First, I would like to say that I enjoyed watching that YouTube clip of Tiger when he was 2 years old on television. I had never seen that video clip before. When Tiger Woods first appeared on Oprah, and she referred to him as “America’s Son” and “just what America needs”, I agree with it because I think what she meant was that Tiger has shown that minorities can be successful. Also, as Cashmore (2008) states “Woods is a symbol of integrated America” (p. 621). Golf has always been a segregated sport, and it is a huge breakthrough because Woods is one of the greats.
I would definitely say that Tiger Woods projects a calculated image. He pretty much has to do whatever his endorsements tell him to do. As Bissinger (2010) states in his article, “he has always been the bionic man in terms of personality, controlling to a fault and controlled to a fault, smiling with humility and showing those pearly white teeth in victory or defeat, where even fellow pros and other insiders didn’t really know him, because he didn’t want anybody to know him. With Woods, everything was crafted to produce a man of nothing, with no interior—non-threatening and non-controversial.” I think this assessment was fair, because it is true and he got a lot of money to be that way.
I remember before the incident seeing Tiger Woods in so many commercials for various products, thinking that it was pretty smart because he is so well liked and idolized. He was the perfect promoter, but now I would definitely say that his marketability has gone down. For being such a great athlete, I just hope that the scandal isn’t his ultimate legacy.
Tiger Woods was nothing short of "Americans Son" which is one of the main reasons he taken so much criticism. Tiger and MJ were similar because the media love and respected them, but they both felt like their private life needed to be kept private. This causes a sense of isolation from society; therefore when something in their private life goes wrong it instantly becomes a major issue. Tiger Woods was the face of golf for twelve years then had a major collapse. Tiger is rebuilding and essentially starting his life over, and everyone and everything must change. I wasn't surprised Tiger fired his longtime caddie because he's starting over.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the video of Tiger Woods when he was two years old. It was amazing to see him at that age. Of course it also reflects how his father was pushing him at such a young age. And that probably made him more mentally tough. But I wonder if it also made him more calculating, as you mentioned from the Bissinger article. I hope that the scandal is not his ultimate legacy. But I also hope that Tiger can become grounded as a person so that his children have the kind of father they need.
ReplyDeleteThe video of Tiger at 2 is amazing when you think about the talent he showed, even at 2!! He was brought up to be a professional athlete since that age. His dad prepared him for just about every situation he would encounter. His actions in the public spotlight his whole career were picture perfect. You couldn't find an athlete that spoke better on camera than he did and the emotion and entertainment that he produced on the course was something we most likely will never see again in the world of golf. He was the picture perfect athlete in every aspect, who knows after the incident if he will ever be the same.
ReplyDeleteHey Kyle, I also remember all of the commerials that Tiger was involved in because of how well liked he was before his stories were leaked to the public. To me this was such a sad thing to watch because the effect it had on his family as well as the effect it had on the sport of golf itself. I also hope that this will not be his legacy and can find a way to overcome this.
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