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Tiger Woods, and the Public Apology. [Feb. 19th, 2010|02:10 pm]
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I don't care about golf, but it's impossible to avoid Tiger Woods. He's a behemoth in the sporting world. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Wayne Gretzky, Alex Rodriguez .... all titanic individuals of sport. They're on TV, on the front page of the news, on the random internet page, everywhere. You might buy some cologne, eat a hot dog, wear a pair of basketball shoes, shave with a razor, and chances are great that one of these men have or have had an endorsement with your product.

Once again, I was blindsided by Tiger Woods, out of the blue, on the TV. 3 months ago, Tiger disappeared from most public appearances and comments, due to leaked news about his rampant infidelity. As a result, the media increased coverage from previous record-levels. Tabloids got into the mix, and they uncovered every possible instance of cheating. Speculation has devolved to the level of encounters with farm animals.

I watched his press conference, in which he apologized to the entire world. His wife topped the list, and so did his business associates, but I'm not kidding when I say that he took the time to address parents who pointed to him as an example of how their kids should be.

He then detailed his awareness of how wrong his actions were. There weren't excuses in his statements. Tiger addressed the gravity of his errors, in particular with how they've affected his wife, and his life. He mentioned that life isn't about achievements but what you overcome. He mentioned a desire to return to the Buddhist principles on which his mother raised him.

I sensed a desire on his part to transcend the usual marriage separation, but that's up to his wife. His family life won't be the same. You can never fully forget about infidelity. There are certain acts in this world that are called 'sins' by some, but whatever they're called, they're still wrong decisions because they deeply hurt others. Tiger knows he made promises to his wife, ones he didn't keep. However, it was obvious to me that this man was abnormally self-aware of his errors. Who genuinely announces, as a celebrity, that the same rules that apply for everyone also apply to themselves? Most people do not dare to mention this, for fear of having to own up to it. Life is flooded with the opposite. Celebrities often keep their statements vague, or worse. Spit in any direction and hit examples of unique and elite individuals accepting and expressing liberties with rules.

Tiger's press conference was a more respectful and eloquent apology than what I normally view. Most people, be they celebrity or nobody, issue apologies that amount to "I'm sorry I got caught."

There was no mention of a return to golf, and that's appropriate for his key of apology. This is a man who's won a ton of awards. He could stop playing golf forever and have a body of work that is unrivaled for many decades. This is a man who does not really need the sport or the work or the attention, and given his general desire to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible, this absence of detail fits him. If you're more concerned about the next Tiger Woods tournament, then maybe you need to ease down off of your own golfing needs.

I wanted to speculate about what Tiger's future holds, but this is a pass-time I'll avoid in his case. Maybe his marriage ends, maybe she gets half, maybe Tiger never plays golf again, maybe Tiger fails to hold himself to fidelity and the standards of regular people, maybe nothing works out, or maybe some, or maybe all. I hope he achieves his quest to overcome, but if he doesn't, he'll know how people receive him on the news of his 2nd round of grave errors.

I'm not going to bother to waste time with comparison of Tiger to other large sports names. His apology didn't warrant that detail of reasoning. It's clear that he's off to a better start than others of his status.

His surprise press conference, as it started, had irritated me, given the commonplace of such celebrity press conferences on myriad subjects of great public errors. My mind reacted with the common response, not again. The road to the land of genuine apology is paved with the bones of the disingenuous. Because of so many bullshit apologies, my mind has been scripted to strong automatic rejection. I was very close to writing "fuck you Tiger, get off my TV lawn with your crocodile tears, goddamn."

As a celebrity, everyone knows you, and suddenly, everyone knows you fucked up. You can't just 'drop it,' especially if you want to overcome, as Tiger expressed in his words. I say he overcame the first hurdle, the one of typical public apology.

Mind you, I don't like golf. Yet, I know who Tiger is. Death, taxes ... Tiger Woods. Apologies. Apology accepted? Redemption? We shall see.

Tiger Woods, at his press conference.

Ah fuck, I fucked up, fuckin' ... fuuuuck.


[User Picture]From: joethecabdriver
2010-02-19 08:48 pm (UTC)
I'm still flummoxed as to why anyone besides his wife, children, family, friends and lawyers would give a flying fuck where he puts his dick. He is a wealthy, powerful man with access to supernatural amounts to pussy.....so this surprises people??? Just put the golf ball in the little hole, Tiger, cuz it's really none of our business how many times you cheated on your wife, a declaration of which I would have been satisfied with.
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[User Picture]From: sauce1977
2010-02-19 09:02 pm (UTC)
Well, I guess he cares, is the thing. I mean, after all, he's a super-elite celebrity as well as a top golfer. His opinion is rarely given, but I'm sure when he gives it, he feels it should amount to some sort of difference. I guess he feels bad about letting people down. I don't think he has any other motivation ... the damage is done, people know, and he's likely to lose half of everything now and in the future. He's already lost endorsements. I think he wants to be that role model.

If redemption exists, then he's entertained it. He's putting cash on the table, with this move.
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[User Picture]From: thebolt
2010-02-20 02:50 am (UTC)
A couple days ago I gave up on anything sports related unless I was watching a game...the Tiger Woods talk is making me dizzy.
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[User Picture]From: sauce1977
2010-02-20 02:58 pm (UTC)
Lately, for rec, all I do is pop on the video games, and I don't play the sports games very much, at all, really.
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[User Picture]From: ellie
2010-02-21 03:27 am (UTC)
Why is Tiger apologizing to the world? Why is it even my business? As a sports fan, I enjoy watching him hitting a very small ball into a very small hole. His sex life isn't a part of that.
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[User Picture]From: sauce1977
2010-02-21 03:37 am (UTC)
I think he wants to be that 'role model,' and earn the money that comes with it.
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[User Picture]From: smkndawonderful
2010-02-22 05:40 pm (UTC)
I agree with you Ellie. I said as much just yesterday.

@sauce1977 ... your post was thoughtful. I enjoyed reading it.
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