. Why don't they all bring all the dirty things they've done to the public’s eyes. I mean If I could punish Tiger I would do it myself but the press is taking this too far, some shows even coming over in the name of calling "wrong by its name" when we really know that they are discussing Tiger because they want a big audience. What about his wife what about his kids.
On one side I would want tell Tiger to go to Hell, on the other side I want to think that he is human. But in all of this I really don't feel so much for him like I feel for his family. And I say it is time we blood suckers and parasites call wrong wrong if we really mean it, and not because we want to get into people's business for the sole purpose of making money and not care about who we hurt
It is not hard at all to not have an opinion on this matter. He did the same thing that, unfortunately, is very common these days. Yes, I understand (but don't like) that because he is a celebrity, it's a "big deal" to some people. The only thing I have an opinion about in this entire ordeal is that I find the fact that people DO make a big deal out of it to be silly.
The good news for Tiger is, regardless of the outcome, regardless of whether his wife dumps him or keeps him (either would be understandable), even if it takes a couple of years to completely regain focus, the entire incident will eventually blow over and be all but forgotten. He can then proceed to win golf tournaments.
Confucius always said man who lives in glass house should not throw rocks , leave the man alone ........... I have not met any saints lately , have you ??? at least he likes good looking women .
leave the man alone ..................
What you can,t get at home,you get elswhere...The old tale of married couples.Stay sharp Tiger,you will need it.
Thank you Natalie, you took the words out of my mouth. As a society, we need to stop looking up to these people for morals and ethics. They are simply athletic inspirations, the line should be drawn there. We all wish they would be all around good role models, but that's rarely (perhaps never) the case. The parents need to teach children their values.
You're right Natalie.
Shame to American media for the obvious character assassintion
of a talented man like Tiger Woods. Civilized Europeans are aghast
to witness such a horrible crime.
Tiger is "The Tiger", and forever will be.
A bit disappointed, at the press really. You make Tiger sound as Vilian. You lifted him up and you try at least to bring him down. I tend to think all the mud slinging is all about hitting back on his aura of invincibility that has been demonstrated on the course over the years.
OK,
Enough is enough already. Just as we appreciate our privacy, it is time or ALL of us to leave Mr. and Mrs. Woods alone and allow them to sort out the mess they have.
Tiger, no matter what I am behind you. You have made a terrible mistake, but otherwise you are a good person. Time will heal all wounds.
Let tiger be. Go man. Let not one tiny mistake push you to hell-hole. Move on man....u r the greatest...patoo, kenya.
We are all humans, besids there is a room for mistakes for
us to learn from. I did not see any wrong Mr. Woods has done
that warrant him to be curicify. LET WHO HAS NOT DONE IT B/4 FIRST
CAST THE STONE.
Tiger has always been compared to the great golfers of the past )ie; Nicklaus, Palmer etc) both in their capabilies on the golf course but, also, in how they handle their personal life. Tiger will and has accomplished more on the golf course but up until now, he ranked right up there with the golf greats in his personal life. Now, he may be compared with the golf greats for his golf only. As well, as he returns to golf, he will have a tough time mentally as he know that the other golfers, press, and fans will see him in a different light. And, even though they may or may not say anything, he will know that they are thinking about his personal tradegy and how he treated his wife, his mother, his mother-in-law and father-in-law and his relatives. It will be extremely tough on him as he enters the "sign-in" room upon his return to the golf world. And, because of this, he might have a difficult time on handling the mental part of golf.
I wish Tiger's "transgressions" never came to public media, but it did, and now we know; and from that knowledge, I know that I don't share same personal values, and he makes poor judgements in his personal life. I wish I didn't know that, but I do now. His record in golf history will not go away, he has earned that., and he deserves full credit for his achievements. As for endorsements, I, for one, have never made purchase decisions bacause of a celebrity endorsement. So, as far as I'm concerned, his sponsors can save their money, and just promote their products on their own merits. If, as most of the commentators above stated, Tiger should be judged strictly as an athletic inspiration, then why the huge endorsements from Gillette, gatorade, Tag, etc? Just simply knowing about his personal life, we can't help but react. Next time I see a Tiger endorsement/commercial, I will not be able to help but feel sad and embarrassed for him. So yes, leave the man to sort out his personal life in private, but for his sake, don't put his face or name on products that will have people snicker or laugh, or pity him.
No one on earth has the right to judge anyone!! We have all made mistakes in our lives, even worst than he has!! He was born to fulfill his purpose and he has undoubtedly done that through Golf. And lastely, he does not owe anyone an apology or an explanation but only to his family.
If more than half of the general public has a negative image of Tiger Woods, how marketable will he be in the future, regardless of the number of golf tournaments he wins? I know members of the Nordergren family must be devastated- I do not understand how some can categorise his infidelities simply as 'mistakes'. The real Tiger Woods is nothing like the marketers have led us to believe he is. Morally, he is one of the weakest famous faces in the US right now.
