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BlackVoices History Quest: Los Angeles
"Negative coverage of Tiger -- or even positive coverage that wasn't approved and micromanaged -- would often result in swift, permanent excommunication from the Tiger Woods camp," wrote People magazine reporter Steve Helling. "It was in everyone's best interest to sweep the rumors under the rug."
These comments are consistent with what I'd also heard behind closed doors over the years. I am not a reporter, so I don't spend my time trying to dig up dirt on celebrities. What I do know, though, is that Tiger's wild personal life was the loudest, yet most silent rumor in newsrooms across the country. But the great motivator was fear. Fear that the mythical "Team Tiger" would come down on you harder than a golf club upside the top of your skull. Tiger's team does not and did not play around. The problem for Woods, however, is that his enemies are now smelling blood in the water. Other golfers are becoming more vocal in their criticism of him; the PGA tour is starting to promote its other players a little bit more and reporters are now writing whatever they damn well please. The unraveling of Tiger's "golden boy" persona is like that little stitch that comes off your suit and eventually leaves you nearly naked.
To make matters worse, Tiger got his butt kicked last weekend in a golf tournament. Missing the cut at a golf tournament means that you stink so bad, the organizers don't even allow you to continue playing after the first two rounds. Tiger never, ever, ever misses the cut. That's like a black woman missing a Tyler Perry movie. But miss the cut is exactly what Tiger did, and he missed it badly, by eight strokes to be exact. So, not only did Tiger do the impossible this past weekend, he topped the impossible with the improbable and therefore jeopardized his only source of public redemption.
The world can deal with a philandering Tiger Woods, as long as he's also good at golf. If Tiger is considered both a mediocre golfer and a sex addict, then he's got a serious problem. The hope is that as the vultures start to circle, Woods can return to his place of peace and do what he does best. It appears that golf is all he's got, and if he loses that, then he's lost nearly everything.
Then there is the possibility that he may be getting old. It happens to the best of us, and it's never pretty to watch. We all thought that Muhammad Ali was going to be the greatest forever, and we want to hope for the same with Tiger Woods. But similar to Ali, we may have to watch Tiger fall victim to his vices, creating a very ugly spectacle in the process.
But then again, all this speculation is probably premature and overly pessimistic. Go get 'em, Tiger. I still have faith in you...sort of. It appears you've got to get your house in order.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book 'Black American Money.' To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. 
Comments: (19)
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By: ooozzzzz on 5/04/2010 9:29AM
Quote by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD: "Tiger never, ever, ever misses the cut."
Do your reserch Dr., you got that all wrong. Tiger Woods has missed the cut as a pro 6 times:
1997 Bell Canadian Open, 70-76--146 (+6)
2005 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, 69-72--141 (+1)
2005 Funai Classic, 68-73--141 (-3)
2006 U.S. Open, 76-76--152 (+12)
2009 British Open, 71-74--145 (+5)
2010 Quail Hollow Championship, 74-79--153 (+9)
And Tiger having a hard time? Why are so many people suprised about it?
Tiger's life got turned upside down when he was exposed; got caught cheating and the lie that he portrayed to the public & golf has bitten him in the azz.
And for the very first time probably in his life, Tiger is all by himself. Found out who his real friends are (he has none, just employees) very little supporting him and psychologically, he has to focus & play golf with his new reality and the entire world seeing him in a different light (people are either laughing at him or are totally digusted) and he will never get that love back.
Lost major multi-million dollars endorsements (90% of his earnings), pending divorce that will cost him hundreds of millions for years to come, lost fans, lost his privacy, terrible recovery attempts with those controlled & bungled interviews, lost credibility, love & admiration, lost his shine, lost that aura and fear that he had from other golfers, probably will have future debt problems with his lavish lifestyle (private jet, yacht, 8 homes around the world etc, divorce) He now has a lot of pressure on him both personal and professional; he has to win and win consistantly once again in order for sponsers to even consider giving him another chance to make those milllions to pay his large debts and worst of all, Tiger Inc, is now a tarnished brand: no longer trusted to be the #1 promoter of golf.
