Tiger & His People Cannot Absolve Him for Us
by Ryan Ballengee on Mar 17, 2010 10:25 AM EDT
in Pro Golf
31 comments
Last night, I was scouring Twitter for some final reaction to Tiger Woods' return announcement before heading to sleep. A follower of mine retweeted a message from IMG Golf's official account. Followed by just over 300 people, it has a tenth of the following that Waggle Room does. Not many people saw it, but this Tweet was quite remarkable.
Effectively, what IMG is saying is that Tiger should be absolved of all the wrong he has done and that fans should welcome him back as a professional golfer with open arms. They don't get to make that call. The fans do. The problem, though, is that Tiger's people give the impression that the fan does not matter.
This loaded 140 character message is just a micro-representation of the larger message that was sent by Woods choosing to make the Masters (and using the Tavistock Cup as a backup) the site of his return. It's about him. He wants control.
He wants to dictate which media get to grill him first. The folks at Augusta National do not tolerate media nonsense toward their own people, much less toward the number one player in the world. Almost certainly, Woods will talk about his golf game only and make no new pronouncements about the status of his marriage.
For what it's worth, the topic of his marriage is a private matter that was made public for him by the National Enquirer, Jaimee Grubbs, and the media. Despite that, Woods made it clear through his admission of transgressions on his website and his February 19th remarks that he wants to earn the trust back of his fans that may well have been caught by the shards from his shattered image. If that's truly the case, then Woods has to face the music. It doesn't have to be in a room of hundreds of media. A one-on-one would suffice. A full narrative isn't necessary, though appreciated. Fans have basic questions that they want answered and Woods can provide those.
That should be the public relations strategy employed by Team Tiger. Instead, though, IMG sends out a tweet that is giddy that Tiger is returning. Their financial interests aside, Woods' representation should not be signaling their glee about his Augusta arrival. Monica Lewinsky did not get to cheer on Bill Clinton when he delivered the State of the Union after being impeached, so how can the people working to polish everything off for Tiger be allowed to do so for him?
The absolution from the public has to come from the grass roots. The fans decide if they're ok with Tiger being back in golf. They were not personally impacted by his philandering, but their belief in him, his values, and what he stands for was compromised. If after the Masters or some other period of time they do find it in their hearts to believe in Tiger again - as he hopes - then his team can support him as much as they would like.
The problem with this kind of cheerleading is that it seems pretty clear now that Tiger did not absolutely have to delivery his remarks at Sawgrass when he did. Woods could have delivered those remarks at nearly any time in his process of recovery, which he says is still ongoing. Just like inside the ropes when learning a new technique, Woods will have to take whatever it is that he learned in Mississippi and Arizona on the road.
Tiger should be afforded that opportunity by his fans, but it is a critical part of the process that cannot be glossed over by his team. For him, his wife, his marriage, and his once-adoring public, this return process is critical. No step can be skipped. By the sounds of what is coming from his people, they are hoping this is the last step. Most likely, though, this is merely just the first.
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I don’t know if I’m just getting a feeling or if it’s actually true, but from what I’m seeing on Twitter and other outlets most fans seem to just be glad he’s back and are welcoming him with open arms. Which to me is a bit of a shame. Make the guy work a bit harder than that! All should not be forgotten in 4 months and a return to The Masters. But this is coming from a guy who was never the biggest Tiger fan to begin with. Always respected his game, how can you not? But I’d just like to see him squirm a bit and work harder to get his fans back.
I wasn"t going to get dragged into
this garbage pit, but I put on my rubber waders and here I am….I agree with Jeff…respect his game, you bet…he has talent in that area…As a person, 3irns always did say he was a waste…I had 1 personal experience with him, and it left a sour taste in my mouth…He refused to sign autographs for my grandsons and a bunch of other kids…Not so the other guys, they were great….Now…If anyone really thinks that this wasn’t the plan all along, you must have had your head in the sand…Look at the sequence of events and it all falls into place…And does anyone think he would let a major go by and not try for it? In a pigs left ear…He wants Jack’s record too bad…Forget all this BS we’re being fed now…Keep focused on the real issue….EXACTLY WHAT WERE HIS ADDICTIONS…Sex therapy my behind…sex is not an addiction, it’s a physical conception…Addictions are chemical in nature….I have asked this before…what is the cure for PAIN KILLERS AND SLEEPING PILLS….This whole thing started after the knee problems…Let IMG and all his spin people do their thing….I hope the media keeps digging so we get to find out…and they will, he can only hide so long and than it will come out…I for one can’t wait for both, to see him play and to hear the truth….STUB
RB, is that how you read those 140
letters/symbols? I don’t necessarily disagree with your take on the subject, but I don’t know how you got that from that tweet. Tiger, Team Tiger and IMG could not have mishandled this situation more poorly if they tried. But, for all intent and purpose, it is over.
