Tiger Woods had it all going for him this past decade. He won 12 Major Golf Championships (14 overall in his career), had a ton of big name sponsors in Nike, GM, Accenture, Tag Heur, Gatorade...He became the first athlete to ever earn $1 billion and was named AP Athlete of the Decade. He had a beautiful wife, two children and an impeccable image. In the early morning hours of November 27th, just a couple of hours after Thanksgiving Day, his world as we all knew it, came to a crashing end.
On November 25th, The National Enquirer, published a story about Woods having an alleged affair with a woman on a recent trip to Australia. Since it was the Enquirer who published it, not too many people gave it much thought. Little did we know that this story, in a tabloid magazine, would lead to the downfall of the greatest athlete of the 2000s.
We all know what happened in those early morning hours of November 27th. Woods mysteriously left his home at around 2:30am, proceeded to plow his car into a fire hydrant and a tree in a neighbors yard. How that incident turned into us learning that he had affairs with over a dozen women was stunning. His "perfect world" unraveling right before our eyes.
The question I have is how did we not find out about any of this until now? With the technology age, Facebook, Twitter, everyone having a cell phone with a camera and TMZ.com, who seems to be everywhere and earning more credibility by the day, it seems like he would have been caught a long time ago. The even bigger question, that I have, and that I don't think has been explored that much yet...When did Woods' "transgressions" start to happen? Was it after his father died who mentored him and with whom they were inseparable? Or was it just an ego thing where he thought he was invincible?
I would never make up excuses for anyone who cheats. I think my biggest problem with this whole thing is that, is it really our business? We all know that tabloids sell. What drives sales? Sex scandals of course. We all sneak a peak, or even buy the National Enquirer, National Examiner, Globe, etc. (Full disclosure: I do work in the magazine business and it's the sales of these magazines that help pay me my salary, however, I do not agree with what these tabloid magazines stand for). But where is the line? Is there a line that we should not cross when it comes to an athlete or a celebrities personal life? I think there is.
Most of us love to see someone at the height of the career come crashing down, then watch them build themselves back up again. Numerous athletes have come back from such scandals, whether it be rape charges, attempted murder charges (see Kobe Bryant & Ray Lewis), or even allegations or admissions of using performance enhancing drugs (Alex Rodriguez). But when it comes down to something that directly affects an individuals family, like cheating on your wife, that is something that we shouldn't have to see in the headlines day after day. Sure it hurts Woods and his image, but what about his wife Elin and their two kids? Their images have been splashed all over the tabloids and on TMZ.com too. Is that fair? I don't think so. We have become a desensitized society. We forget that these athletes and celebrities are people too. I don't buy the argument that because they are public figures they have to hold themselves up higher than the rest of us. Is it ok for me to cheat on my wife or girlfriend just because I am not a celebrity and won't be put in the spotlight like they would? Of course not. Do I have different morals than someone who has a higher profile than I do? I would hope not. I would hope we would all strive to be the best person we can be. Just because someone is a good actor, musician, or athlete, doesn't necessarily mean they are seeking the spotlight. Sure, there are many exceptions, but look at Derek Jeter of the Yankees. You hear nothing of his personal life and he lives in New York City. He doesn't crave the spotlight.
There have been many, many people judging what Tiger Woods has done. We can think he is a horrible person for doing what he did. We do have that right. What we shouldn't do is hold him up to a higher standard than what we hold of ourselves. We all have flaws. We have all made mistakes. The biggest difference is that our mistakes are not being dragged through the 24 hour news cycle (or sometimes longer) or all over the cover of magazines. Let's give Woods, his family, and any other celebrity going through something as personal as this situation, their privacy. They are people too, just like us. They make mistakes, just like us. No one is perfect. How we overcome adversity is how we should be judged. The only person that should judge us in the end? Well, I think we all know the answer to that question...
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