Oh Tiger

This Tiger Woods thing is fascinating. He's a billionaire golf player, and apparently that means people in our country held him up to be some sort of model of morality. Cuz, you know, golf is the "moral" sport. And now they are absolutely shocked that he might not be so morally upstanding.

There are several issues at work here, and I'm not even going to touch on the most controversial ones.

1. When you get married, you and the person you marry define what the marriage will be like. There are plenty of open marriages in the world. And if you and your partner agree to it before getting married, then you've spelled out the terms beforehand. Who knows if Elin agreed to an open marriage? She may have known, and then when word got out, that might have been what set her off. Or she may have been blissfully ignorant (you know, head in the sand). So not cool if that's how it played out, but there is a distinct possibility that she went along with a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

2. Why do we value sports stars so highly? I have never gotten it. Professional sports have always eluded me. Cities pay for sports franchises, they recruit players from all over the world, and then they call it City vs. City. I can see local sports, where it's this high school vs. that high school. Then it's really one school versus another. I really don't understand the fierce loyalty to sports teams where franchises pay huge sums for token players (cough cough, LA Stars). Yes, those token players capture viewers, I'm not completely stupid. But to say these people, who come from all over the world, represent a specific city is just strange.

3. If you tout yourself as a moralist (a la Jimmy Swaggart from the 1980s), then I can see the repercussions if you cavort with strippers, prostitutes, and wannabe social climbers. But I do not believe Tiger ever claimed to be a moralist. I think he has only ever proclaimed being good at golf.

4. Women. Aaaaah women. I don't like bashing my gender, but I sometimes really don't understand them. I remember in junior high how our varsity sports teams at SCHOOL were treated. These 14-year old boys decided which girls were popular by bestowing their letterman's jackets on the girls they deemed worthy. So, in essence, you had 100-200 girls competing to date the 10 or so guys on the varsity sports team of the season. Even on the periphery, you could see the lying, backstabbing and cheating that took place. And if a girl was "lucky" enough to get the coveted letterman's jacket, she had to work hard at retaining her place with the varsity sports player on top of warding off the 100-200 girls who were itching to take her place. And that was ONE junior high in ONE town in ONE state. You can imagine the craziness among the women around a handsome billionaire sports figure. I'm sure many of them have been plotting how to have a baby with Tiger Woods and be able to retire for the rest of their lives with the hush money. Not that I ever would think anyone in this world would ever not have the best of intentions...

5. No, I'm not just blaming women. Tiger is the one to blame ultimately. Despite being away from home, surrounded by willing women, cash to burn in your pocket, he can say no.

6. I think many people live in this weird bubble and don't really understand how celebrities live. Not that I do, because of course I don't, but hey - I watch E! occassionally. I think that gives me a slight edge. I remember talking with someone about Justin Timberlake. She saw his concert and said that after seeing it, she couldn't believe that he might not be so squeaky clean. REALLY!!!???? I've seen that he's been to the Playboy Mansion frequently (and of course things are always on the up-and-up there!). He would NEVER be approached by women who would be willing to do ANYTHING with him. And no one would ever offer him any sorts of other perks. Yeah, sure, and if you believe he's so squeaky clean, I've got a bridge to sell you.

I just think it's stupid how people are acting. The most beloved golf player ever was found to be unfaithful to his wife. But I must say that it's more entertaining to watch than the reports on the economy.