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Lets talk about Tiger Woods..
Astrocookie
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(CNN) -- When Eldrick "Tiger" Woods joined the ranks of professional golf a dozen years ago, it was via the heralded "Hello, World" Nike commercial. When he steps to the podium Friday to speak to an assembled group of friends, colleagues and journalists, the world will truly be watching to see and hear the greatest golfer of this generation talk about the sordid events over the last three months that have kept him off the golf course and shredded his well-cultivated image and reputation.
The broadcast networks will air live reports with their main anchors there to report and comment on every word; the cable nets will undoubtedly have multiple individuals ready for instant analysis; and millions will tune in to hear Tiger likely apologize and possibly say if and when he will return to competitive golf.
He isn't expected to take any questions, and that has made for an angry bunch of columnists and commentators, denouncing Woods for calling a news conference to make a statement, and not undergo the grilling many want to give him.
Woods hasn't even said a word, and already he's been called a spoiled, petulant child who has lived in a sheltered world of handlers since he was 2 years old. Some have even gone as far as saying nothing has changed about him and he's showing that he is just as selfish and self-absorbed as ever.
Tiger, let me be as clear as I can as to whether you owe me or the American people an explanation of the events surrounding your car accident Thanksgiving weekend: Hell no.
I repeat: Tiger, you don't owe me or anyone else anything!
I'm sick of these sanctimonious folks who are blabbering about Woods needing to be grilled about his private behavior. Look, Tiger Woods didn't cheat on me. He's not my daddy, brother, cousin, church member, neighbor or friend. He didn't let me down or crush my view of him. He is not and never was my role model.
The only people he owes a grand apology are his wife, momma, family, maybe his friends, and his children, when they come of age. He doesn't have to work hard for me to trust him again. The most important audience he has to satisfy is a very small group of people.
That's it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Ever since I was 14, my desire was to be journalist. And in the last 27 years, I've covered it all. In all of those years, I've never believed I was entitled to ask anyone a question. If it was at a county government board meeting in Austin, Texas, or a city council meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, public officials made a choice to talk to me and other journalists. It's our duty to ask; it's not their obligation to answer.
Yes, they were public figures, but no matter how many times I asked the same question, they didn't have to talk to the media. Should they? Yeah. Must they? No.
Every sports league has a rule requiring their locker rooms to be open to the media shortly after a game ends. Athletes are required to make themselves available or face a fine, but there is nothing that says they must answer our questions. If they choose to expound on what happened in a game, that's their decision. But their personal life? That choice is all up to them.
We have had to bear witness to all kinds of allegations about Tiger, the married sports star and successful product pitchman, being involved in a variety of affairs with cocktail waitresses, party girls, and porn stars. The details have gone from freaky to bizarre. His reputation has taken a substantial hit; companies he endorsed have removed his face from billboards and canceled contracts; and by multiple (and unsubstantiated) accounts, his marriage is hanging by a thread.
Yet still, he doesn't owe the American public or me a damn thing.
Meryl Streep has always earned my respect. When you see magazine cover stories on her, such as the recent one in Vanity Fair, she will talk about a host of subjects and pose for a ton of photos, but her family is off limits. She makes it clear: I'll talk about the work, not my home life.
Jodie Foster is the same way. If she is scheduled to discuss a movie, anything work-related is fine. But when you start asking about the father of her children, her love life and anything personal, she shuts you down quickly. In fact, her folks will let you know before the interview what the rules are. She's consistent and clear.
Intensely private people choose to remain that way, whether loving and faithful couples or a married athlete who is accused of bedding anyone and everyone.
Someone's personal life is just that, personal. None of us have the right to know what's going on in someone else's life when they are out of public view, especially if no laws were broken.
I've been clear that I'm a huge Tiger Woods fan. I've walked inside the ropes of many golf tournaments he's played in; shot hundreds of photos of him that hang on my wall; and count an interview with his father, Earl Woods, as one of my all-time favorites. But journalists need to cut the crap when it comes to demanding that he owes it to us to talk to as many of us as possible.
