Well, we should have known it wouldn't last forever.
I'm talking about Tiger Woods's status as a do-no-wrong. It's gone now, never to come back.
Unless it turns out that the real reason Tiger left his house at 2 AM on Friday morning was to volunteer at a children's hospital, it will take a while for fans to root for him the same way again.
The problem with athletes like Tiger is that when they make a mistake, their career becomes defined by it. Roberto Alomar, despite his 2724 career hits and .300 batting average, will always be remembered for spitting in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck. Kermit Washington lost a sure long-time NBA career because of one punch to the face of Rudy Tomjanovich.
Though not as bad, how will we now watch Tiger on CBS at Augusta? Can we root for him in the same way again? The next time he blows a lead on Sunday (which might take a while; after all, it is Tiger Woods), will we blame it on the stress caused by this accident? Next time Tiger battles a despised enemy on the 72nd hole, will we lean on the edge of our seats like we did during those great fights in the past? (Luckily, our memories of those won't be stained.)
Again, this isn't just any athlete we're talking about. This is Tiger Woods, the greatest competitor since Michael Jordan. The untarnished Tiger will be back, but it will be a matter of time before he reaches that redemption.
-Tucker Warner
The larger than life the figure is, the more they're scrutinized, the harder they fall. It must be trying to be always in the spotlight and have no personal space. No doubt his game will recover, but I concur that we may never look at him the same again, which in and of itself is a shame. We all need heroes.
ReplyDelete