Tiger Woods exploded onto the golf scene and took the PGA by storm. He became the most globally celebrated sports figure our generation has ever seen and the first since Michael Jordan became an owner and stepped out of the limelight. He seemed to win every time he teed up in an event. No one could match him, although there was a host of names that seem to try every week.
Then came Thanksgiving, a few years back, and the world according to Tiger, which we knew, exploded into a three ring circus fit for TMZ. Tiger was not the clean cut figure anymore that every dad would gladly let date their daughter. He was not the global image of squeaky cleanness that was portrayed. Tiger seemed to have fallen off the pedestal with a thud that was comparable to Krakatau’s eruption. Most celebrities with this amount of falloff would take to staying out of the public eye.
Yet, we are still talking about him. Keegan Bradleyjust won the PGA Championship and NBC seemed to be focusing on how bad Tiger played, rather than celebrating a 25 year-old’s momentous achievement. A week earlier Adam Scott won the Bridgestone Invitational and the biggest story was how Steve Williams (Scott’s caddy) reacted afterwards. Scott displayed a professionalism that is rarely seen when his victory came in second to the story of Tiger’s former caddy winning.
The story was that Steve was vindicated. Good for him. Not good for golf, Adam Scott, Tiger, or even the host of the tournament. As a true fan of the wonderful game of golf, I find myself intrigued by the fact that a record might be broken. I live for the moments when I can watch sports history happening. Tiger breaking Jack’s record of 19 Majors would have me glued to my seat. However, I find myself there for the game, not the man.