Why the World Is Obsessed with the Tiger Woods Story

Let’s be completely honest with ourselves.

The moment we heard the incorrect, and downright reckless news reports that Tiger Woods was in "serious" condition after being involved in a car accident outside of his Windermere, Fla., home, three questions immediately came to mind.

1) Will he be okay?

2) Will he play golf again?

3) Will any of his injuries affect his ability to play golf at the same high level?

The first question was a natural response to hearing about any tragic incident.  Believe it or not, most human beings are still at least somewhat concerned with the well-being of others, even those they do not know personally.

However, this initial instinctive response quickly moved toward a more selfish view of the situation.

We were not overly concerned with whether or not Tiger Woods would ever be able to enjoy a game he devoted his entire life to; we were concerned with whether WE would ever again be able to watch him win major championships while witnessing a theatre that no other golfer has ever been able to provide.

We were concerned with whether or not we’d see Tiger at Augusta next June or at next year’s US Open at Pebble Beach where he demolished the field back in 2000, or at the British Open at St. Andrews, where he was won twice already.

The moment we found out that the initial reports about Woods being in "serious" condition where way off base and that he was treated and released from the hospital, our thoughts immediately darted towards a possible scandal.

Where was he heading at 2:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving night?

How could his wife have carried a 180-pound man out of the car?

How could he have possibly hit a fire hydrant and tree that he’s managed to avoid for the last 10 years?

Why are he and his wife refusing to speak with police?

The story, or lack thereof, has now reached epic proportions.

It’s the National Enquirer meets US Weekly meets ESPN.

If there’s anything we love more than sitcoms and sporting events, it’s watching athletes and celebrities fall from grace.

It makes us feel a little a little better about ourselves and our own lives. We can’t hit a golf ball like Woods, we don’t have $1 billion and a massive house like Woods, we don’t travel in a private jet like Woods, at least we can watch him suffer through an embarrassing situation.

It brings a big smile to our faces.

Come on, how many of you weren’t painted with an ear-to-ear smile upon hearing that A-Rod had used steroids?

How many of you didn’t just love seeing the Giants ruin the Patriots undefeated season back in 2007?

How many of you didn’t laugh hysterically when Steve Phillips admitted to having an affair with an intern?

How many of you didn’t thoroughly enjoy watching David Letterman try to weasel his way out of why someone was trying to extort him?

We love it and we can’t get enough of it.

There’s a reason why the National Enquirer is still going strong after 73 years.

There’s a reason why US Weekly is one of the top-selling magazines in the country.

There’s a reason why “Tiger Woods affair” and “Tiger Woods mistress” are two of the top searched phrases on Google over the past two days.

There’s a reason why at 7 o'clock every night, channel 2, 4, 5 and 7 are filled with celebrity gossip shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Entertainment Weekly, E-News, etc.

And there’s a reason why Tiger Woods is now appearing on the front pages of magazines and web sites whose writers didn’t know a golf ball from a baseball just 72 hours ago.

Who cares about the football games today when we might be able to hear the 911 tapes from Tiger Woods' accident?  

Who cares about college basketball when there’s a chance that we might find out why Tiger Woods drove into a fire hydrant early on Friday morning?

It’s a sad, sad world, when most of the general public thoroughly enjoys watching others fall from grace.

Now, I won’t pretend to sit here on my high horse.

I too will be checking the Internet and news stations throughout the day to see if there’s any further information about why Tiger Woods drove into a fire hydrant at 2:30 on Friday morning.

Why?

Because unfortunately that’s just human nature.