Get Off The Tiger's Tail!

In the local bar talk, I hear all the chatter on Tiger Woods being run out of The PGA because of his personal problems. I find myself defending a man who may have let down so many of his fans due to his personal life. The debate is not if the man is a great golfer, but that the man is not a great guy. I can honestly state, I've never in the past ten years ever wrote, or stated he was a great guy, in fact I've stated quite the opposite. I've made the point that he was fined more than any other golfer on the tour for his explicit language, and less than gentleman behavior on the course. I've always stated he is a great golfer nothing more, and I will continue. Character is something we should reserve for our presidents, and politicians. We're talking about a national sports hero. His private life no matter how corrupt, is his, and should remain his alone. How he interacts with his family is his business, never ours. Babe Ruth was a well known public figure who was well know for his greatness as an athlete, not for being a great husband. President Clinton on the other hand managed to survived his betrayal of his wife, and his oath on upholding our public trust, yet we Americans dismiss his a act of perjury as a simple slip up in poor judgment, and moral character. Clinton's character and judgment ruled the greatest nation on earth. This man was responsible for our national security, and prosperity. Tiger rules over nothing other than to captivate our competitive spirit, and rake in our entertainment dollars.

If you have never lived in the public arenas, let me give you just a piece of my personal story. I was once a high profile personality caught up in a very public divorce. I was slandered because I hid incomes I didn't believe she deserved. Forgetting this woman was having an affair. I was labeled a tax cheat who only escaped a two year prison sentence by paying The U.S. Government $5.7 Million Dollars a mere faction of what was truly owed. Never did the news report that I gave 118 pre-owned vehicle to families trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina, or that I was a major sponsor on The March of Dime, only that I cheated the public out of tax dollars.

Honor people for their accomplishments, strive to be like them in their glory, learn to be better by not making their same mistakes.

Tiger is a sports hero honor him for his accomplishments on golf course. Babe Ruth, honor him for his ability hit a baseball. We don't buy tickets to sit in their bedrooms, we pay to watch them amaze us in the sports arenas.