Elling's Public Links: Mailbag overflows as Tiger story broadens
ORLANDO, Fla. -- I haven't bothered to argue the points along the way, mostly because every passing hour has brought some other unseemly allegation, litigation or assignation to light.
With Tiger Woods, we have become the -ation nation.
It was precisely two weeks ago that the first trickle in the Woods' tsunami appeared, when a national tabloid hit the grocery-store checkout aisles. There was Woods, splashed atop the front page, along with Oprah, Tom Cruise, Martha Stewart and other staples of the gossip-mongering business.
It has been a frightening fortnight.
The sordid details have become a national fascination as everybody tries to gauge if any iconic public figure has fallen farther, faster. That's a lot of F words, which given the details of this affair, seems all too apt. Indisputably, it's the biggest story in the rich history of the game, but for all the wrong reasons. In terms of records, Woods has gone from chasing Jack Nicklaus to Wilt Chamberlain.
The women claiming to have had relationships with Woods are so numerous, nobody can track them all. The names and porn stars are beginning to blur. Those who looked away long enough to take a metaphorical shower, to wash away the gunk, probably missed something.
Since controversy and golf have been almost mutually exclusive terms over the years, we typically get a small handful of reader e-mails each week, mostly from folks who want to point out some perceived gaffe, oversight or typo. Yet the Tiger tale has generated an avalanche of feedback, a purging of souls. The messages have been delivered in reams and screams, and rest assured, we hear you.
It has struck a chord, if not a nerve. Some believe it's nobody's business, while others feel that Woods betrayed his fans with a false image and should have his feet of clay held to the flames by whatever means necessary.
Much has been written and many opinions have been offered. The ink no sooner dries than some other nuclear cloud passes over and the fallout begins anew.
So now it's your turn.
We present the twisted tale of Tiger -- I'd call it an anatomy of a scandal, but with nude photos reportedly in circulation, that would be a bad pun. The e-mails are listed in chronological order, which serves as a fast reminder of how many twists and turns the matter has taken as it's devolved over the past 14 days.
In your own words:
• • •
From: Nick
I'm sure all that is going on with Tiger is just part of life and happens to the best of people. I think Tiger is too smart to ruin or put any negative thought into people's minds. All this negative criticism is because people are jealous. I am amazed at what people come up with. I still think Tiger has and will always to keep his image clean. Either way he is human and therefore not perfect. Instead of cheating on his wife or drinking, maybe Tiger was going to a friend's place or going to get formula for the baby. Time will tell but I'm sure it will all work out in the end.
Somewhere, Nick is trying to figure out that computer command that allows a guy to recall certain email messages. This message is a bigger car crash than the one between Tiger and the tree. Don't go to Vegas anytime soon, Nick. Hot, you are not.
• • •
From: Elayne
Leave Tiger alone. Go to Washington, D.C. That is where the juicy truth is.
Well, Tiger hosts a tournament in Washington, so there's a decent chance he was probably trolling for talent there, too, if the damning reports are to be believed.
• • •
From: George K.
From what I see, Tiger Woods admitted responsibility for the crash. I've heard nothing further to indicate that it's anything else. He's covered. Unless there's a further allegation backed up by a bit of proof, I'd say he's done.
Pretty obviously, the K. you listed for your surname is not an abbreviation for Kreskin.
• • •
From: Ken
The only one that Tiger owes an explanation to is his neighbor, whose tree he hit. The police have shown over and over again in this type of situation that they are on everyone's payroll. If he doesn't talk to anyone then they can't lie about what he said. Talk through your attorney, Tiger. This will be forgotten by Christmas.
I guess he meant Christmas in 2010, because we're still waiting for the bounce off the bottom on this deal.
• • •
From: Sssanou
Frankly, Steve, I don't give a damn to know what happened with Tiger. You journalists think the world is full of sickos who only want to know everything about celeb life. There are many, but there are also many who don't care. Poking in other people's lives is bad taste, useless, boring. In general, journalism today has a problem. You are killing us with nonsense. Where is the news?
No sense denying that the writer has a point. But I find it interesting that the people who claim they have no interest in Woods' private affairs keep reading story after story, making repeated postings about how we should leave him alone. There's a sense of hypocrisy in that, no?
