Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest golfer the world has seen, or will ever see again. He was the first athlete to earn a billion dollars in prize money and endorsements and was the perfect role model, whether he wanted to be or not. Or so we thought…
This article is not going to be an ‘are they or aren’t they role models’ argument. That is one for another column, and another day where we all have more time to debate (for the record, they are, and that’s that).
The events of the past week have cast a rather unfavourable light on someone who I, and millions of people around the world, had foolishly assumed was as squeaky clean as his image – and brand – spruiked him to be.
Tiger Woods is at the very least a very poor liar, and at worst a serial adulterer who, when the net was cast on his cheating ways, sought to use his vast reservoirs of cash to pay off the women he had drawn into his circle in return for their silence.
As an unwavering and unabashed fan of Tiger for far more reasons than just his golf game over the years, I heard the initial reports of his minor car crash and thought some of the stuff the tabloids were coming up with was just the usual trifle we come to expect from the tabloids.
But day after day more rumours, stories and speculation are mounting an increasingly solid case to say Tiger has been up to something rather ordinary for some time. Only thing is, as much as we all want to know the real story, Tiger says it’s private and we have no right to know.
I disagree.
We, as fans, can’t profess to know a professional athlete. We aren’t in their world, we can’t relate to what it must be like to be at the pinnacle of their athletic pursuit, and most of us will never even come close to the fame and fortune that comes with being the best among the best.
But as fans, we support every high and low of our sporting heroes, we show our support by paying our hard earned on merchandise, the proceeds of which go towards the profits of companies that hand over huge wads of cash to stars such as Tiger.
We pay our way to, and into, events to watch these athletes ply their trade, which indirectly goes towards balancing out the profitability of sporting events, like last month’s Australian Masters, against the hefty appearance fees some athletes, like Tiger, demand.
Current day society’s insatiable appetite for any glimpse, however small, into the private life of our idols gives cause to the demand of magazines that pay the stars, like Tiger, vast sums of cash for a few family portraits, or a heart felt story on a new addition to their family.
So while I can see how the lack of privacy must be a constant axe to grind for anyone who achieves that level of fame, it is the flip side of all the fame and fortune that fuels that same incessant need to know how the incredibly wealthy and famous live their lives.
Tiger has had it pretty easy so far, and this whole mess, if you believe even only half of what you are reading lately, could have easily been avoided by, you know, NOT CHEATING ON YOUR WIFE.
I didn’t want to believe it either…but with some of the evidence that is coming to light daily, it is getting increasingly harder for Tiger to hide behind a press release pleading for people to respect his privacy.
There have been many press conferences over the years where Tiger has been lauded and fawned over by everyone in the room.
He wasn’t pleading for privacy then, albeit almost all of those were carried out via his professional rather than his personal persona, but with the level of fame he has gained via his sporting prowess, and benefited greatly from, he can’t pick and choose what people are going to be curious about.
Let me tell you how this looks to me, based on the blanket media coverage and a mind numbing amount of articles and information I have read, and only believing around half of it.
If I was to paint a picture of how this looks to the average sports fan, I would say Tiger has been enjoying the company of a number of women from various segments of his life.
He has arranged meetings with these women via his people, and then proceeded to lavish gifts on them, pay for them to stay in the most glamorous hotels in various destinations and, it would seem, had sex with at least one of these women whilst bound by a little bit of metal most normal people would call a wedding band.
Somehow, maybe based on finding some text messages from one of these women on Tiger’s phone, Tiger’s wife, Elin Nordegren, erm…was a little displeased.
Whatever happened from this moment until the couple left their house is anyone’s guess, but when they did leave, Elin left with a golf club and proceeded to smash the back window of the car Tiger was driving, which I have officially dubbed, The Escapealade, causing Tiger to lose control, albeit at slow speed, hit a fire hydrant and end up in a tree.
