Image: ABC News onlineWritten: 23rd Feb 2010 | Last Updated: 23rd Feb 2010
Image: ABC News online
Let’s not beat around the bush (for want of a better expression!): Tiger Woods’ media apology to the world was one of the emptiest presentations ever broadcast on television. While such confessional therapy works wonders for some, helping them take first steps toward recovery from whatever behavioural afflictions they have, Tiger’s public airing of his conscience appeared startlingly insincere - a forced exercise that did nothing to salvage his smashed reputation.
He seemed to believe that if you looked humble, and sounded humble, you WERE humble; but real humility, and an honest commitment to mending one’s ways, come with body and eye language unmistakably communing with a bleeding heart, a repenting soul. Neither was apparent during this ridiculous public relations exercise. And because people like Tiger have handlers and spin doctors protecting his (and their) lucrative interests, they get dished up words without ever needing the character to know or understand them. In an effort to win back public approval and sponsors, his speech was tooled with the right buzz words, but delivered by a really weak lead.
An immoral person doesn’t become moral because he says he’s sorry. He becomes a BETTER person by being honest with himself, and then honest, decent and respectful towards everyone else in proper order: family first, friends and community second, and in a sportsman's case, sponsors and fans a distant third. If he works really hard, and has a bit of luck, he just might win back some of the support he took for granted.
Personally, I think Mr Woods got too rich and famous too young on a circuit (like most in today’s overhyped professional sports) that offers too many extracurricular temptations masquerading as perks. If you’re a good and wise man, you know when to say yes, and when to go home.
How do you fix a mess as big as Tiger's? You shut up, get off TV and get to work.