Tiger Woods Is Human After All

Hello All,
I cannot take credit for the subject matter of this blog. It was suggested to me by a good friend who we'll call.....Bojangles. Anyway, the question was posed to me....how will you describe Tiger Woods to your boys when they're older? I find that as a very interesting subject, so I'll give it a whirl.
You have to have been living under a rock not to know about the Tiger Woods situation. I first learned about it watching the Iron Bowl this year. Didn't really care considering I was watching the greatest rivalry in all of college football. But, the story is quite interesting.
I'm not a golfer, however, I loved watching the Master's this past weekend. Lefty put on a great show, but I watched to see how Tiger would play. I know if I took 5 months off of work I would be slightly rusty. All Tiger did was shoot -10 in the greatest golf tournament on Earth. He won $330,000.00 for four days of work in which he finished fourth. If I finish fourth at my job, I don't get paid, so it's good to be Tiger......kind of.
So, how will I describe him to my boys when they get older? There are so many teaching points in regards to him that it's fascinating.
First of all, I'll tell them that he was the most dominant player at his sport that I've ever seen, besides maybe Michael Jordan. I'll give Woods the nod because he does it all by himself. He's not on a team with Lefty, Padraig Harrington and Anthony Kim (comparing them to Jordan having Pippen, Grant, Paxon, etc). However, the teaching point is how we should not look up to people we see on TV and have no idea as to what kind of individuals they are. We live in a country where we idolize people who are the best at what they do. Considering God made us as creatures who need relationships and look up to those who are the best at what they do, it's understandable. BUT, why do we do that? E-television, US weekly, People Magazine, etc., are the one's who bombard us with overblown stories of the "rich and famous." And you know, I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to be rich. So again, I understand the attraction. But, why do we idolize these people and then seem so shocked when they mess up? We need to realize that they really do put their pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else.
I detest what Tiger did to his wife and his especially his children. The sad part is that his kids have no idea what they will face when they get older and go to school with all the kids who know what their father did. They're the real losers in this whole situation. To that, he's a selfish jerk. To his wife, he deserved a 9 iron and a Big Bertha across his fat noggin. But he is really no different than tons of famous people AND people that we don't even know exist. The only reason he's paying the price he is , is because he is one of the most famous people on Earth. We've had MANY Presidents who have done the same things, not just Clinton, and have gotten off scot free.
The true problem with Tiger is the condition of his soul. Same with Ben Roethlisberger. These guys get told yes to everything they want. People want to be close to these guys and they never get told no. Women throw themselves at these stars and, unfortunately, are willing to sell their bodies for one night in the hopes of cashing in with The National Enquirer. These people we all look up to feel as if they're "above the law" and really only care about themselves. I can't say that if I was in the same position I wouldn't mess up either. It's not really even a good thought though, because I love my wife and have no desire to be rich or famous. Let me make it clear that I am not justifying what he did. I'm just saying that I can somewhat understand how it happened and our country is guilty of feeding the beast.
So, how will I describe him to my boys? I'll say that he was the hardest worker at his craft, blessed with God given talent, and the best I've ever seen. I'll also explain to them that real role models are men and women who take care of their families and don't chase the "forbidden fruits" this world has to offer. BUT, the biggest point I will make is to not envy others. Something we are all guilty of......being envious of people we really don't know is ignorant and a waste of time.
I hope my boys will be appreciative of all the blessings that God will bestow upon them, and realize that these TV superheroes are just normal humans like everyone else. AND, ironically, more times than not, they pay a price for fame or......chasing the "forbidden fruit."

Take care and thanks for reading.

Reece