People You are missing the point on Tiger Woods.
In my opinion why would any sponsor support Tiger Woods now?
No Intergrity, no credebility, If he can cheat and lie to the mother of his children for his own ends, and selfishness, why would the public believe that he endorses products because he believes in them.
In my opinion he has been shown as a narcissist who will do and say whatever it takes including lying to the mother of his children to get what he wants. That includes lying to the other women too about his marriage?
If he can lie to the mother of his children to get what he wants, why would he not lie to the public as well and endorse products he maybe really doesn't believe in.
If I was a sponsor I would drop him like a hot potato.
The Women are just as bad in my opinion, and so is his his wife if she stays with him, poor judgement and standards for their two young children.
Kick him to the kerb!
Why would any sponsor support him? Because he is still the best golfer in the world. Also, what athlete really endorses a product because they beleive in it? They do it because they get paid. If sponsors drop him now at his lowest it will be a stupid move. Tiger is young and early in his career. He will go on to be great and the brands can not look past that. They drop him and the compition will pick him up. This will be forgotten in a year or two and it will be another case of a nieve wife of an athlete thinking their million dollar husband isnt fooling around.
Who will i support now if eldrick and phil are walking down the 18th tied on the final day at augusta......Mmmmmm......
To those who critize Tiger: ask yourself if you were as famous as Tiger, as rich as Tiger, as young and admired by women as Tiger, would you behave more decently, more morally, or shall I say, timidly before those attractive women, some of them are gold diggers?
To Tiger Woods: You better first sort out your marriage wisely and smoothly. If you cannot once for all cut off addicting to sexy women, then you better free yourself from the yoke of marriage and be fair to yourself as well as to your wife and family. Secondly, no more random sex without protection for yourself: protection against AIDS, and protection against so many "gold diggers" out there. Lastly, come back to competitions ASAP, to prove that you are the invincible Tiger Woods, the one and only one that the more the pressure, the better you can become.
Peter Huang from NZ
"toothless" may be more to the point than anyone realizes, since it is rumored that his wife launched his own cell phone at him and knocked a front tooth out just before he turned and skedaddled out the door, just prior to her teeing off on his expensive Caddy.
We need so bad to be entertained, so we build up these icons, and the minute they show us, they are just people just like us, we want to nail them to the cross! Hell, Bill Clinton was the President of the United States, and he's still getting paid to speak all over the world! Americans need to step back and take a long hard look at ourselves! It's doesnt matter if it's one women or a thousand. Sin is sin, and WE ARE ALL GULITY OF IT!!!!!
I agree with you Natalie. Tiger is an athlete not a politician or a cleric.
Only Americans who are victims of their own media hype start seeing things that are not there and were never there. What is a role model anyway ? Your parents should fill that role and not sportsmen that are manipulated by the media
Not so fast there, cowboy. There is a process at work here, and we have yet to see it through to its conclusion.
Yes, Tiger will quit the game for a bit and be tested in this calamitous fire of his own making. If he-the-player survives, then perhaps he will make a Return to the Game in a year or two and, when he begins once again rack up win after win, we will witness the birth of not only a true champion, but an enduring Legend.
Tiger's role in life is to be a Hero; through the tests that he is now compelled to endure, he may thus transformed from the "naive, duplicitous" boy indulging his ego and emerge to help rescue America from the terrible Fate that it continues to court – that of an overfed, shameless and violent Banana Republic. Indeed, with a bit of luck, Tiger can find salvation and return home – truly home – to help lift us up and out of the morass and confirm himself as The Greatest Sports Legend of All Time...
...or Tiger the icon will die and the work of reinvigorating a nation and a people will be left to other heroes. Regardless, there now is no turning back, for the gates of the fairytale that was Windermere have slammed shut. For now, only the Fire of his own choosing awaits the man Tiger woods.
For all you Tiger apologists, you can't compare Tiger to someone who made a single mistake and then write it off saying "we all make a mistake here and there". Tiger lived a lie and deserves public examination and scorn. If there were a way for him to continue that lifestyle he would still be at it. His "sorrow" and "shame" is over the fact that he will no longer recieve the universal adulation and admiration he had heaped on him - day in and day out. If he breaks Jacks' record at some point – and I now doubt he will - it will be a hollow achievement. Tiger brought multiudes of non-golfers to the game. People who didn't know a birdy from a bunker tuned in when he played. They admired his dedication and genuinely liked him. While they didn't ask to "peek behind the curtain", the curtain has been violently flung back and they are revulsed by what they see. The golf junkee will continue to follow Tiger – just like before - but the rest of us are sickened by what we now know and will never root for him again.
