Tiger Woods: International Player and Role Model?
With a button-push of his cell phone, Tiger Woods can grab the attention of the world media whenever he needs or wants it. The attentive eyes that once looked up to him with respect at the drop of a hat, however, now look down on him with disappointment. We can still badger him for advice to use on the golf course, but even his close friends will look elsewhere for tips on their personal lives.
Woods has announced that he will return to golf in April of 2010 when he plays at the Masters. Even though he may come back to golf and surprise us all with a win, would it really change our opinions of him?
Many sports analysts have suggested that Tiger Woods can overcome his personal embarrassment by simply returning to golf, winning tournaments, and shifting the attention. This might be true, especially for golf fans. After all, the attention Woods has received over the years has been a direct result of his golfing ability.
Winning, however, will not be enough for Tiger Woods to regain the status he held just months ago. It was a simpler time when his private, personal life remained dormant to the public while his chase for the Majors record kept us occupied.
Now, since the tables have shifted, Woods’ personal life remains on the forefront of the general public’s mind. Again, golf fans might feel more willing to put Woods’ personal indiscretions aside for the greater good of the game, but most people will not soon forget that Tiger Woods, at one time, had more mistresses than Major wins.
It is said that professional athletes are not responsible for being role models; they are just showing up to work like everyone else. Technically, this is true. However, you could equate that logic to a person choking on a piece of steak. Are you obligated to perform the Heimlich maneuver on them? No. Should you? Most people would say yes. Whichever choice you make, you will affect that person’s life due to the circumstances you are in. Yes, this might be an extreme example, but it gets the point across.
Professional athletes are in a situation where they will inevitably shape the lives and perspectives of their younger, impressionable fans. If an athlete of Tiger Woods’ status and influence makes the mistakes he has made, should we want him to continue to influence young golfers worldwide?
Tiger Woods is the definition of an international athlete. He displays his golf magic on courses all over the world and has cheering fans at every stop. Millions of people watch him on television and this success has transformed his name into a brand. But now that his less-than-moral personal indiscretions have been revealed, can we look at him the same way? Should we ignore Tiger Woods, the person, just so we can once again enjoy Tiger Woods, the golf genius? That is up to each person to decide for themselves. The same goes for the following question:
Is Tiger Woods Still the World’s Greatest Athlete?
First, we should think about what defines a “great” athlete. While he might have the ability to rake in the highest cash total at the end of the year and make a ten-foot putt when it actually matters, Tiger Woods is not a good role model. To me, professional athletes are role models by nature because their careers primarily involve performing actions for an audience. A professional athlete does not choose whether or not to be a role model, but whether they will be a good one or a bad one . If your job consists of playing a game you love, the least you could do is set a decent example for the people that make it possible. Aside from the problems that already exist with his attitude and actions on the course, Tiger Woods’ decisions in his personal life have rightly damaged his reputation. If you believe that having moral standards as a human being and making responsible choices outside of the sport are necessary for a person to be considered a great international athlete, than you should not consider Tiger Woods one of them.
The most telling piece of the puzzle comes when you consider how well Tiger Woods played golf throughout the time he was partying around the world. Being an avid golfer myself, I understand that it is a mental sport before anything else. If you are thinking about the electric bill you forgot to pay while you are trying to make a six-foot putt for par, you will miss nine out of ten times. Therefore, the strength with which Woods played golf during this dark time in his life seems to reveal how little his moral values affect him.
Tiger Woods will play well at the Masters. If history has shown us anything, it’s that Woods could play the U.S. Open with a hurricane just minutes away. He will continue to be one of the greatest golfers of all time, but only your personal opinion will reveal if he is still the world’s “greatest” athlete.
If you think Tiger Woods has lost his status as the World’s Greatest Athlete…WHO SHOULD TAKE HIS PLACE?
Awesome pics! I adore the post so much! 😉
Thank you!
I hope you’ll keep checking back and leave a comment or two
You make a great point:
“I never seem to hear anyone famous say they did not want to be a role model until he or she gets caught with their pants around their ankles”
Athletes are role models, plain and simple. Whether they want the responsiblity or not, they are creating an example for anyone following their personal and/or professional life.
For the record, I personally do not believe people should look at athletes, or any celebrities in general, as role models. Obviously many celebrities of all kinds show good moral character and judgement, but they are generally so distant from us that we can’t truly get values that will stick.