Tiger escaped the ‘crash’ with cuts and bruises to his face, none of which anyone has seen publicly, perhaps because they might look suspiciously like nail marks or be around the same size as Elin’s fist.
Given her fiery routine with the golf club, I’m not putting anything past her!
How he managed to get cuts and bruises from a minor crash in a car that wasn’t even travelling fast enough to activate the vehicle’s air bags on impact is right up there with the other 7 Wonders of the World.
The initial story about Elin having smashed out the rear window to pull Tiger from the wreckage seems to have fallen by the wayside, given that, again, the car could have been overtaken by an elderly woman on her zimmer frame prior to impact. Perhaps Elin isn’t really that sharp and didn’t think to, you know, open the driver’s door and let Tiger out.
Maybe she has a Macgyver complex, who knows. The whole thing doesn’t add up.
That’s how it looks to me, an everyday fan. No doubt it looks like that to a bunch of others too. If this isn’t how it is, I am happy for Tiger to tell me otherwise, with his own mouth. Into a camera.
I feel for Woods’ wife, she didn’t ask for this. My only hope is that she continue with her stand as a self respecting woman that she started with the golf club antics and not take up the proposed $80 million dollar offer to stay on board with Tiger Inc. as his trophy wife until 2018.
To have your heart broken is one thing. To think that patching it up with dollar bills is either a good solution for yourself, or a good example for your kids, especially your daughter, is ridiculous.
But more so I feel for his kids. For every ‘my dad is the greatest golfer of all time’ stories they might ever tell, they are likely to be rebutted by ‘well my dad is a plumber, but he’s a far better husband and father than yours is likely to be’.
That may seem harsh, but for Woods to have to look at those kids as they grow up, knowing he has let them down in such a way, regardless of what happens with his marriage, in my opinion will be far worse punishment than the public or any tabloid could ever dish out.
So, as a fan of Tiger Woods, I am shocked and surprised and feeling a little foolish for being sucked into the promotional machine that built that squeaky clean image.
I hope he faces the music like a man and says exactly what he did. I hope he doesn’t hide behind press releases and screams of privacy.
I’ll never understand how someone with a billion dollar image, with the perfect family, including a Swedish model wife, would feel the need to take a cocktail waitress back to his room, just for kicks.
But the people I feel most for are the rest of the golfers on the PGA Tour. These people have been systematically intimidated, dominated and made to feel inferior, seemingly by grub of a man with no respect for his family who was just beat up by his wife.
Sad really…
John
Guest
"Nug" always knew Woods had a "dark side"? Isn't that a rather unfortunate expression?
renron
Guest
Maybe, just maybe like some wesites have mentioned. Elin is a very hum drum person with no emotions or personality. They said they had to beg her to model or go pick her up to get her anywhere. It's not really an excuse for adultry but, when you have a dull partner with no spark it can cause you to crave the opposite sex attention. Get a divorce? That's easier to say than do with children and tons of money.
jus de couchon
Guest
It will all blow over if he keeps his head down. After all he didnt rape or murder anyone. He got caught doing what most males would , given half a chance. Anyway whats Federer been up to I wonder?
cosmos forever
Guest
Peter Fitzsimmon's recounting of Woods behaviour at the Master ON THE COURSE (swearing, spitting, throwing clubs) and his accurate assessment that he is a protected species (his example was that none of this was reported but imagine if it had've been John Daly) was ominous indeed,
ohtani's jacket
Guest
The entire thing is like Jordan all over again without the cover-up. He'll survive this like every other high level person who's ever cheated on their partner. His image will take a knock but that won't last. At the end of the day, if he keeps winning majors it'll be just another crinkle in the Tiger Woods story. I have no idea what it's like to live in a fishbowl environment like Tiger Woods especially one that was thrust upon him at the age of three, but time and time again we see people in high positions take high risks as a way of escaping from the pressure they're under. Jordan gambled, other names did drugs or drank. Woods got off on sex. His wife will probably take him to the cleaners. I bet that's what his entourage are panicking about right now. I'll believe it all when Federer falls from grace.