To claim we cant judge another, is not only the most disgusting example of moral relativism, it also fails to grasp the facts. Humans judge based on accepted norms, be that laws or moral norms. Thats why we have a criminal justice system, thats why we have a civil law system. People who break obligations, defined often as laws, be that criminal or civil, are judged and punished accordingly. Tiger did just that. he broke several obligations: to his wife (a legal obligation based on a contract of marriage), to his sponsors (on obligation based on trust which carries heavy finacial costs to those he lied to, and in turn causes real costs to peiople who have a stake in those companies). He also broke a public trust.
On the most basic level, the moral relativism here is disgusting. If we accept the fact that we cant judge others then just throw what we call ethics into the garbage. Then we will have a beautiful world full of chaos, disorder, where nobody will be obligated to anyone. Beautiful? And to argue that those who have sinned can't judge, I respond: HOGWASH. The judge need NOT be clean, he need be impartial and base his judgement on firm ethical, legal, moral grounds which are either codified in law or accepted by society. We call these basic truths: CHEATING ON YOUR WIFE AND LYING is basically accepted to be a pretty scummy thing to do. I dont care if the justicies on the Supreme Court are all clean as snow. They could all be scumbags for all I care, but they need to be objective, impartial and base their decisions fairly on the letter of the law.
When you rise to greatness in sport you take on the automatic responsibility of becoming a "role-model". Its not a job...there are no applications to be such...you just are. You also continue with the knowledge that you are not living in the private world you once were and that while yes, you are still human, you are living under the microscope of the media and adoring fans all over the world. Therefore, nothing is going to be private. It comes with the territory and Tiger knew that. Yes, its unfortunate but its not something anyone created for him. It was his decisions that catapulted the events of the last few weeks to where they are now. It's going to take some pretty incredible mental and emotional strength for him to get through this while maintaining the level of play we are acustom to seeing from him.
To those who critize Tiger: ask yourself if you were as famous as Tiger, as rich as Tiger, as young and admired by women as Tiger, would you behave more decently, more morally, or shall I say, timidly before those attractive women, some of them are gold diggers?
To Tiger Woods: You better first sort out your marriage wisely and smoothly. come back to competitions ASAP, to prove that you are the invincible Tiger Woods, the one and only one that the more the pressure, the better you can become.
Tiger is Tiger and unless you play golf , you cannot understand his skills. He will be back I am sure and the golfing world needs him.
It's one of the greatest disappointments in the sport history, what Tiger has done. Millions of kids around the world have kept Tiger as idol, hero and their mentor. It's almost unforgiving the arrogance and disrespect he has shown.
Father Earl told once that Tiger is toughest of them all, but I don't believe that Tiger has balls to tell honestly in TV what he has done.
If Tiger would be humble and honest and tell absolutely everything most of the world would forgive he and I would say the father was right when he told that Tiger is the toughest of them all. Unfortunately I don’t believe this will happen and stories will never die out. There will come out new stories out of woodwork. Unfortunately I believe that Tiger is finished, and he will never play tournament golf, but he can blame only himself for this misery. It too hard to fall from the top of the world.
To put this in perspective, look at the Michael Vick case. Tiger's failings in his personal life are not to be condoned, but they are human failings! Michael Vick's torture and killing of dogs were cruel and inhuman acts that nobody with a conscience could possibly understand or excuse. Yet he got off with a slap on the wrist and the media and fans were eager to give him another chance; the last I heard no Eagles fans have even booed or protested his appearance on the field. Tiger needs to put some of his legendary focus on getting his life together, then get back to work on the golf course!
Someone suggested that sponsors should stop their contracts with tiger due to morality . May i suggest that they go ahead and sponsor some pastor or holy men.
So wat tiger cheated he did not cheat the media he did not cheat anyone HE only cheated himself by not telling the truth. He never wanted to be famous people made him famous he does not owe anyone an apology he owes to HIs maker .He did not cheat when he played golf so wat the HELL people are shouting about .There is a famous saying that my own father used to say'IF YOU HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO TALK ABOUT ANYONE DONT TALK' then this planet will be a better place to be in. As a human being everyone is entitle to a mistake but not a repeated one.Just note that the Tiger will come back with a vengence to shut the media and those that judge him.
in life few things contain more misery than marital problems and divorce .For those folk in the media who have written what they have about TIger Woods much of of it unsubstantiated I am sure , will one day enter the zone of misery and will think back about their actions .if indeed Tiger and Elin divorce THINK of their misery and sadness , only GOD will know the impact on the kids .Who amongst us has helped thousands of disadvantaged children as Tiger Woods has done .Dear oh dear I am 70 and my wife 65 and we had a real good barney today , who cares ? Give the Woods family a break !!!
You guys just leave Tiger to get his marital issues in check, all of us are sinners and some who have posted comments like they are saints from 9th street in heaven are worse off. Of course he messed but that is his own private life. if he wants to get back to Golf, he'll get back if he doesn't well and good life will move on, though most us will miss him on the course.
Go Tiger, go! You are the best golfer, and your personal life is your own.Go win some tournaments and everybody will shut up.