• • •
From: Pam
This matter with Tiger Woods is really not any of your business. All you want to do is dig up dirt and sling his name through the mud. Good for him not talking to anyone. Your writing is no better than TMZ.com. Shame on you. How interesting it would be to see how perfect you aren't. You will probably never get an interview with Tiger. Good for him. Team Tiger!
Guessing that if Pam is looking around the Team Tiger locker room right now, she's feeling pretty lonely.
• • •
From: Ed Q.
Hollywood drama has finally caught up with Woods, all caused by his own hubris. When one makes a public ass of one's self, what do you expect? He should fire all of advisers immediately as their horrible advice have just cost him millions and if he doesn't stand up soon his image will be severely tarnished. If people knew the real Tiger Woods, they would be horrified. ... The image displayed to the public is all smoke and mirrors designed by IMG and his corporate sponsors to create the illusion that he has a heart of gold and actually cares. After all, who would pay endorsement money to someone who was not beloved by the public? He could care less and his sense of entitlement and anger management -- when he loses it's ever more magnified when he is shown pouting or throwing clubs like a spoiled brat. Just the tip of the iceberg of the troubling issues that lay below the surface with this guy.
Ed, you, on the other hand should head to Las Vegas immediately and bet the ranch. I'm not sure about the root cause of your opinions, but nobody else correctly envisioned this turning into a toxic mushroom cloud.
• • •
From: Paul S.
If he was knocked unconscious, then he had a concussion. That's hardly a fat lip, and it's no surprise or cause for sarcasm that he's not ready to play.
The injury to his mouth bled so little, according to witness statements to police, that there was no blood on his hands or shirt. There was no blood in the SUV. There is nothing in the police paper trail to definitively indicate he had a concussion, especially since he was released soon after the accident. So I reassert my belief that he skipped hosting the Chevron event because he didn't want to deal with his travails publicly, not because he was truly incapacitated.
• • •
From: John T.
Let's face it, if that were me or you that hit the fire hydrant and a tree we would have been followed by the police to the hospital and been given a blood test for alcohol. I believe Tiger got a big break on this one. He's backed out of that driveway a thousand-plus times. I've never heard of anyone being allowed to rest two days before the police even get to talk to you.
The preferential-treatment complaint was voiced more than once by readers. As we all know now, the cops never did get to speak with Woods, and the blowback on the investigation continues to resonate. Deservedly so.
• • •
From: Penny M.
The saddest thing is that my 88-year-old mother, who has always watched and adored her Tiger, called me and told me that she had heard horrible rumors about him. How do you fix that kind of disappointment? It would have been nice to have one role model that actually lived up to that honor. My mom is so sad.
If it's any consolation, your mom is standing in a very long line, headed by Tim Finchem.
• • •
From: Tom C.
For some people, even when you have it all, it's never enough.
Michael Jackson lived in a place called Neverland. Tiger apparently prefers a place called "Alwaysland."
• • •
From: Roy K.
Who has a bigger smile today, Bill Clinton or Phil Mickelson?
At this point, I can't imagine that anybody is laughing anymore. Even the jokes from Leno, Letterman and Lopez are getting stale and trite.
• • •
From: James
I will no longer think of these clowns as role models, I will look at them for what they are –- entertainment. We need to look within to find our true selves, not some sports figure or celebrity. I will still watch Tiger play golf and continue to be amazed by his ability but as far as his character and values go, I do not want to hear it anymore. I have learned my lesson and I hope many more do as well.
Just asking: As a culture, are we slower to learn, or to remember?
• • •
From: Justin
He who is without sin may cast the first stone. Douchebag.
Gotta admit, this one made me laugh.
• • •
From: Joe
He is a golfer. You should be talking about what he does on the golf course, not his personal life. He didn't tell anyone that he was a great husband or father.
Really? This is from TigerWoods.com, a note Woods himself penned Nov. 20 in response to a reader question: "It's very difficult to leave Elin and the children, and I'm sure it's only going to get tougher. Once Sam and Charlie start school, it won't be easy to take them out of class for a week-long trip. A veteran pro once told me it's tough to leave them as babies, but once they ask you not to go, it breaks your heart. That's something I'll always remember." Any more questions?