Amband
Guest
a role model for whom and why?
Roger Rational
Guest
It's quite ridiculous to think that a guy like Tiger Woods has a realistic expectation of privacy from these sort of things. If he didn't make almost a billion dollars from product endorsements and basically for being one of the most famous athletes on the planet, then yeah sure, to hell with the media, but the reality is he lives the life he does because people care about "knowing" him. You don't get to have it both ways. If some paparazzi did something insane that crossed a line, sure I'd feel bad for the guy, but getting rumors that he cheated on his wife, forgive me if I don't shed any tears that the guy who made a billion dollars swinging a golf club can't be left alone.
Andrew Sutherland
Roar Guru
Irony of all this is if it had been his wife who had been unfaithful and Woods had reacted the way she did he would now be up for assault. Sportsfan, you mention Woods "drawing women into his circle". Hate to tell you but being a famous man a circle of women forms itself. Fame is a powerful aphrodisiac for a lot of women. Endless famous men, from all walks of life, have admitted to realising that their pursuit of excellence was fuelled by the subsequent interest by women. As you mentioned Woods is living on another planet; one of rigid discipline, constant media and public attention, unlimited wealth and unlimited 'love' (I mean there was a middle aged Melbourne man almost crying when Woods signed his cap). You say the image he created was false. Perhaps the image of the "perfect family" is too. We don't know what their relationship is like but whenever you hear something like "Swedish model wife" alarm bells start ringing. Perhaps it's a loveless marriage and Woods wants it to end. After what happened to his face I can understand why it hasn't. If it's a loving relationship then of course what he has done is wrong. But I still can't believe why fully grown intelligent men need to have a perfect role model.
NG
Guest
Agree 100% with this article, and with *most* of the commenters. People who are coming out against this post need to understand that the root of it all isn't about Tiger cheating (let's face it, people do it), it's about the fact that he trades on a squeaky-clean "family man" image to garner endorsements JUST as much as he does with his golfing ability. That is why as a sports fan (and a father), I think the whole situation is incredibly disappointing. If he maintained total privacy and didn't manufacture this whole image of being a golfing super dad I don't think this story would be nearly as big (well, that and the fact that he seems to be intent on drip-feeding admissions to the media while throwing cash at his mistresses, rather than just coming out with it). And to the commenter who scratched out the rant telling us that the only person who has a right to comment is Tiger's wife - STFU, you run a gossip blog you twit. Stick to writing about the makeup you bought.
The way it is!
Guest
Well put Sheek and my thoughts exactly
sassy
Guest
da silva and old goalie .... as far as I'm concerned you can only claim privacy if you actually try and MAINTAIN your privacy. making millions from your image in endorsements and sponsorship, basically making a sweet living from pimping out how reliable and trustworthy and what a gosh-darn good guy you are is selling yourself, and when you do that you're basically opening up your personal life as part of your professional life. it sucks, but it's true. it's the same reason why someone like tom hanks or denzel washington can legitimately say they hate the paparazzi, but lindsay lohan can't. if you don't want people to have any part of your personal life, then don't sell your personality for profit.
sheek
Guest
Cheetah Woods made a fortune from his extraordinary skill as a golfer. He's made even more money by conning a gullible public that he's some kind of paragon of virtue. 'Tiger Woods INC' was a very controlled public image, money making machine. The public has every right to know they've been duped, since they helped make Woods so fabulously wealthy, above & beyond his own skill. Just an extra point - If I were Tiger's age (33), & as famous as he is, I also would be out there trying to screw every beautiful woman who came across my path & caught my fancy. I would be so pathetic. But there is one difference - I would only behave that way as a single man, & not a married father.
