“….a now-shattered personal life…”
In a recent piece on ESPN.com, Jason Sobel wrote the preceding words in regards to Tiger Woods. Unless you were on Jupiter, you might have heard about the scandal that has unfolded in the days following Thanksgiving 2009. A tabloid reported alleged infidelity on Tiger’s part just before Thanksgiving. Tiger crashed his SUV early on Friday morning after Thanksgiving in a bizarre one-car accident coming out of his driveway. The tabloids caught the scent of blood and latched on for dear life, alleging multiple affairs by Tiger with as many as 14 different women over the course of at least 5 years. Within a few days Tiger acknowledged infidelity on his part, though not in any detail, and just two weeks after he wrecked his SUV he went into total hiding as he announced he was taking an indefinite leave from playing golf (and most likely, from any public appearances for the foreseeable future).
A “now-shattered life” indeed.
I’m never been a Tiger fan. Of course one might think it’s easy to say that after the events of the past month. But it’s true nonetheless. I’ve never liked Tiger’s foul language on the golf course, his tossing of golf clubs, his caddy’s treatment of fans on the course, Tiger’s own attitude toward the fans who are responsible for all of his money, his reticence to sign autographs for those same fans, and so on.
I’d rather follow Vijay Singh, a golfer who gives interviews in which he tells you what he actually thinks instead of what he thinks you want to hear. Or Tom Watson, a man who has more class in his little finger than most of the guys on the PGA Tour have in their whole being. Or Y.E. Yang, who showed guts in putting the beatdown on Tiger at the 2009 PGA Championship. Heck, I’d rather follow Phil Mickelson, whom my wife affectionately refers to as “Gumby” both for his goofy appearance as well as his ability to choke in clutch situations.
I’d rather follow anybody but Tiger.
There’s nothing that would make me happier in terms of my golf fanhood than to see Tiger Woods take a tumble. And what falls into my fanhood lap but a situation that seems guaranteed to bring down Tiger Woods from his pinnacle of golf dominance. But somehow I can’t bring myself to celebrate.
I’ve gone through a wide range of thoughts on the Tiger scandal. In semi-chronological order starting from his SUV accident through my thoughts from just a couple of days ago……..
That’s weird.
Wow.
Why in the world was he leaving his driveway that early in the morning?
That’s crazy.
No, it can’t be true.
It’s just the tabloids doing their thing.
Are you serious?
Oh boy, this can’t be good for Tiger.
He very well may be in deep trouble.
He very well may be in DEEP trouble.
Tiger is hosed.
What a crumb.
Man, do I feel sorry for his wife.
What a jerk and a dope.
How could he have everything he ever needed and get caught up in that?
How could he be dumb enough to get CAUGHT?
What was he THINKING?
Well, he’s gonna get what he deserved. What a dope.
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That’s a sampling of what has percolated through my mind over the last 3+ weeks.
But in the last several days, more has bubbled to the surface. A feeling that there may be something deeper here. There’s more to this story than simply cause and effect. There’s more to it than crime and punishment, or sin and consequences. It’s deeper than A + B = C. There may be more to it than a reckless and unfaithful husband, a shellshocked wife, and a marriage hanging by a thread – though that’s more than enough for the public (and most sportswriters) to be prepared to act as judge, jury, and executioner in the Tiger Woods Trial.
And it was that one short clause in a lengthy article by Jason Sobel on ESPN.com that served as the trigger that brought my latest thoughts to a head…
“…a now-shattered life….”
“…a now-shattered life”? I don’t think so. No, here is the ugly, unfettered truth: Tiger’s life was shattered long before it became public knowledge.
It’s just that we didn’t know about it.
His life was already shattered. It was already in pieces. But it was hidden. It was secret. It was in the dark. His broken life was covered up with secrets and hiding places and women and enabling managers (maybe) and accomplices (allegedly) and agents (possibly) and only God (literally) knows what else.
But it was broken nonetheless. Long before we knew about it, his life was shattered.
And that particular realization brought a whole new set of questions for me. Questions such as….
~~Wait a minute – how would I like it if MY personal sins were exposed for the public to see?
~~Hmmm, that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun.
~~I wonder what’s going on in the Woods’ household right now. Is his wife in shock?
~~Can Tiger look his wife in the face?
~~Was he addicted to his sins? Was he, deep down, embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior and secretly hoping that he could find some way out of it? Did he ever feel the twinge of conscience that accompanies failed choices?
~~Did he want to be loved?
~~Does Tiger want to be helped?
~~Does Tiger need condemnation? Or does Tiger need Jesus?
And how about this one…
~~What would Jesus say to Tiger? And though I don’t know Tiger, how ought I to react to the news of Tiger’s failings? And how should I react to the failings of people that I actually DO know?
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I can tell you this. I’ve never slept with anyone except my own wife, and I don’t have any personal sins that are as flashy or headline-worthy as Tiger’s – but I STILL wouldn’t want to have my personal sins paraded around for public consumption. I know what’s on my inside. I don’t want you to see it. Because apart from Jesus, my inside looks just like Tiger’s — broken, shattered, wounded, and battered.