• • •
From: Michael W.
Steve, you like the rest of the media world have this story all wrong. So the man made a mistake. Does that one mistake take away from all the good that this man has done. I'm not talking about just what Tiger has done in and for the world of golf, but all the charity and organizational work that he has done. He has donated million of dollars over the tenure of his career, and has affected lives in positive ways that we as the general public will never be able to fully understand. He has inspired a generation, and made golf a sport that is as exciting to watch as basketball, football and baseball. So give the guy a break.
He made one mistake? One? Trust me, plenty of media types have looked the other way over the years when we witnessed the club slamming, profane tirades or bad behavior. It was believed that he was a decent guy at heart who happened to run a little hot. The minor sins were forgiven. "I'll take Egg on My Face for $1,000, Alex."
• • •
From: Kevin F.
The beauty of Tiger Woods can be found on the golf course. Nothing he does or doesn't do off the course changes that, for me. He's a ferocious competitor and the greatest golfer who ever played the game. Knowing now he is as flawed a human being as the rest of us makes me want to roar louder for him.
Just a hunch that Kevin was a huge Daly fan back in the day.
• • •
From: Phyllis
I have no privacy issues. I make $897 a month. When you make $1 billion and have such a talent for a sport which depends on having the public watching, how can you expect to live the life of total privacy? Go Phil!
At times over the years, there have been more Mickelson fans lining the gallery ropes than there were cheering for Woods. That field just tilted even more, perhaps permanently, for Lefty. As for Phyllis' paltry income, I hear there's a fortune to be made if you waitress at the right Orlando coffee shop.
• • •
From: John C.
Each of your articles over the past several days has simply gotten better and better. While Tiger was working diligently on getting himself off the hook, you kept shining the light in the right places. My wife doesn't understand this, but Tiger is the best athlete of my generation and yesterday was the equivalent of the pulling back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz.
Hey, John, many thanks, and please give this next guy a call for me, will you?
• • •
From: Spencer S.
Listen you little $#@%, back the $%#@ off Tiger. So he screwed up? Get off his damn back. He's out there making a million dollars while your sorry ass is struggling to make your damn rent.
This was the sanitized version of this message, too.
• • •
From: Dave
This will increase viewership and raise prices. You ever heard of soap operas? Why do you thing they have been around for decades? Drama, man, drama. Like your stuff, but you did not think this one through at all.
I agree that Woods' issues make him appealing to a different set of followers, but there's going to be at least as many conservative, traditional golf fans who jump ship and never return. Is it any great leap of faith to believe that some corporate tournament sponsors are feeling the same way?
• • •
From: Nate L.
I typically like your articles, however, I have been very surprised by your reaction to the Woods saga. You have seemed very quick to judge. It's sad to me that you can't have more forgiveness. Have you never made a mistake? I have lost a lot of respect for you as a writer through this whole ordeal and will be less likely to hold much credit to what you write in the future.
Fair enough and I can live with that. But it's hard not to be amazed by the legion of apologists who continue to ask why Woods should not be forgiven for his "mistake." As in singular. This is serial, as in several. This is a pattern of appalling behavior, not a one-and-done deal. Different matter entirely.
• • •
From: David K.
I've been aware of Tiger Woods since he first appeared on That's Incredible in the 1970s and following him since he won his final U.S. Amateur, but I sure won't be paying much attention to him going forward. Just don't need to waste any more time paying attention to someone who lies as he breathes.
Not at all surprisingly, as the days have passed and the scandal has deepened, more have expressed that sentiment.
• • •
From: Michael D.
I, too, fell prey to the Tiger hype, hoping that he truly was different. Like the rest of the country, I am profoundly disappointed. I will continue to watch Woods on the golf course and be amazed at his talent, but I will never look at him the same way ever again.
If only somebody in the Woods camp had told him what he stood to lose, he might have acted differently. But nobody did. And voila, a steamy cesspool was soon formed.
• • •
From: Jeff V.
Yes, Tiger is still a better golfer than all of us. But most of us are a better man and husband than he is.
Sad to say, as it relates to the latter part, it's not a difficult claim to make.
