Catch a Tiger by the Tail January 2, 2010
Posted by Neil in : Uncategorized , trackback 
Until last August, the world thought Tiger Woods could never be caught. That all changed on August 16, 2009, at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. On that Sunday afternoon, the golf world watched as Y.E. Yang exposed Tiger’s athletic mortality. For the first time in a meaningful golf event, Tiger was tracked down and humanized. Things haven’t really been the same for him since then.
The day after Thanksgiving is a day for relaxation and decompressing from the pounds of turkey and trimmings that have been ingested during the prior evening’s festivities. With tryptophan still in the veins, the nation woke up to some strange news coming out of Florida. Tiger Woods seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident. My immediate thoughts were sadness and slight panic. How bad are these injuries? Is it career threatening? Will the sports world be robbed of watching golf’s most talented jewel ever play again?
As the day wore on, more details emerged. Tiger wasn’t that seriously hurt. It was a one car accident that occurred between 2 and 3 a.m. Now the questions changed. Was Tiger driving drunk? What in the world was he doing driving anywhere at 2 a.m. on Thanksgiving night with his family at home? I knew there was something that didn’t smell right, but I could never have imagined the twists and turns this story would take. While many could conceive that Tiger’s sainthood had always been aggrandized, this fall from grace is truly astonishing.
I am not as concerned about the lurid details that comprise Tiger’s trysts. I will defer to TMZ, Access Hollywood, and the myriad of other tabloids and news organizations that track all of Tiger and Elin’s moves. The most interesting angles for me to examine is why Tiger did this, and why is he being castigated more then his many predecessors who have engaged in nearly the exact same behavior.
Athletes, entertainers, and celebrities cheat on their wives. This should not be a novel concept. While many people engage in marital infidelity, the rate at which professional athletes do is exponential compared to regular people. Why? Opportunity and temptation. Professional athletes (especially in the stratosphere of Tiger Woods) are presented with enticing options that Joe Six-Pack could only dream about. Guys like Tiger are presented with temptations that would truly test the most honest of men. In addition, professional athletes are jet setters. They are traveling at least a quarter of the time, if not much more. They are away from home and their spouses.
The American public largely has their head in the sand when it comes to their sport stars perceived marital sainthood. While people know that athletes probably cheat on their wives more then average people, the public’s knowledge of the extent of the culture of infidelity is shockingly ostrich-esque. It is largely an accepted practice in some professional team sports. They educate players at rookie seminars and symposiums about how to prioritize things in your life. Included on the list with eating healthy, money, family, and your chosen sport, is how to manage your outside interests (i.e. women on the side). If the American public understood the culture of infidelity that permeates professional sports, then this Tiger situation would not be quite as big a deal (or at least shocking).
In my banter with friends and colleagues, I have been guided to ruminate over some very important topics that surround Tiger’s current predicament. One important question brought up by my radio co-host is to examine why Tiger is being berated so heavily for behavior that is similar to many of his predecessors including a luminary such as Michael Jordan. For one, I agree with the notion that Jordan was more insulated by nature of playing a team sport. Not only did he have guys like Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, and B.J. Armstrong to help him on the court, but he had teammates to help cover for his indiscretions off the court. There is a certain safe haven (even for the biggest of stars) when they are part of a cast or team. You are not completely exposed like a golf or tennis star who is devoid of teammates to help deflect some of the unwanted attention.
In addition, the media has changed a lot even in the past 15 years since Jordan’s prime. We now live in the “TMZ” era. We are a society of sensationalism. As a student of history, I remember learning about the so-called “yellow journalism” that characterized the American Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century. The legendary showdown between William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World spawned a sensationalism of the news cycle in order to spike circulation. The ethos of that era of media seems to be back in vogue.
I maintain that Jordan is lucky that his prime was in the 90’s and not today. While his gambling predilections are renowned, his womanizing was largely a well kept secret until after his career. This was principally for two reasons. The first is that the media was slightly less frenzied 15 years ago then today. Also, Jordan’s relationship with the media during his career was better then Tiger’s is today (even before this scandal). Jordan had an implicit agreement with the media. He would be open enough with them so they could do their job, and in turn the media would turn a blind eye toward at least the most damaging of his indiscretions (his prolific ability to attract and entertain women). To borrow the perfect term from my radio co-host, his relationship with the media during his prime was “Kennedy-esque.”
So where did Tiger go wrong? What makes him the scapegoat for all athletes who cheat on their wives? I think the only way to grapple with these questions is to look at the individual and his life leading up to this juncture. Tiger has had a fairly comfortable life up to now. While certainly I don’t want to minimize the inherent hurdles of growing up as a multi-racial youth in America, as well as the demands of a seemingly heavy-handed father, Tiger has had it pretty good up to now. He knew that he was put on this Earth to play golf. He was drilled in this craft from his nascent stages.
Tiger is a golf deity. He has been so since he picked up a club. His supernatural skills has led him to have a sense of entitlement that even the greatest of athletes rarely feel. While Tiger obviously likes to get down with women from all walks of life, I think his habitual cheating has more to do with power then pure sex. While he seemingly has traded a beautiful Swedish wife away for a dozen or so average looking alleged floozies, he didn’t do so simply because of a lack of impulse control.