DT
Guest
I actually lost a lot of the respect I had for Tiger after his tantrum during the Australian Masters recently. He carried on like a spoilt child. Someone who trades off a closely-manicured image deserves to be held up to scrutiny when this image is proven to be false. The image that Tiger has cultivated stretches way beyond the golf course and he should absolutely be accountable for this - without public interest in him and his life he wouldn't be in the financial position he is today.
sheek
Guest
Sportsfan, Power corrupts, & absolute power corrupts absolutely. Tiger Woods cheated on his wife because he could, because he thought money, power, status & money (again) can buy anything. And in most cases, he's right. And he had many hangers-on whose livelihood depended on Woods, willing to help him in his deceit. Can you imagine all these people sitting around Tiger's place for a BBQ lunch or dinner, praising Elin as the "hostess with the mostess", all the while knowing that her husband was cheating on her. It doesn't say anything for their individual or collective moral fibre of these hangers-on. And I'm talkin' to you - Steve Williams the caddie - you're top of the list of this group of snivelling, jelly-backed, duplicitious bunch of hangers-on. There's all this talk about the intrusiveness of the media. Well, stuff Tiger Woods & his entourage, whose only concern is protecting the brand of Tiger Woods INC. This is how it works, Woods has made a fortune from his extraordinary skill as a golfer. He has made even more money from the adulation of fans who see him as a role model. Well, stuff him! Tiger Woods can continue to make a fortune from his skill as a golfer. But he doesn't need to make any extra money by duping a gullible public that he's an upstanding family man. Famous people like Greg Norman, will use the media at every opportunity when it suits them. But if/when things go sour in their lives, they suddenly try to grab the high moral ground. They are a pathetic joke. I know the media can be intrusive & two-faced themselves, but let them expose these pretenders for what they are. As an unknown Greek philosopher observed many, many centuries ago, life is like the (Greek) theatre, where often the best seats are occupied by the worst people. Some things don't change over time. End of sermon..........
Tosin
Guest
It's not pretty but in general married people cheat. It would have been nice for Tiger to have married someone who was cool with his polygamous antics, we wouldn't be having this discussion about golf clubs right now. Instead he married super hot female and found out that she's still one, woman, in the end. Not five, like what he wants. I hope they work it out.
Nug
Guest
I always knew Tiger had a dark side. On the golf course, when he hit a bad shot he would display his anger by either throwing his club or slamming it into the ground. Not a good image for the best in the world. (At my club, we get suspended by doing that thing as it is not in the true spirit of the game.) And as for treating his wife with contempt by romping with all his girls, I think he is dispicable. It beats me why his wife hasn't left him and also his sponsors. How can his sponsors support him with that sort of image?
Nicola
Guest
Are you all serious? You're shocked by his cheating. Do you live under a bus? What wealthy pro athlete doesn't cheat? I don't think this should effect his money. If Tiger is this good at golf, while whoring it up all over the world, maybe that's the secret to his success. The only person who should be concerned, or express an opinion about his off the green activities is his wife. Just because you're a fan of his golfing ability, in no way does it give you any right to dictate how he lives his life away from the golf course. You can comment on it, but might I suggest, you all clean up your own backyards first?
old goalie
Guest
One of the most sanctimonious articles ever posted get a grip sportsfanslife
dasilva
Guest
I'm sorry but I hate this sense of entitlement Paying for tickets to see Tiger Woods or for buying merchandised does not give you sense of entitlement that you must know information about his private life. i'm sorry but that's rubbish. If you buy a ticket, you are entitled to see him play live. Buy his merchandised, you are entitlement to get a functional merchandised. Buy tabloid magazine, you are entitle to the stories he want to reveal. You are not entitled to the private life of someone that they want to remain private. If Tiger wants to keep his private affairs secret, why the hell not. I'm glad countries like Australia have defamation laws about how news have to not only be truthful but have to be in the public interest for them to know about which help limits these trashy celebrity gossip rubbish.
cab711
Guest
Its Cougar.