Well, first let me admit that I know nothing about golf. I don’t watch it and my favorite player is David Love III, simply because I like his last name. LOL. But here is what I think, Tiger is a household name. He has been if you say Tiger in a crowd everyone thinks Woods and then golf. Does he have a responsibility as a mentor and visual figure, yes he does. As children we all have dreams. Dreams of being a famous musician, actor, or a famous sports figure. If you want to be the best in the world it is expected that your life is under survalience. Sports figures are no different. When Ben Affleck was dating J. Lo, they were all over the place because that is how they chose to live their lives. Now they are each married (to other people) and have children and I hardly hear about them.
Being in the public eye relates to what you do in it. I never seem to hear anyone famous say they did not want to be a role model until he or she gets caught with their pants around their ankles…no pun intended.
Thank you for your well written comments, I agree with most of what you have written here, but I do not believe that Woods’ situation is a “tame” one.
It is true that Tiger Woods has dominated his sport, for many years, more than anyone else has in any other sport. With the difficulty of the game combined with the pressure of the audience, his accomplishments are truly impressive (unless more connections with steroids arise; then isn’t it all just meaningless?).
I don’t believe golfers have less free time than other athletes, particularly the golfers like Woods who have all the power they could need to travel, relax, and enjoy themselves any time, anywhere. Plus, golfers do not have to spend time studying plays and specific dynamics for team sports. Golf is definitely it’s own unique monster, but I would not say it requires any more or less time than other professional sports.
The two things that caught me the most off guard in your post were when you said “He’s done no damage, except to his marriage,” and “don’t you think this ‘Tiger’ is a bit tame in comparison.” My main problem with Tiger Woods is the ease with which he built this situation. How could a non-robot win Majors in that context? I do not believe he was tame in any way.
It seems that the general public is etching it in their minds that Woods only spent intimate time with the women who have stepped forward, with the ones who have gained a pinch of the spotlight and grabbed some attention. They are a distraction to the fact that between each of their encounters, he probably had two more.
His stone-like attitude kept it hidden, but for another man I would acknowledge the relief he would feel at this point. It doesn’t seem possible that Woods, after displaying such a lack of emotion, would feel relief after knowing he no longer had to live a lie
I would say Tiger Woods has been the most consistent high scoring athlete in his area of golf, even compared to top baseball players. Let’s look at your typical famous sports star, from hockey, car racing, tennis, basketball to you name it.
Most of these guys have more time outside of their focus on their game to do things to make their life stimulating. Why is it so surprising that Tiger had more than one lady on his mind. Every sports celebrity has their groupies and some like Tiger get obsessed with some lady and have an affair or more, not caring about the consequences of their actions.
They think that they’re invincible on the playing field as well as in bed. They have the money to ease the pain and buy off any problems that come along. They say that having sex helps creativety so Tiger certainly has had his share of that and that is why he is still great at his game of golf, don’t you figure?
I don’t feel he is really much distracted at all by the media trying to find fault with him. The media is noted for that formula of bringing a super star up and then as soon as there is some crazy thing going on in their lifestyle, then they try to bring them down. The media does not want a perfect sports player. It is a stupid feeding frenzy. It’s all a bunch of hypocritical nonsense. Does Tiger think he’s selfish? I don’t think so. One has to separte the lifestyle, that he has, which is really not that weird compared to what we see in the news tabloids constantly. He’s done no damage, except to his marriage. He’s got focus on his game.
When we read about other star figures, whether in sports or Hollywood, who are always crashing their car, high on drugs, or drunk stupid and winding up in jail, don’t you thing this ‘Tiger’ is a bit tame in comparison?
Great comments, thanks Kal.
I second your “Go Phil!”, but I must say I’d like to see Padraig Harrington sneak in and take Wood’s place.
Fantastic point about Woods taking attention away from the rest of the players, I got so caught up with Tiger Woods and his crazy problems that I never really considered that he is making his return at THE MASTERS. This will not only make this classic Major tournament a media circus, but don’t you think the players will be affected by it? I mean, with all of this hullabulloo surrounding Woods, players who might otherwise play well may not.
Tiger Woods and the media mob following his every move will be there at the Masters in April, but it will only go to show that selfishness is still Tiger Woods’ main priority.
Doesn’t he see the problem with this?
I agree with your assessment of Tiger. He has been spoiled since he was two & on television. He is coming back at the Masters and it doesn’t seem fair to the other players because he will take so much attention away from the players who have earned it. Maybe he will come back a much more polite player but I don’t think he can change enough to be one of my favorites. He i s still the bst player in the world but sure is no roll model. Go Phil!