Thoughts on Tiger’s Press Conference

We finally saw Tiger Woods yesterday. It had been quite a while, hadn’t it? And it seemed like Tiger had a lot to say, and I guess if you had been through the past three months that he had been through, you probably would to. Let’s discuss.

All in all, I thought it was about what we expected it to be. Tiger knew what had to be said, and he knew that no simple two or three line apology would be good enough for all his fans around the world. It had to come from the heart, and it had to feel genuine. Overall, I thought it was.

I’ve heard a ton of people talk about his delivery. To me, that’s just moronic. The guy isn’t a professional actor. He’s a professional golfer. I don’t expect him to deliver his lines like Johnny Depp. What, was he suppose to leave rehab to work on his acting skills for a few days before the big speech? While it may have looked robotic or cold to some people, to me, it looked like a guy who had been to hell and back the last few months. It didn’t matter to me how Tiger delivered it. It just mattered that he delivered it.

Visibly, he didn’t look like the Tiger we had seen before all of this took place after Thanksgiving. The guy just looked tired. And again, I’m not condoning his actions, and I’m not trying to say “Oh look at Tiger, forgive him right this second for what he did.” Just like with anything that means some of great importance, it’s going to take time to acquire. It’s going to be a while before Tiger starts regaining any type of trust from his fans and fellow players again. But it was evident that we weren’t looking at the Tiger that we had come to know over the years.

Most who have critiqued his speech have said the same thing, but I want to reiterate that point again right now. The absolute best thing that he said was when he talked about his behavior being the key factor in all of this. He can say all that he wants about making changes in his life, and saying that he is going to do this or that. But it will all depend on his actions at this point. That’s the only way he’ll be able to try and save his marriage, and the only way that he’ll be able to move forward from all of this. In this case, actions definitely speak louder than words.

As for predictions on when he’ll return to golf, who really knows at this point. Tiger said yesterday that he didn’t rule out that it would be sometime this year. It’s all speculation at this point, but I would say that he will return sometime this year, but it would have to be later in the year. I just cannot see it being any time in the next few months, as Tiger clearly still has some things he has to figure out and work on. It may not be the answer that Tim Finchem is looking for, but there’s no doubt that he and the rest of the golfing world understands the magnitude of this situation.

It’s easy to say that we all should feel sorry for Tiger. Some will, and some won’t. But no matter how you feel, you do have to understand that he is human, just like the rest of us. In sports, we tend to view our favorite player as invincible. Almost superhuman, if you will. However, ever since Tiger’s fall from grace, we understand that this is simply not the case. We are all human beings, and we all will make mistakes.

Of course, the biggest difference is that we all haven’t been role models for millions and millions of kids around the world. But that again brings up the debate as to whether athletes should be role models for children. Whether you think they should or shouldn’t, we have to always keep in mind that we really only see them in one facet of their lives. We see them doing their job. Outside of that, we have no glimpse into their personal lives…..until something like this happens.

Most will never view Tiger in the same way again. Whether that’s fair or unfair, that’s how it will be. But remember, he’s human just like the rest of us. And just like the rest of us, our words can only be taken at face value. It’s the actions that will matter most.

We’ll see where Tiger goes from here.