Tiger is not super human who can rise above all the problems in his life no different than other people who are having differculty in their lives. If he can, it will take some time and by that time, pro golf and sponsers will have found someone else to put at the forefront and invest their dollars in pro golf.
People also thought the same about Mike Tyson, "the baddest man on the planet" undisputed heavyweight champion until all his personal issues (and Don King) steadily reduces his abilities & status in the boxing ring to what it is today, a sad sight, broke, confused and irrevelant.
I don't think that Tiger will be a repeat of Iron Mike but getting back to the top of the mountain that he once ruled? That's a very step climb.
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By: coleman7 on 5/05/2010 3:01PM
ooozzzzz- I loved your comment. Well thought-out,written, and supported by facts. Are you a lawyer? (smile) I'm not a fan of Woods-to the contrary; I actually enjoy seeing him fall from grace. My disdane of him has more to do with his reluctance to being seen as "black" not is philanderaning.
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By: rh on 5/10/2010 10:56PM
This is what happens,when a blackman denies himself
and his people. He realizes these white folks hate him just kike any other successful blackman in america. If he knew his blackness, he wouldn't be crying over the bar fly stripper wife that left him. All she wanted was the money and she found a
stupid brother that had some. I don't feel sorry for him at all. O.J. Simpson did the same thing set himself up for failure,by getting himself involved,with people who wanted his money. Wake up
blackman!
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By: jamarcus on 5/04/2010 10:37AM
I think Tiger will bounce back and I think this is a learning experience which will make him a better husband (may not be to Elin but some other woman in the future) and father in the future, and just a better person overall.
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By: Jacqueline Michaux on 5/04/2010 11:06AM
I voted yes that Tiger and Elin should stay together. But my thoughts were about the children.
But now I believe that Tiger should have never married this girl. She was a nanny to one of his golfing associate. She saw herself as the elected lady so to speak. I think that if Earl Woods were living, this marriage would have never taken place. So I say to Elin take the millions and go back home to Sweden. Tiger knows that golf is his priority and so does the world. I am sure he loves his children but Elin is in the way of his profession at this time............
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By: Joan on 5/04/2010 11:53AM
Who is Tyler Perry???? Yes, I am a black female.
Tiger got himself into this mess.....Tiger will get himself out. Those PEDS have altered his life mentally and physically. They will stay in his system forever. We all have issues....work on them people as Tiger and Elin are trying to do. Two evils do not make it right. Divorce is just as sinful as cheating. Better go back to the bible.
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By: Brian S on 5/10/2010 3:12AM
Divorce is sanctioned if infidelity is proven...DUH...Who needs to go back to the Bible?
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By: Angela on 5/04/2010 10:58PM
> Tiger & Big Ben should let all them WHORES go back to the caves of EUROPE > To all women who read
this comment > If you're not fuckin your man 3 times a week you can bet someone is > This is just the truth >
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By: Tiffany on 5/05/2010 11:46AM
Black Voices please stop promoting tiger woods. He is not black. Can we please focus on the real brothas and sistas.
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By: dreameagle on 5/05/2010 1:52PM
awww, poor baybee;
guess Eldrick found out he's not too light to run out on that lawn and hold that lamp, after all, huh?
good luck finding Cabalenasia now, or wherever it is you claim to be from;
looks like you'll have to do it on foot, since Elin--or should i say Scandinavia--will soon own the jet, yacht(s), offshore accounts and homes;
don't worry, you can bounce back!
maybe you could find work as a doorman/greeter at the Bush or Reagan libraries;
you might audition for Joe the Go(l)fer if Sarah Palin has an opening for a token in one of her tea parties;
maybe Armstrong Williams could use another interlocutor;
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