I’ve been trying not to jump into the Tiger Woods controversy the past several days. But, it’s no longer just a unusual car crash with a rumor of a mistress in the mix. It’s become a full scale tabloid fiasco for the most visible sports figure on the planet and it won’t go away.
I agree that much of this is a personal matter that Tiger and his wife Elin should be allowed to deal with privately. But you have to say to yourself after the stream of women who have come out saying they’ve had sex with the the golfing superstar, “What kind of idiot are you?”
Did you actually think all of this could go on and somehow it wouldn’t become public sooner or later? Listen, not everything that goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Tiger has now become a comedy pinball. You can’t turn anywhere without hearing a joke, seeing a satirical video or hearing a song created about Woods and his problems.
It’s gotten so large that today the media were swarming because an unknown woman was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night from his house. Speculation is it was his mother-in law.
Let’s forget all of this tabloid crap and get back to golf, the sport he plays and represents. Survey’s report his popularity has plunged 25% in the last two weeks. This is for a golfer who can mean millions to advertisers and tournaments if he’s playing in them or representing their products. He is Nike golf and that’s just one of his sponsors.
And then how will he actually perform when he returns to the golf course sometime next year? How will he handle the hecklers in the crowd? Will Steve Williams still be his caddy? You have to figure if Tiger’s wife is still around, Williams might not be. He had to know about all of these affairs going on on the road and I doubt she’d be comfortable with those two doing their road show in the future.
Could all of this impact his game? Maybe, probably. The future of golf may be changing right before our eyes. Just not in a way we expected.
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