I do not believe Tiger will ever answer the questions some media people wish to ask. He is going to have to live with the fans’ behavior at tourneys, regardless of how boorish. He has to proceed forward with his family. He has to live with himself.
Not all addictions are chemical in nature. Perhaps the most damaging addiction of all, gambling, is a good example. Even with chemical addictions, the obsession and compulsion aspects of the addiction are not chemical. I think Tiger is selfish, self-centered and very immature. But, he seems to be getting better and we seem to be getting worse.
I'll keep an eye out for you...at www.oneeyedgolfer.blogspot.com
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Mar 17, 2010 11:53 AM EDT reply actions
I think the interpretation of the tweet could be different based on the person. It just struck me that way as I read it and led to what I wrote.
I really don’t feel that Tiger owes people answers about each lady, or anything like that. More or less, I think some kind of general summary would make everyone really happy. Again, he doesn’t owe that – I hate saying that he owes anything – but it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Mar 17, 2010 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Ryan,...I think you are absolutely correct.
Tiger doesn’t owe us personal details about his philandering. But he owes the game, and it’s integrity, to come clean about prescription addictions, his over dose at Thanksgiving, why his emergency med. records where with held from the FSP and records about his involvement with the Canadian doctor. If Doug Baron had his med. files laid open to the public, then why not Woods ?
you're still away,...choke on it !
I hate to sound ignorant, but I do not know who Doug Baron is.
I'll keep an eye out for you...at www.oneeyedgolfer.blogspot.com
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Mar 17, 2010 3:56 PM EDT reply actions
OEG please allow this "real golf fan, yours truly" help you out here
Doug Barron is a touring golf professional on the PGA tour. 2006-2008. Currently on suspension from the PGA. Nationwide Tour 2008-2009.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
One eye...
he’s the first person that was suspended by the Tour for testing positive….and that for taking medications that he needed to function….all Doctors verified by the way….He had also informed the Tour that he needed the meds and applied for one of their exrmptions, which they denied…STUB
But, his name isn't Tiger.....so he's the scape goat!
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
Wow RB
A simple welcome back and good luck is all I get from that. What’s wrong with some simple well wishes? Seems very appropriate to me. Anyway, I think it’s time for this story to turn towards golf, hopefully it will.
Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth, or the only truth.
Charles A. Dana
Jumpn.....
Yeah, and if you believe that, I have some golf balls to sell you!!!……lol
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
You do ?
Any Callaway by chance ? My warehouse tells me we only have about 124 dozen left.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
You know I'm a Pro V guy......
don’t run out of those…you’ll need those when MW wins her 3rd tournament this year…..lol
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
LMAO
She hasn’t even gotten off the bench yet. No wait, I’m wrong, she got of the bench to go “to you know like the Mall” weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
Ryan, I am pretty suspicious of progolf, thinker & em66.
They ‘coincidentally’ joined WaggleRoom a few days before the Tiger incident. (3irons a few days later).
Somehow, I honestly think they are the blame for this entire TW debacle. I think they somehow set Tiger up. You know, cut the brake line on the Escalade. Sent fake text messages to unsuspecting females. That kind of dirty tricks.
I know you’ll be busy in Augusta. I’ll keep an eye on them for you.
I'll keep an eye out for you...at www.oneeyedgolfer.blogspot.com
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Mar 17, 2010 9:49 PM EDT reply actions
Doug Barron, I should have remembered his name and
the incident. Damn, it wasn’t that long ago. I remember what I had for breakfast my first day of Little League baseball in 1957 and forget a major golf story from last month? Early dementia?
I even tried ‘google’ and nothing decent came with the spelling as I saw it “DOUG BARON”. But, I should have recognized the name.
Thanks to all three of you…
I'll keep an eye out for you...at www.oneeyedgolfer.blogspot.com
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Mar 17, 2010 9:56 PM EDT reply actions
OEG......
I don’t know about dementia, but based on your prior post I can smell some real paranoia coming from your direction. Just remember if we can get TW, then we can get you too!!!
