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On Friday, the world came to a pause as Tiger Woods addressed the media. All three major news networks covered his public statement and millions of viewers were waiting to hear what Tiger was going to say. The world paused for a 13 minute speech from Tiger Woods; not the President, not the Pope but for the man who has dominated the game of golf for the past decade. I couldn’t help but wonder… can an athlete impact our lives the way they impact the game?
Yes, they can.
I too was one of those viewers and yes, I reschedule a meeting so I could view his speech live. I can’t say I’ve ever rescheduled any part of my life for a State of the Union address, but when it comes to the State of Sports, I can’t take my eye off the ball.
I knew Tiger was sorry. I just wanted to know when he would return to golf. I felt like Tiger just made a bogy when his speech was over. The word golf was only mentioned twice. I’m awestruck by Tiger’s ability to play the game of golf, not for his ability to play the field. Unlike most women, I see Tiger as the most successful golfer to ever play the sport and not as the world’s worst husband.
I’m not saying that I agree or support his game off the course, but I’m not surprised either. Not that I thought Tiger was a bad husband before Thanksgiving, but given his fame and fortune Tiger had no one telling him “No”. His wife has a dozen reasons to call him a cheater. As a fan of golf, I’m not calling him a cheater because he never cheated the game of golf.
I do believe that Tiger will return to golf and when he wins his next PGA Championship we all will be calling Tiger a winner.