I didn't want to discuss the Tiger thing this much but my wife and I had an interesting discussion on the way to dinner last night.
I have stated previously that I don't care that Tiger cheated on his wife. She is the only person that deserves an apology and not the public at large. However, when baseball players admit they used steroids, they have to issue a public apology.
Now, steroid use doesn't get under my skin that much. Everybody cheated and no one surprises me anymore. I'd like to think that all the players were clean and the few that have come out are aberrations, but I know better. I will say that Barry Bonds cheating bothered me.
Bonds was great, maybe the best baseball player of a generation. It was like he was built in a laboratory. He routinely hit .300, hit 30 home runs and drove in 100 runs. He played gold glove defense, albeit in left field, and also would steal 20 to 30 bags. He even had a 40/40 season. Apparently this wasn't enough for him and he had to cheat to get that obscene 73 home runs season and break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record.
The only reason I can think this bothers me is that Bonds and others cheated the game. We marvel at the feats they achieve only to be disappointed when its tainted. Tiger only made a covenant with his wife and broke that. Cheaters of the game broke the public trust and I guess that is why.
I need some opinions from everyone else about why it bothers the public more when the game is cheated than when an athlete cheats on his wife.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I don't care if Tiger cheated but as a woman I like to think his wife took him out for it....maybe she is the role model in the family not him and if so then how many other women will stand up and say that they don't deserve to be treated like that...Just because the world thinks you are great it doesn't mean you can treat your wife like crap.
Who cares if he cheated? First of all, that's his own problem. I'm tired of hearing about it. He and his wife can deal with that privately.
Secondly, I'm sure his wife doesn't care either. Let's be honest, she's only with him for the money, and she's going to get whatever she wants. At least, that's my opinion based on all this talk about them re-drafting the prenup. But that's not our place to judge anyway.
Third, his cheating didn't taint the sport in any way. It just makes him look like a ________ (insert choice word. i couldn't think of anything G-rated to put here). My only problem with it as it relates to the sport is that it sets a bad example for all the kids who look up to Tiger as a role model. But I blame the media for making such a big deal out of it. If they just left it alone, that wouldn't be an issue.
On the issue of steroid use, that certainly is cheating on the sport. It's a complete letdown to any fan when you find out that your favorite athlete is cheating to become a better player. People all over the world look up to athletes for their incredible speed, strength, balance, etc. It just hurts when you find out that it's fake or that the person is "cheating" to attain that skill.
Nate, you're looking at this all wrong.
"I need some opinions from everyone else about why it bothers the public more when the game is cheated than when an athlete cheats on his wife."
It doesn't bother the "public" more when the game is cheated on. It bothers them MUCH less. Reflect on the women who are interested in the Tiger saga. Most of those women could care less about Bonds, Clemens, Palmeiro...etc., and their seroid use. TMZ.com has been all over the Tiger drama, and refused to mention anything about the rampant steroid problem in baseball during past years. People are obsessed with the Tiger Woods story because he's a billionaire, he's one of the most well-known athletes in the world, and had everything he could possibly imagine. Think of it this way: Tiger had as close to the "perfect" life as possible. Reflect on your dreams as a little kid. I'm sure you wanted to be a rich, powerful, professional athlete, have a supermodel wife, and not have a care in the world. That's what Tiger had. This situation makes people think that if Tiger can't be happy, then no one can be happy and have the "perfect" life. That makes people feel better about themselves and their relationships.
This is the last I'll say about Tiger. I'm so tired of this story, and can't wait until it fades away. People think Tiger is a bad guy for what happened. How can you blame the guy? From the age of three, Tiger has been told how fantastic he is. His ego is so big, through no fault of his own, that we can't comprehend it. Imagine everywhere you go someone is there to do everything for you. Every bar you go to, gorgeous women throw themselves at you. Tiger has so much money that he couldn't live a "normal" life even if he tried. For anyone to say, "If I was Tiger, I would've done things differently", is crazy, because we can't comprehend the lifestyle he leads.
What if TW's wife is a bitch at home? What if she doesn't scissor him enough behind closed doors?
steve is in the right direction...the public cares about Tiger becuase his story is being run by TMZ, entertainment tonight, and other hollywood rags. none of these outlets touched Barry. they didn't bring up clemons or pettite. how many times have you seen access hollywood cover the nfl draft.
you're essentially dealing with two different audiences. Sports fans wonder how this will affect the Masters. the "public" wonders how this will affect...i'm not sure what they wonder about. just more celeb crap to talk about.
the only thing sad for tiger (unless he loses time with his kids) is that he has entered the world of perez hilton. hopefully he stay away from paris hilton.
Post a Comment