Tiger exposes the fallibility of the sports marketing machine

The mere mention of the name “Tiger Woods” even a month ago would arouse images of greatness, golf’s version of Zeus, and an example to all of his supporters and corporate sponsors.

Professional sport, comparable to other celebrity-driven industries, appears from this vantage point at least to operate within its own time vacuum. While any situation can go to the dogs in a matter of moments, the glare of the media and public who use the fourth estate as their looking glass seems to amplify the intensity level that surrounds the personal lives of sporting superstars.

Woods has excelled as a golfer, with most fans of the game believing it is a question of “when”, rather than “if”, as to when Woods will overhaul the great Jack Nicklaus as the leading major winner of all time. His dominance is so complete that even when he didn’t play for six months, he remained the world number one. Roger Federer, a friend of Woods and one of the closest comparisons in terms of sporting excellence in their chosen sports, wasn’t able to do that forever.

Woods has brought a sea change with him in relation to golfer nutrition, fitness, and athleticism (something I’m still very sceptical about). His name as a brand is unrivalled in the developed world. Nike and other major companies created brands just so they are Tiger Woods specific, where a player with a 8 or 13 handicap can be that little bit closer to one of their favourite players.

That was a month ago. Now, in the space of 30 days Woods has turned into (if the media at large are to be believed) an absconding, cheating, scum-bag husband who crashed his car while drunk (the police couldn’t prove anything, though there appears to be so much red tape around what really happened, the guys [yes … there obviously was more the one guy] who plotted JFK’s assassination would be proud). His wife, Elin, who was introduced to Woods by another Swede, Jesper Parnevik, ranks as a “belter” which appears to make Woods’ sin’s even worse, especially since he has fathered two children with her.

At the moment, one of the most important conferences to be held this decade is taking place in Copenhagen to tackle climate change, a real threat to the future survival of our planet. While the greed and stubbornness of developed nations against committing to stringent controls isn’t surprising, what was surprising was that Copenhagen barely dwarfed the importance of Woods’ escapades.

Give me a break. The importance of the state of Tiger Woods’ marriage in relation to climate change is comparable to a five cent coin versus a R100 note: who gives a crap?

The Woods affair (pardon the pun) is just another sad indictment of where the priorities of the media are. They are relied upon by sports fans to keep up to date with the latest news. The dilution of real content versus nonsensical rubbish has been happening to mainstream media for ages, but the erosion of credibility has set in so much that Woods’ private life can be classed as sports news. How things have changed. It’s nothing new, but every time the media bottoms out like this, I get slightly upset expecting, perhaps ignorantly, a little better.

Though Woods has put himself in a tricky position, especially in relation to his endorsements, which are based in large part on his now-extinct clean-cut image, why do we hold the man to such a high standard? While sports stars, as public figures, act as role models for many, why should we be so shocked when in fact they prove they make mistakes just like you and me? For South Africans, Hansie Cronje represented one of the ugliest break-ups imaginable between who we thought he was and what Cronje actually was like as a person.

The furore that surround Joost (why anyone actually gives a shit is beyond me) is another example. Was I surprised? No. Does it impact on my world? No.

Michael Phelps was chastised for smoking the reefer, and was caught on tape doing it. The man won 8 gold medals, so does that diminish his achievements in the pool, the same as Woods’ achievements on the golf course?

Not by a long shot. It in fact brings me comfort to know that while there are people out there who can push the boundaries and excel beyond the scope of what average human beings such as me and you can achieve in a sporting context, the devastation of knowing that your favourite golfer betrayed his wife should serve as a reminder that Woods, like the rest of us, bleeds and is made of soft tissue and can fall victim to his emotions.

Sport is meant to challenge the human spirit and the rise of the professional sporting superstar certainly has posed many questions to the world’s leading athletes. Some pass, some do not. It’s all part of the game.

Woods may have sinned, but he is only human and as such his privacy should be respected to a certain degree. I only care about the golfer, not the man, since the man isn’t what I see on the golf course.

Now if only Brian Habana hadn’t done that atrocious “high five for clean hands!” advert. That was something none of us needed to see.