And the Award Goes To …

The Award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series goes to … Tiger Woods!

(insert polite PGA-style applause here)

“But most of all I’d like to thank my acting coach and marketing director for helping me rehearse this speech. I look forward to getting all of this behind me so I can get my balls out of storage and my putter back into action. What?! Golf balls! Putter, as in golf club, you know, that thing with a long shaft that I used for a hole in one … oh, c’mon people, you’ve all seen me play. I’m determined to reach all my goals and to get what I want. My actions are inspired by my name.”

Wood?

“No, Tiger.”

How does an obviously talented sports figure with a great personality, a good look and an inspiring life story get to the point where he is in the spotlight for behavior that brings embarrassment to his family and shows a side of his persona that completely contradicts his positive image as a role model? We have already learned a valuable lesson from him that someone can achieve excellence in a craft from persistence and determination. Another lesson seems to be that there is a huge potentially negative side to fame and talented would-be athletes can learn from this and guard against it happening to them. Or would-be athletes can learn that fame results in some amazing opportunities, wink wink.

More questions come to mind: do we really have to be exposed to this much of a celebrity’s personal life? Is it any of our business? Isn’t this an issue between him and his wife and not us? Does an athlete really have to be a role model?

He is not the first athlete to cheat on his wife. Back in medieval times (twenty years ago) the media would have ignored most of this. Now it’s the lead story. Is it the media’s fault or is the media just satisfying our own voyeuristic curiosity? Now that you mention it, just how many women did he have? What do they look like? Older? Younger? Anyone famous? Anyone from the LPGA?

“No, really, I am sorry. Can’t you tell by my body language? Look, I’m holding on to this podium for dear life. Hey, they told me I have to do this. It’s Step 4. Or maybe 5. How many are there again? Twelve!!! Sheesh!!”