The PGA Tour Lives and Dies with Tiger

This post isn't anything new, but I just realized how much of an impact Tiger has on everyone watching. It's been around for quite a while. I've watched most of the weekend, mainly for hopes of Tiger pulling it out. As I type this, he's at -7 and 5 shots out. I don't see it.

Yet I pulled away from the TV because Tiger was melting down. Too many bogeys and poor tee shots. Then I ready a tweet that he sunk an Eagle, and I'm back in. I can only wonder how many other people are worse than I am with regards to the "Tiger Factor"

I actually spent the last five minutes thinking, what if Tiger didn't come back to play in the Masters? Would I even watch it? Would most of America? I don't know the statistical data, but I doubt it. Interesting. Very very interesting. The business side of golf/sports - how much one person can alter the income for an entire league.

There isn't one other single athlete right now who demands as much media attention as Tiger. Even before this whole thing. Whenever Tiger played, that was the story. Let's look at the comparable for other sports:
NBA - LeBron/Kobe
NHL - Ovechkin/Crosby
NFL - Tough choice, but Brett Favre gets the most attention, and then Manning/Brady
MLB - Alex Rodriguez

NONE of them get the attention that Tiger does. People watch a football game without Brett Favre in it. Nobody watches golf without Tiger. I understand the logic doesn't connect because of the differences in the sports and the local aspect (and that golf can be bloody boring to many people (I just said bloody)) of other sports for each city. I don't know of any other athlete that commands their sport or the entire sports world like Tiger. The last one I could think of would be Michael Jordan, but that was before my time.

To conclude, the PGA Tour needs Tiger. It could live without him, but I'm sure its sees at least 10x higher ratings/income when Tiger's in contention.

PS TIGER - STOP USING THE DRIVER OUt OF THE TEE BOX. IT NEVER WORKS. EVEN I KNOW THAT, AND I SUCK AT GOLF.

The New Tiger Woods Ad and My Excitement for the Masters

Tiger Speaks Tomorrow

Tomorrow at 11 AM the Tiger Woods scandal goes to an entire new level. After 3 months of settling down, he's coming "back" to make a statement at a press conference. There will be no questions, just a statement. Already everyone is going insane. TMZ is reporting that he'll show up in a Black SUV - WHO CARES WHAT CARE HE DRIVES.

The reality is that this story shouldn't be as big as it is. Infidelity is unfortunately all too common in our society, and just because the biggest athlete in the game isn't as innocent as we thought he was should not create this much panic.

Tiger doesn't owe us anything. He owes his wife, child, and family something. By something I mean more than half of his earnings, cause money can't fix a broken home. I mean an apology and a stern commitment to either better himself for his family or to remove himself from the situation as the mature thing to do. If he can't handle being married that's fine - but don't drag Elin through anymore - if she's willing to accept him back.

Whatever Tiger actually ends up saying tomorrow, it's going to cause a ruckus. He could announce he is coming back X date, and it'll be a big deal. He could say he's sorry, he's not sorry, he's this, he's that. It doesn't matter. We're so caught up in this debacle that we want ANYTHING. We're vultures waiting to feast on Tiger's scandal.

It's really getting sickening. Although I want to know what he has to say, I primarily want to know when he is coming back to the game - which is most important to me and the PGA Tour. While I don't think he should be rushed - he clearly has to figure out his family situation first - it's important for Tiger to get back to doing what Tiger does.

I hope tomorrow is a full admission. Let everything out. Get it out there. He's not allowing questions from reporters, so it'll make things more definite (PS - dumb or smart move by his PR team? I say smart given the amount of media presence that would be there - control the circus.) Let the news settle, come back to golf in X months. The selfish Tiger fanatic in my wants him to come back the week before the Masters to play in the Torrey Pines tournament, setting him up for the Masters and a potential big year for Tiger. But that's me being selfish.

What's still important though is getting Tiger's life together. If his family is too chaotic, there's a chance his golf will suffer, making the game and his life that much harder for him. I wish him the best, and a quick recovery back to the sport that made him famous.

Tiger Woods is Just as Human as You

So it's been a month since everything went downhill for Tiger. It's been a roller-coaster ride. I figured I would chime in now that we think we know everything.

Tiger might be my favorite athlete ever. Iverson was a strong option, Brian Dawkins did it too. I really liked Nomar Garciaparra, but he fell off so quick. Tiger's always been winning, and his sport allows him to keep winning for a long time. For over 12 years, he's been the most consistent, polished, winning athlete. He was always so poised, he almost seemed immortal. He never tried to be the country's favorite, he just wants to win. America loves Tiger, but we don't know much about him except for his golf career, which included his father's death.

Superstar athletes and celebrities assume all types of privileges, one of them including women. It's hard to find one who DOESN'T live life like a "rock star." I'm sitting here and can't think of one that I haven't heard rumors about cheating on their wife or getting divorced. A-Rod. Jordan. Varitek. Kobe. Duke Lacrosse (although innocent). They've all taken advantage of their positions, and for the first three, it ruined their marriages (although Kobe recovered.)

I don't want to say that everyone cheats on their significant other. It feels that way. You don't hear about the couples that stay together, because that's too boring. Most of my friends have at some point cheated on their girlfriend/boyfriend, many times without admitting to it to them. Maybe that's just us in our youth. I know several older married couples where they've caught their significant other cheating on them, and they stick together "for the kids." Divorce is brutal, but so is a marriage with no real substance. There's no right solution, other than don't cheat and make sure you're making the right choice when you commit to someone. It sounds easier sitting here than it actually is.

Tiger's case was 6 years in the making. How many other celebrities have girls on the side that we don't know about? If Tiger can fall, anyone can.

But the thing is, people don't really care. Sure, they care about scandal and gossip. But in the end, do people really view Tiger any differently? Nike called this a "minor blip" in their relationship. Only one of his sponsors dropped him. His golf game should be fine (2010 was set up for him to have a HUGE year). I think the reason why people don't care is because cheating has become so common, its almost like its no big deal. The bigger deal was that Tiger Woods wasn't who we thought he was - he was actually just like everyone else.