A famous song tells us that lions sleep at night. Apparently, tigers don’t.
It’s been less than a week since Tiger Woods’ early morning car accident and the rumor mill is chugging along at full steam. There’s no need to revisit all of the details of last Saturday’s wreck. He’s already admitted it was his fault. There’s also no need to go into the reported details of his extramarital affairs. Today he all but acknowledged some were true. What needs to be examined is the impact all of this has on the sport of golf.
Woods plays a sport known for its dignity and class. It’s also a game of manners — i.e. honors at the tee — and respect — i.e. players shaking hands after a round, a gesture rarely seen in professional sports these days. There’s no doubt he brought golf to its current level of popularity, which is perhaps working against him now. He’s the reason thousands arrive before the sun is fully above the horizon to camp out around the 18th green, hoping it’s Tiger who holes his ball in the cup atop the leaderboard.
There’s no question that Woods will no longer be looked at as just the world’s top golfer. Stories like this never permanently go away, they only fade. Parents may still tell their children they can be just like Tiger Woods, but only on the course not off.
As of recently, the worst news surrounding Woods’ career was his cursing. It’s been widely documented that he has a temper after a bad shot, but this is a whole different cloud, one PGA officials can’t weather, only Tiger himself can.
I don’t think many people are surprised to learn about Woods’ wandering eye. After all, he’s good looking, the world’s No. 1 golfer and has a bank account that could bailout Chrysler — too bad he’s a Buick man. There have been stories for years that he’s a ladies man, but now Tiger, the Tiger, has been caught.
It’s ironic that Woods plays a sport that requires everyone around him to be silent. Now he’s the one trying to be as quiet as possible. I would never tell Tiger to emerge from behind the curtain to tell his story in front of the cameras. Personal business is exactly that. He has every right to deal with these matters the way he feels necessary. Right now, it’s through statements on his official Web site.
What he needs to do though is admit all of his mistakes and move forward. We’ve learned in the past that those who admit their faults are often, for the most part, forgiven. Look at Alex Rodriguez, a neighbor of Woods, and how he’s rebounded after a messy divorce and steroid admission. Former President Bill Clinton eventually admitted his affair and his popularity ratings in office have yet to be repeated.
Woods will eventually come out of hiding. He’s not slated to play in a tournament until the end of January, and that may very well be the first time he’s forced to speak publicly about his situation. Woods will then have to prove his personal problems had no impact on his playing ability.
Tiger has lots of work to do before then. Only this time, it has nothing to do with who’s chasing him on the course.