What's amazing is that many of us are hypocrites on this subject. For example, if a journalist is fired, you will hear the suits at the company say they cannot discuss the actions behind the move "because it's a personnel matter." Wait. Isn't a TV anchor, columnist or reporter a public figure? In some cities, they are considered celebrities. So the rules are different for us?
In fact, what if a reporter covered a news conference and returned with a team owner or elected official saying the following about one of their employees: "That's a personnel matter and I'm not at liberty to share with you the details of his termination." Would that editor, news director, or network president say that is acceptable? No! They would jump all over the reporter "to do their job" and keep digging to find out what happened. And the columnists and bloggers would be ripping them to shreds.
So what's the difference between them and Tiger? Personnel? Personal? Hello!
Isn't it amazing how different the view looks from the other side of the river?
iReport: Share your reaction to Woods' statement
We live in an age where public figures often share with the world who they slept with, want to sleep with, what they ate, what they wear, their travel and everything else. Nothing is off limits. The public craves it all on blogs, and in magazines, newspapers, TV and radio. For me, I don't care about any of it.
All I want is to see is a good movie, dance to a great song, watch an awesome sporting event, and witness one golfer take on his peers to become the greatest in the game.
When that public figure, whether Meryl, Jodie or Tiger, chooses to walk off the public stage, they don't owe me or anyone else an explanation. Their body of work is all that matters and that is what we will discuss for generations to come.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
Tiger Woods is about to apologize for his infidelity. Let's listen in @ http://www.cnn.com/
What do you guys think about Tiger Woods and infidelity from high profile individuals in general? Do they really have higher standards to be held to? Is this whole situation stupid? Do you feel sorry for him?
And some people don't even want to talk about this shit because it's "too mainstream" and it wouldn't be hip and cool or avant garde to acknowledge these events. Fuck them.
Is Tiger Woods's reputation done for? Should he have done this sooner? Is he really sorry?
Anything else?
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So long as he can entertain me on the golf course, I really could care less about what he does behind closed doors.
But he wasn't just a golfer, he was a role model for children all around the world.
ah shit and now he is attacking the media quite viciously.
It's because he was marketed as a wholesome faithful family man. Something that's hard to synchronise with this.
People delight in the misery of others, and they like to see others fall from high places. Also, I'm pretty sure race has something to do with it. After all, he was supposed to be this squeaky clean black guy that was pretty inoffensive to everyone. He'd been built up as someone kids can idolize due to his talent and clean cut looks and his barrier breaking. There's very little room to fuck up as badly as he did and not get your reputation tarnished.
Holy shit man you really think the media is after him because he was half black?
"squeaky clean black guy"? What the fuck
That's another thing that annoys me about this shit: he's a goddamned world class athlete. Those guys get lots of ass, everyone knows about it, and yet we're surprised he did too? The only difference is that there was some sort of unrealistic expectation for him to not act as any other man in his position would act. I mean, his friend Michael Jordan was a fucking role model for kids too, and that dude got lots of ass during his time in the NBA.
That should only be true if they are single.
And who the fuck is this bitch attorney talking about his client Veronica. FUCK THAT BITCH. She is NOT in his life anymore. He doesn't give a shit about that relationship. Stupid bitch gave up her job as a porn star because Tiger was very jealous of her being with another man.
There have been a couple of mentions about how he only hooked up with white chicks or something from the outlets you'd expect that shit from.
Holy shit, are you really stupid enough to think race has nothing to do with this? There was less furor over Senator Ensign and Governor Sanford's respective affairs, and they're goddamned elected officials.
Yes, I don't think race had anything to do with this, what you think there is some media conspiracy to put blackish dudes in the worst light possible?
