Let’s Move on from This Tiger Issue

27pitches is happy to open the forum to our friend Dave Jacober, a New England guy residing in NYC. Dave and I went to school together at Gettysburg College and now that our buddy (and his ex-roommate) has taken the leap and is planning his wedding, Dave will have more time to sit at home alone pondering when he will find the one. This also allows for many more guest postings, so I encourage those who think that he’s dead wrong or want to voice their approval of his sentiments to light up the comment lamp and keep him to come back for more.

So… I was planning on doing my first post about the winter meetings. That special time of year when Scott Boras gets to play the role of the Fed by ignoring the real market value of his assets and begin his price fixing schemes. But over the past week I have been inundated with calls, texts, and emails (some from my grandmothers) about Tiger. The blogosphere is a buzz about Tiger and his “ extra-marital activity.” Here is my opinion why.

We as a society are fascinated with perfection, with the idea that there are individuals in the world who can do things that the rest of us can only dream about. This is why we watch sports; sure competition is a major part of it, but for the most part we love to marvel at people doing things which we cannot. Which brings me to Tiger. Let me start by saying that I am not huge golf fan. I watch it the same way I watch the stock ticker: I check in and move on, just to get an idea of what the market (ie the field) is doing. Then wait or search for that specific stock (the golfer) to see if it’s up, down or flat. But Tiger is different; I am actually enthralled watching him move up and down the course because of the extraordinary things he can do with his clubs. But just because Tiger is superhuman on the golf course does not negate the fact that he is a hu-MAN in his thirties. Meaning he is susceptible to the same problems and temptations that all other men his age face.

With a smile like that, Tiger is sure to retain his sponsorships.

Forget the celebrity. Now let me preface this statement by saying that I myself look forward to having children and believe that they are a gift.  Now with that disclaimer out of the away: Tiger has been married for some time and has kids, which means prior to his children being born his wife was all about him. Then things change as they should: Elin became a mom, which means her attention shifted to her children and away from Tiger. So Tiger did what some men do: he went out looking for “the strange.” Chris Rock put it best when he said that most men are as faithful as their options and, in Tiger’s case, the dude has a plethora of options. He probably wanted some attention from lesser women (in this case a lot lesser) who would be all about Tiger. Clearly he is not a player. Players don’t leave evidence they have assistance with cell phones so that when “the strange” keep your texts it doesn’t lead back to you.

1/3 Black, 1/3 Asian, 1/3 Actual Tiger

Now here comes the barrage of media pundits on their moral high horses saying that he betrayed all of us with his actions. Jason Whitlock wrote a very good article about these people, you can check it if you want. My point is who the hell are we to judge? Did he screw up royally? Ohhh yeah. Should he be labeled a bit of an ass? Of course. But haven’t all of of us done something and thought, “wow, at the time that seemed like a good idea,” and then come to our senses and realized, “oh s*** what the f*** was I thinking?”  Look, Tiger likes to win, he is competitive with himself, that’s what makes him Tiger. Guys like him (Jordan, Brady, Ali, Russell) would probably kick their moms in the head to win. That is what makes them elite and that is why we love them. They are so competitive that it takes them to a whole level above everyone else on the field. Which in some cases is hard to turn off and when the spotlight–any spotlight–isn’t on them it’s tough. Tiger made a mistake; actually, if you believe his accusers he made a few of them, over and over again.

We love perfection, yes, but we love finding flaws in people more. So while I don’t condone the mistakes Tiger made, this really is a family matter and he and his wife deserve some bloody privacy. I don’t know Mrs. Woods but I am sure she is embarrassed and doesn’t need or want a horde of people giving its opinions about what has happened. I doubt any of those pundits would like us mingling in their personal arguments regarding their families. So let’s just relax. I know it’s a sexy story because it has heroes, lies, sex and betrayal, but really, with the healthcare debate and the best reality show ever about to be aired (The Jersey Shore), don’t we have enough to talk about?

(Oh, and a side note: unlike my friend and the founder of this forum I really like Bill Simmons, I find him funny and very witty.)