Nothing, that’s what.
I heard most of the statement on the radio, and when it was over the first thing I thought was that it was good enough for me. As long as he wasn’t referencing ‘the situation’ or ‘the incidents’ or anything vague like that, I was good. He said he had affairs, and the he’d thought he’d earned the right to act a fool by working so hard to become the best golfer in the world. He apologized to his family, told the paparazzi to leave his kids alone, and said he’d do what he could to fix it. Nothing else needed to be said, in my book.
We don’t need to know exactly how many women there were, where the action went down, or if any of them were impregnated. We don’t need to know how he liked to get down, or what he said to any of the other women, or exactly how he got busted. We don’t need to know. Period. If you think you do, then I suggest you go buy some porn because all you’re really looking for is some voyeuristic pleasure to amuse yourself. You really don’t need to know.
That goes for the media, too. A lot of them sound as if they don’t necessarily want all the sordid details of Tiger’s extramarital escapades, but they do want revenge. Revenge for what, you say? Lack of access, that’s what. In one my early pieces for BSO, I explained how the true media basis was towards those who give them access.
Exhibit A: Brett Favre. If Favre acted like Barry Bonds, we’d have a deluge of stories about Favre the drinking, vicodin-addicted, mistake prone quarterback who’s lucky to still be in the league.
Michael Jordan allegedly had enough mistresses to make Tiger look like a rank amateur in the infidelity department, but we never heard many specifics and only one or two confirmations. Why do you think that is? Relationships matter.
Tiger has always had a condescending one with the media; not flat out hostile like Bonds, but definitely one where he always made it clear who needed whom the most. And now it’s payback time for them. They won’t rest until he’s crawling on his knees, begging for some positive press. But really guys, he doesn’t owe you anything either. He still doesn’t need you; get over it.
Again, he owes us nothing. He owes his family an apology, and a sincere effort to make things right. He owes whatever sponsors stick with him a cleaned up personal life, so that the image they choose to sell is true. That’s it. So if you’ve been bellyaching about him not being contrite enough for you, or whatever, just stop. He doesn’t owe you a damn thing.