And there was less furor over Senator Ensign and Governor Sanford because NO ONE GAVE A FUCK ABOUT THOSE GUYS and MICHAEL JACKSON DIED LIKE 2 DAYS AFTER ONE OF THEM REVEALED HIS AFFAIR.
MICHAEL JACKSON. A BLACK MAN.
I also don't follow golf.
All in All -- Tiger Woods means nothing to me.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
For the record, I also don't get this country's rabid obsession with celebrity in general. I just don't see the point in giving a shit about the personal lives of people I'll most likely never meet.
Okay, I get it, you're unable to accept the fact that race can be a factor, unless it's in a cartoonishly simple manner. I'm not even saying that race is a primary factor in this scandal, but I do think that his fall is greater than if he had been white simply because he's something of a figurehead for the progress of race relations and equality. Being the guy that broke racial barriers elevated him and made him more of a celebrity and a role model than he would've been otherwise.
The idea is that celebrities are inspirational, which they can be. They can be heroes to people, someone to look up to. Celebrities have the luxury of getting the spotlight to talk about things like the Haiti relief effort - it may be a dumb reason, but some people find that to be enough convincing to give to that relief effort. So the celebrity status is not without merit.
But y'know, two sides to every coin.
"I made a mistake. I'm sorry. Now leave me the hell alone."
I am disgusted at the media, though. MSNBC this morning spent hours talking about how this was just going to be a carefully crafted PR piece to get everyone to forgive him. And right after it was over? "Oh, Tiger, we forgive you!".
Your post is laced with symptoms of an angry black man.
Asians love white women
But seriously, he's saying he sorry so Nike can keep giving him millions and millions of dollars and the PGA can keep making money off him without looking too bad
Pretty much.
Tiger's always been seen as a squeaky clean athlete. A hard competitor, well respected family man.
Then this shattered his public image.
It's kinda like when people found out Michael Jordan was a gambling addict.
I think the only sports figure I'd be shocked by at this point is Tim Duncan.
But, why would he need to apologize to the rest of us? If some stranger fucks around on his wife, I don't expect him to apologize to me.
This whole saga is just strange to me. I don't know the guy, his actions make no difference to my life. Why is his failure in his private life in any way newsworthy?
Rigorous Scholarship
If a celebrity is inspirational it's because of the consumer and not because of the celebrity. Outside of cases where a celebrity directly advocates for something. But if Tiger never put his image on a message of "Family Values", which I don't think he did, then consumers are just assuming shit that may or may not have any basis in reality.
I know that this exists, but it just seems so irrational and delusional to me. I just don't understand putting that much stock into strangers. Admire their talents? Sure. Use their success as personal motivation? Sure. Use their advocacy to inform yourself about certain issues and perhaps even take action? Sure. But idolize these people? Fuck no.
Outrage sells, even if you're just being outraged at nothing in particular.
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Is he a cheating cad? Absolutely. But plenty of other people screw around on their spouses.
Rigorous Scholarship
Normally it's like clockwork. Some sort of paper trail gets to the press, which starts investigating a lead. Or people realize a wife has split, and try to figure out why. It turns out the husband has been sleeping with another woman for some period of time. He apologizes, outlines some sort of response plan (resignation, therapy) and then disappears for awhile. Not this time.
This broke when Tiger woods ran his car into a tree after his wife (probably) broke both back windows with a golf club. He then apologized and said he wasn't talking about anything of any kind for awhile. Then it turns out it wasn't one woman for a significant period of time...it was 12+, most of them porn stars or socialite sluts whose main job it seems is to sleep with VIPs. Definitely a bit different than the typical "plan".
I'm not saying it justifies the extra attention, but one can see why this whole thing has been a bit more incredulous than the normal famous-cheater routine.
PSN: TheScrublet
Tim Duncan: "I'm sorry to say that I was enraged over an unfortunate roll of the die in a D&D game and brutally assaulted a fellow game player."
It's the end of Act 2/beginning of Act 3 of his biopic movie starring Jaden Smith all ready-made!