I will weigh in on the Tiger Woods issue once, and only once.
On November 25, 2009,the greatest golfer of the past decade, and perhaps in the history of the game, was reported to have crashed his black Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and later a tree. My mother has an incredible knack for all things controversial, and quickly told me that, due to the fact that Elin Woods, Tiger's wife, was alleged to have run after the car with a golf club, Tiger must have been having an extramarital affair.
She was right. In fact, she was hugely right. Over a dozen women, ranging from cocktail waitresses to porn stars, claimed to have participated in sexual activity of some sort with Woods. The sports world was disgusted. Fans were let down. The media feeding frenzy was one of the largest in recent memory. Woods quickly cancelled his commitment to play in his own charity golf tournament later that week. It was all downhill from there.
What I want to focus on, however, is the public's need for an apology from Tiger. I listen, read, and/or subscribe to just about every single sports publication known to man. I was shocked at the overwhelming cry from the public that "Tiger should apologize! He cheated us!"
This is as far from the truth as we could be.
The truth is, Tiger doesn't owe us an apology. He, in fact, doesn't owe his fans or the public or the media a single thing. He's Tiger, and it's his life.
When the 1919 Chicago White Sox threw the World Series for a small sum of money, the conspirators owed the baseball world and its fans an apology. They had cheated the game. When Rafael Palmeiro lied to Congress and was later reported to have tested positive for anabloic steroids, he owed the sports world, its fans, and the United States court system (among other things) an apology. He had cheated the game. When Tim Donaghy, a former NBA referee, was found to have bet on basketball games that he himself had officiated, he owed the basketball world and its fans an apology. He had cheated the game.
We as fans are invested in "the game", whatever sport or event it may be. Cheating the sporting world is comparable to cheating a business; indeed, it is one of the most lucrative businesses in the nation. We are investors in that market. Every year, Americans pour in hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase tickets to sporting events, buy merchandise, build new stadiums, and even to occasionally get players an extra bonus. The college football and basketball realms are entirely dependent on alumni contribution in order for their respective program to even function.
So? Tiger Woods, though he has cheated on his wife, family, and perhaps moral obligations, has not cheated us, or sports. We are not invested in Tiger Woods' personal life. We are not a part of his family, nor are we married to him (though some wish they were). His situation is comparable to that of Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons and now Philadelphia Eagles quarterback who served a 24 month prison sentece on a conviction of running an illegal dogfighting ring. Vick, though he did apologize to his fans and the public, did not owe us anything. He chose to apologize, as Tiger may very well do someday.
We must focus now on letting Tiger be the athlete that he is. He will participate in the Masters Tounament at Augusta, Georgia starting on April 8. This will be following a 20 week golfing break, due to the circus that surrounds his personal life. Woods has slipped up, but haven't we all? Give the guy a break.
After all, there is no true sports fan out there who can say they've never thought, while watching Tiger dramatically win yet another golf tournament, that he just may be the greatest athlete of our time.
