Not A Tiger. Just A Man.

I just can't take anymore of the Tiger-bashing. I'm bored with all of this scrutinizing and inaccurate psychoanalysis.  The fact that Tiger Woods turned his back on his faith and had a previously-unfathomable amount of extra-marital affairs has been over emphasized.  The fact that his personal choices have damaged his earning power has also been overstated.  The recent topic of 'sex addiction' has pushed me to a point that all of these so-called professional journalists have to be put in their place.

Tiger doesn't have a sex addiction.  Personally, I don't believe there is such a thing.  An addiction would indicate that he is incapable of refusing sex.  Though a couple of Tiger's mistresses were less-than-appealing in my opinion, and there is an astounding amount of them, it seems as though he was somewhat selective.  I would argue that this presentation of evidence refutes addiction claim. How?  Not a one of them is black or Asian or Hispanic. He hand-selected these women.  Crackheads won't turn down a rock that isn't the 'right' color. They don't shy away from a dealer because the dude looks shady.  That's an addiction.

(A PB & rock sandwich. Is it 5 o'clock?)

What Tiger has is a complex. It's a complex borne of life-long success which has resulted in an addiction to the word 'yes.' This addiction to the affirmative is an affliction that many successful people encounter and struggle with. I'm not limiting this to world-class, nationally recognized people.  Anyone that has been a big fish in their pond could fall victim.  And the size of the pond doesn't matter. Big fish like to get their nibbles. For a long time, even I couldn't stand being told 'no.'  I was a spoiled kid, and a standout athlete.  I got used to getting what I wanted, when I wanted from someone.  A pair of shoes from my grandma. Wrestling tickets from my uncle. You think Tiger Woods got more or less first-class treatment than me?  Exactly. That's where this situation comes from.  He said it himself. 'I knew my actions were wrong. But I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself.' 

Consider all of the politicians, movie stars and other athletes that have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar: Martin Luther King, Jr, Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, JFK, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'neal, Wesley Snipes, Hugh Grant, Charlie Sheen, even Tiger's dad! I could go on and on.  These men weren't necessarily unhappy with their wives. Nor were they ill with a sex sickness.  Ego was the problem.  These are highly competitive people with an aversion to being told no for anything, which probably began somewhere around grade school.  Money, power and fame clouded their judgement... but they all recovered.  Some got divorced. Some were able to stay married.  But their recoveries all began with an apology.

(Ladies' man.)

While I commend him for his apology's content, not missing a chance to acknowledge everyone affected by this (with the exception of any of the hussies that blew the whistle on him in the first place). The lack of true emotion leaves me with an odd feeling.  I realize that Tiger isn't as charismatic as many of the mega-endorsers happen to be, I'm sure he's human enough to be sorry and really mean it. I liked the fact that his press conference was limited to a lone statement by him, and not followed by questions. This ordeal doesn't need anymore circus-like media frenzy. Really, he doesn't owe any answers anyway.  Personal mistakes don't require public apology. However, if you ever find yourself on television apologizing for something you got caught doing three months ago, I suggest making your production believable. He came accross as robotic. I interpreted his apology as an apology for getting caught.

Tiger's gonna have to play a lot of golf over the next 30 years because
 Elin's taking his kids and a lot of his money with her. 

Situations like this frustrate me about our society. We're so quick to dismiss someone's shortcomings or flaws as illness.  I'm not saying that his persecution is unjust because I believe that it is, but I'm not onboard with trivializing his choices by classifying them as a glitch or minor imperfection or as something that can be cured. Tiger made bad choices because he wanted to make them.  In the back of his mind, he thought that he had enough money and fame to cure the evils he was subjecting himself to.  Life is about choices. The choices a person makes will shape their life, and there's no reset button.  If Tiger's truly sorry, then this personal hell he's created isn't going anywhere.

Not only does he have to re-invent himself, he has to prove himself all over again. He's going to have a line to walk for a while. When Tiger comes back to golf, he has to win.  If he wants his endorsements back, if he wants the media to relax, if he wants to off-set that child support and alimony, he has to win. A lot.