If you haven’t already figured it out, let me break down how most of these athletes stories go throughout their career.
- The Hype – When a truly gifted athlete comes along they are heralded to almost mythical levels.
- The Fall – The scandal hits and the media and fans viciously turn on the athlete.
- The Rise – After knocking the athlete down a few notches fans and media want to slowly help them build themselves back up.
Tiger Woods is at the beginning of his “rise”. Ask Kobe Bryant or Michael Vick— it can be done no matter what the scandal was.
Tiger gets to go on ESPN the Magazine and say he isn’t perfect and how he is a changed man etc etc..
Tiger Woods appears on the front cover of ESPN The Magazine’s first “The Perfect Issue”.
The issue explores what perfection is and the pursuit of an elusive goal.
Other athletes featured in the issue are Kobe Bryant, Jimmie Johnson, Charles Woodson and Maya Moore.
You know it is just PR, but that is what the public and the media want to hear. I doubt Tiger has changed much— just now he is free to be the man-whore that most men are (looks like he already got a few new ladies).
In the end, doesn’t matter how many interviews Tiger does or how much he tweets, he has to win tournaments. Winners are forgiven losers well they just are losers.