quote:Tiger's father died in 2006. How far back does Tiger's nonsense date? Three years. None of this would have happened under the watchful eye of dad.
You might be on to something there. The only reason I basically watched golf was to see if Tiger could win a major. I believe not only has his personal life slipped in the last three years but his game has as well. Even though he has won a major here or there, the frequency of them have gone down. Moreover, the dominance he used to display has slipped. This was never in more evidence as he lost the PGA this past year when holding a lead in the final round.
I don't feel as judgmental toward Tiger as some do. Bascially, none of us know what it is like to have no limits on any thought that might enter our minds. Far from excusing him and his debauchery, I can see a decent comeback for him. He starts by taking this hiatus which I believe will expose many of the double standards that are out there and especially how even "good" people will/can look the other way when large sums of money are involved. You'll see the PGA tour lose the tremendous interest it has enjoyed with Tiger and thus I think they will be begging for his return. I think the sponsors may also start feeling the same way. In other words, the world without Tiger is much worse than a flawed Tiger in it. If he stays away long enough and then returns as his dominant self, people will be lining up to pay and yes admire him. It seems that is just the way our society is. I believe he can turn this whole thing around by just staying away (perhaps a few years) and bascially forcing the media to beg his return.
Back to the topic at hand, I don't think Tiger is any bigger than any of the other sports figures mentioned. I just believe he has gotten more exposure and thus he "appears" bigger. I also believe up till now, the media has wanted him to appear bigger. Jack Nicklaus is still more accomplished than Tiger yet it seems like no one even brings him up any more. Babe Ruth is still a mythic figure in baseball and all he basically had was radio exposure in his day. No one will ever convince me that the hype and distortion of the modern media out-trumps the Ruth's and the Gretzky's of other sports.