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Should We Root for Tiger to Win the Masters?
Factoring in everything he admitted to having done, including cheating on his wife several times, combined with all of his injuries to the back and knees that have prevented him from playing high-level golf for several years, we are confronted with a complicated question: Should we root for him to win this weekend’s Masters Tournament?
Should we forgive him for what he did, for betraying us and not being the person we thought he was, or should we feel sorry for him and sympathize with all the psychological and physical struggles he has endured over the past few years?
It is obvious in recent weeks that many golf fans are rooting for Tiger to win again. They have fallen for the endearing story of the fallen hero who rises up again.
But is Tiger really an endearing character now? Is he worthy of being forgiven for his past transgressions especially involving his former wife and children but not excluding the many times he has been rude and surly to his opponents in golf tournaments? Is he really a better guy now?
I’m skeptical. It’s tough to forget how deceiving and wrong he was by cheating on his wife so many times while leading us to believe that he was a good wholesome family man. That was not cool what Tiger did. In fact, it was bush league and super selfish.
We all have flaws and make mistakes, but what Tiger did in this situation was just plain wrong, really reprehensible. It was all about him and he hurt a lot of people while doing so. We all have hurt other people with our actions, but Tiger’s actions were especially egregious.
On the other hand, he truly has suffered physically over the past few years. At times it has been difficult for him to get out of bed his back has hurt so much. He has been embarrassed in front of the whole world for his indiscretions and that has been a heavy psychological burden to carry.
We should be sympathetic to a person who has been ailing physically and psychologically for as long as Tiger has. He is human, after all, and we shouldn’t wish that he endure such pain. As humans, we should not want another to suffer so much.
So while I feel bad for all these recent years of not playing golf and struggling with basic health conditions, I also can’t forget all the cheating he did with those women. It was so selfish. It showed he couldn’t think of his children and wife and how they would feel about his actions without first thinking what he wanted to do above all else. It showed a serious character flaw.
As Tiger plays his rounds at Augusta National, I will not be able to bring myself to root for him because I don’t think his past indiscretions make him worthy of me being one of his fans. But I do feel bad for anyone who has suffered as much as he has over the past few years.
If he wins, I won’t be jubilant for him. Nor I will I be upset.
I will be ambivalent.
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Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
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