For a man whose shot selection is so precise on the course, his wanton carelessness off the course is what is truly lurid and shocking. I may be giving the golfing legend too much credit, but it seems too easy to explain away his prolific philandering by claiming that he is simply a sex addict. That is a cop out. He knew what he was engaging in and he enjoyed the hunt every bit as much as he does chasing down the Phil Mickelson’s of the world on the back nine of a major on a Sunday. If it was simply about sex, he would have engaged solely in a series of Chamberlain-esqe one night stands. Tiger’s behavior is different. It was much more calculated. He had ongoing relationships with these different women for years. He did this because he felt omnipotent.
Tiger’s mortality has now been fully exposed both on the course and off since August. His sense of entitlement and power in his personal life has completely been eroded. His sponsors are fleeing him and his life is crumbling before the entire world. How he responds will be fascinating. Will he resurrect himself with the strong will that has characterized and led to his accomplishments on the greens? Or will he continue to crumble like a house of cards now that his power has largely been stripped?
America (and the world to some extent) loves a comeback story. He will eventually be embraced again if he can show some humility and persona which is what he has failed to show throughout his career and is one of the reasons the media has been so quick to castigate him under this current climate. Tiger has been caught by the tail. Forget being in a bunker in a major playoff. If he can escape this, it will be the greatest up and down of his career.
Comments»
Great questions and thought provoking article, I too had much the same train of thought as the details unfolded…but the thoughts that you probably also had but didn’t included here are…Where was his posse’ (caddie, buisness manager, etc…) that should have been looking out for him and themselves in all this???? (feed the ego and keep the talent happy, but at some point it must have been obvious to those closest to him that he was jeopardizing his reputation, his legacy, and their livelihoods…the instinct of self-preservation should have kicked in at some point. My only assumption is that it must have been like the frog in the pot…the heat (or infidelities) must have increased gradually; thereby , they didn’t come to the realization that the water was boiling around them until it was already too late…though, I don’t really believe this; it is my only legitimate alibi and assumption for so many stupid decisions!)
Where were all the tabloids in this? How could they have missed one of the biggest stories (lurid and sensational) in all of pop culture? They are all over every burger a movie star picks, every “Octomom” botox injection, or the size of the tip a politian leaves on the counter…but they don’t pick up on the hook-ups from club hopping, the midnight trists, or even bother to investigate the recurring gallery of hotties at his tournaments (there is more coverage given to rock-star groupies, an accepted and honored conquest and trophy for those leading the life of sex, drugs and rock-and-roll)? They are complicit in this whole sorted affair as well…not a conspiracy theory, but a simple observation - how did they miss it?…the obvious answer is they didn’t…they choose to look the otherway and give him a pass?…for all the trouble and trivia they cause, they could have made it tougher on him to maintain his pattern of infidelities…but alas, how quickly their loyalites have turned when blood is in the water.
Tiger lost his foundational center - his Dad; and like Mike Tyson and Cus D’Mato, and any number of the greats who pissed away their careers after losing their guiding, motivating and insulating morale compass - sucummbed to the pressures of their own ego and bought into believing that they were above the fray, that their inappropriate actions were justifiably somehow - to the winner goes the spoils, etc…I hope and believe he will come back and once again be a great golfer, but the opportunity to achieve legendary, icon status like of the “Golden Bear” is gone…he’s just another remarkable athlete. Nothing more. No longer our hero to be revered - he’s just a man, pity!
Great piece, Co-Host! One of your finest, in my opinion. You did a great job answering the question, I had posed to the digital universe a couple of days ago. Well done, on dissecting the evolution of the role of the media when it comes to covering sports.
Here are some additional pieces that are truly recommended reading in understanding the modern media landscape, as it pertains to this case:
1) The Jordan/Woods Access Media Model: http://isteve.blogspot.com/2009/12/jordanwoods-access-media-model.html
2) How Tiger Protected His Image: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704238104574602293033609948.html?mod=article-outset-box#
As it pertains to his image, I don’t know that Tiger will ever be able to completely repair the damage that he’s done. Some have suggested that he just get a divorce and finally embrace his playboy lifestyle. Had he not gotten married, his persona would have largely been hailed for his women conquests without any associated negativity, much like Derek Jeter’s is out in New York.
I have very little doubt in Tiger’s ability to comeback from this as a golfer, and dominate the golf world once again. What will prove to be a quasi-impossible challenge is re-establishing himself as the global icon he once was: a man with a carefully-crafted image, Teflon exterior, and the accompanying gospel spoon-fed to us by a powerful propaganda machine. In a way, he’ll become a much simpler person: a great golfer, a fallible human being, devoid of baggage that comes with being the mythical pitchman he once was….
Great points Bob! I am surprised that his handlers (PR people) didn’t try and curb his behavior and thirst for chasing women. Maybe they did and he just didn’t listen to them. Also, many athletes and celebrities just have “yes men” around them that never stand up to their celebrity friend for fear of being cut out of the friendship and the lavish lifestyle they get to lead as a “hanger-on.” Perhaps, Tiger after his father died didn’t have any people in his life who could really sit him down for a stern talk about his behavior. His closest friends in the sports world (Jordan, Barkely, and Jeter) all enjoy their nights out and women, and certainly weren’t great role models for him. That is a fantastic comparison between Tiger losing his dad and Tyson losing Cus D’Mato. Both men may have lost their moral guidance by losing their father (or father figure).
Paul, thanks for sharing the pertinent links. I agree that he will continue to be the best golfer in the world for the next decade or two. However, he will never be able to fully restore the aura that has surrounded him. He will go down as one of the greatest athletes in all time, but this will always be attached to his career no matter how many majors he wins.