The athletes’ fall from grace. It’s sad, but true. I am 56 years old and have seen it happen repeatedly. Tiger Woods fall from grace may be the greatest of all. What may have been the cause of Tiger Woods fall from grace? For some athletes, the temptation and wanton lifestyle can be too much.
I have seen some of the best at their sport rise to glory and then crash in degradation. Dwight Gooden of baseball fame had a sterling career in The Big Apple and then fell prey to drugs and alcohol. Art Schlichter was a first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Colts. He gained his status while playing at The Ohio State University. His addiction was gambling: he fell into an insurmountable debt and turned to crime. Schlichter currently is serving time in a prison in Indiana. How could I not mention Mike Tyson, a boxer who caused fear in opponents just by mere mention of his name? His fight with Evander Holyfield will never be forgotten. When it became clear he was losing, Tyson took a bite out of Holyfield’s’ ear. He also served jail time for rape and had trouble with domestic violence when he was married to actress Robin Givens. We also have Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, Sammy Sosa, Michael Vick, Mark McGuire, Roger Clemens, Pete Rose and the most famous of them all…OJ Simpson. A criminal court found him not guilty of murder, but the court of public opinion says otherwise.
These athletes all had more money than could be spent in a lifetime. They had fame and notoriety. They had advantages in life that most of us could only fantasize about. Yet, they threw it all away. Then along came Tiger Woods. He and his father became an American dream come true. Tiger’s talent was unparalleled in golf. It was a matter of time before he broke the record for winning the major titles in golf. He had a squeaky-clean image and a tremendous work ethic. His play approached a level of perfection on the tour, the likes of which we have never seen. We all felt his pain when his father passed away. His marriage to Elin Nordegren was a fairy tale coming alive. A young, handsome, rich golf pro adored my millions of people gets married to a young, beautiful woman from Stockholm Sweden. They have two young children, a girl and a boy. Perfect, right?
Why might his fall from grace eclipse all others? Because he was recognized around the world. His name elicited images of responsibility, candor, principle, confidence and trustworthiness. That is why all the companies that signed him to be a spokesman, wanted him. Beyond being a wizard on the golf course, he was a loving son, loving husband, devoted father and a civic-minded creator of a foundation serving disadvantaged children.
Now, a fall from grace that has snowballed before our once adoring eyes. David Crary, a writer for the Associated Press, wrote that according to Zeta Buzz, which tracks millions of blogs and social media posts, online references to Woods had been 91 percent positive before his recent troubles and by December 4, 2009, had dropped to 57 percent positive.
In this same article written by Crary, he quotes Dan Doyle, director of the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island as saying, “What I think will happen is Tiger will never make this kind of mistake again.” For the sake of Elin Nordegren, Sam Alexis Woods and Charlie Axel Woods(wife, daughter and son of Tiger), I hope that he is 100% correct. What the rest of think is irrelevant. For what it is worth, although I have been 100% faithful in my courtship and marriage to my wife, I have made mistakes that defy belief and she still loves me. We are married 34 years and have three beautiful, successful and responsible children. We currently have two wonderful and adorable grandchildren. It is all I could ever hope for and more than I deserve.
I hope that Tiger Woods can redeem his trust in his wife’s eyes and still have the respect of his children when they get older. Whatever else happens is out of his control. Public opinion is fickle and putting athletes in the position of role models has existed for many years. Tiger needs to put his past behind him, own up to his mistakes and transgressions, pay the price of consequences for his actions and try to live life the right way. In the end, he will reap what he sowed.
