Tiger’s public apology made headlines last week, with some sympathizing with his vulnerable demeanor and others belittling his ‘contrived’ mea culpa. Seriously though, why should Tiger be obligated to apologize to ANYONE other than his wife and kid? Despite the apology, he has been mocked and derided by scores of moral-policing whiners who probably have more skeletons in their own friggin’ closets. There was certainly no legal or moral obligation on Tiger’s part to explain his behavior to the public. He is a grown man and an individual who has the right to live his life the way he wants without being subject to the hypocritical outrage displayed by eternal whiners. Besides his super-human ability to play the game of golf, he is after all just human like everyone else, along with all the imperfections. What? Tiger Woods not allowed to have shortcomings? Get over yourselves whiners.
Did he have to apologize? The answer is yes, but not because of any need to explain any wrongdoing(s) to anyone. Tiger does tons of commercials that rake in millions of dollars, and as his unfortunate saga unfolded, his sponsors were backing off one by one, inexplicably groveling to the collective will of the Eternal Whiners. Somehow, one’s public image seems to be governed by the rules set forth by the Eternal Whiners, and sadly, it is the health of this image that determines how much money one brings in. Tiger and his PR team obviously know this, and did what had to be done – a salvage operation. First, there came the announcement that he was suspending all golfing activities until this ‘issue’ was taken care of. Why? Because if he was out there playing golf while all this was going on, the Whiners would go “How can he be out there enjoying himself while his poor wife and kid at home yada yada shit-talk etc…” For practical considerations, it was also prudent not to play during this distracting period of his life. Golf demands concentration, and with the relentless yapping of the Whiners, it would be hard to even play a decent game, much less clinch the prize money. And the last thing he would need is a whining heckler on the green. Secondly, use the hiatus ‘wisely’, and show the Whiners that you are indeed trying to change for the ‘better’. Score again for Tiger and his PR aides. Third, wait a few months before coming out to apologize – Whiners want to see that you’ve spent some time and effort rehabilitating yourself. This somehow earns you the right to say you’re sorry. (Still, some Ultra-Whiners were apparently dissatisfied with 3 months…) A better use of the three months would be to rehearse the public apology – get all the PR experts, psychologists, body language experts, acting instructors that money can buy, and then practice the act to perfection. Practice makes perfect, just like any sport. When it came time for Tiger to deliver, he delivered. The public apology was a class act, fitting for a world-class sportsman. Did he mean it? No one but Tiger knows. Did he have to mean it? Not a chance in hell. What’s important is that it restores his image, and brings back the sponsors… and most importantly, it must get the revenue flowing in again, like water gushing from a broken dam.
Tags: apology, golf, Tiger Woods