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
EM66
Maybe somebody should explain “How Doug Baron” was set up, to Tigerhead and a few other “suck-ups”. Not that he’ll accept anything that goes against his beliefs according to The Gospel of St. El-Dick. LMFAO …………………..Z.
you're still away,...choke on it !
Why wait?
I for one, am all ears as to why Doug Baron was “set up” for taking something he knew violated Tour rules. I’m not interested in the right or wrong of what he did, so don’t bother with that. Just the facts.
Play it as it lies
Barron wasn’t set up to take the testosterone shot he did (which he admitted to me and in court papers), but he does suspect that the Tour targeted him for testing because they knew there was a chance he might stumble.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Mar 18, 2010 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Ryan......
Maybe they targeted him because he had been denied the exemption (or whatever it’s called) and they knew he would probably follow his doctors advice, and maybe legal advice, and take the shots. I take a testosterone shot each month and the difference in how I feel is amazing. Before the meds, I was struggling to finish 18 holes and usually was worn out after 13 or 14 holes. Now I can play all day and I feel great…..no comparison!
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
Then you
LOVE what is going on in DC right now. What a joke!!!
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
LMAO ! sadly – those aren’t conspiracy theories – that’s devastating reality
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Sooooooooooo,
You are say our country has become Chicago??? Crap! I don’t know why the Muslims are spending so much effort trying to destroy us, when Obama and his ilk will destroy us much quicker. Makes me sick.
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
RB,....
Exactly ! The Tour knew he’d test positive, and then they"d have their" fall guy" for the IOC. The results of those tests were then made public. This was the Tour “grandstanding” at it’sworst.They revoked Doug Baron’s ability to make a living. They have also suspended Daly for “conduct unbecoming”. But they show no consistencey with how they treat Woods, and THAT is a sensitive issue with a lot Tour guys I know. Most notably" Members of the Empire", if you catch my drift…………….Z.
you're still away,...choke on it !
The Same
Members of the empire who have been beaten down along with the Locals for the past 14 years. If Cheating on your wife is conduct un-becoming, then the links would be pretty bare. Funny how the “members of the empire” are invading the Tour to collect checks that are inflated largely because of Woods’ presence. If he were banned from the tour, and decided to play in the “empire” then these same “lads” would return to the “empire”, because purses there would go up. Here’s the deal. Tiger is the only Professional Golfer of relevance today. This is why you stalkers post with such tenacity on his articles. You hate him, but you can’t stay away. Couldn’t beat him on the course, so (pitifully) you have tried to launch silly little attacks against him. He’s coming back, and he will continue to kick these “professionals” Arses, from here to the “empire”. You all know it too, thus the conspiracy speak, and the other nonsense you spew. Funny how nobody says “i want to kick his butt when he returns”. They say he’s the best golfer in the world and we need him back out here. You should be posting about the softness of the………..competition. A bunch of sniveling losers. Step up to the plate. Phil Mickelson. HA. How’s that working out? LMFAO!!! All i keep reading is a bunch of jealous jerks speaking nonsense. Beat the guy on course. How about that. Don’t try to ban him. What a Pu**y approach. Beat him on the course…………….. I know “we can’t”.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Mar 18, 2010 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions
F's......You actually made a couple of
correct statement…..Yes, cheating on your wife is unbecoming. And YES the competition today is lacking. If the scumbag had played during the Nicklaus era, he would have been just one of the guys, maybe 4 or 5 majors……so good for you… 2 for 2.
I gotta tell ya, your luv rants are quickly moving you up the top ten list of suck-ups. You should get in touch with ChicagoDuffer……you guys could get together and maybe “touch” each others pictures of Tiger…..how sweet that would be. What a kodak moment…….hahahahahaha.
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
4 of 5 majors
Man you live in a totally delusional state, but i understand. Coming from where you’ve come from in 55 years on this planet. The world today must be tough on you. Tiger, and Obama……………You would have never thunk. People like you from the ahem…….bible belt. Just wanted things to stay the same. The old Masters credo. Blacks can work at the golf course, but they couldn’t play. Now fast forward to this era. Oh man, a man of color dominating Golf, and a President of Mixed parentage. Oh my goodness. Well sir, this is the era you find yourself living in. You can hide in your gated community, and spew all the over the top venom you will, but maybe someday your Grandchild will date a person of color. It’s called diversity, probably not in your household, but it’s a good thing. You’ll continue watching Tiger, because you “hate” him so much. You’re a fan, but your history precludes your acknowledging it. Stay tuned.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Mar 19, 2010 9:55 AM EDT reply actions
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