TAKING OUT THE GARBAGE

Many years ago I remember somebody saying to me that most of life was taking out the garbage. I think we can add the following corollary to that bit of wisdom: knowing how to efficiently clean up a mess will make life easier. Just ask Tiger Woods. Let’s quickly move past the gossip, crisis management rhetoric and statements from Tiger’s corporate sponsors, since we already know the following: he’s going to keep all the sponsors, his wife is not going anywhere, he will be forgiven by the public and he will continue to be the best golfer on the planet.

Let’s shift to a more useful question. What would we, as sports fans and everyday people, want Tiger to have said instead of that long and carefully crafted statement that was, obviously, written by his agency? I found myself getting angry reading this sales pitch meant to excuse his not being perfect and his right to be alone. In two instances he even makes reference to "a principle" (my quotes) he believes people should adhere to in terms of his privacy. Somehow, a guy who has just admitted to cheating on his wife with multiple women should avoid the word principle at all costs.

Wouldn’t it have been better if Tiger had simply said: my recent behavior has been shameful and embarrassing. "I have caused my family a great deal of pain and suffering and there is no way I can apologize enough to the people who I love and who love me. I know I have disappointed friends and fans as well. At some point in time I hope I can be forgiven. Now it’s time for me to help my family heal."

To me, this pretty much sums up the issue. It’s short, gets right to the point and reflects the level of emotional intensity it deserves. There is absolutely nothing else that is needed. Instead, we got this long and tedious term paper of a statement that reflects a profound level of tone deafness. Tiger clearly needs a new management company. So does Nike, by the way. At the end of the statement they released in support of Tiger they said, “our thoughts are with Tiger at this time.” I guess Nike thought someone in Tiger’s family had died.