Get over yourselves, people.
Now look, I understand expressing your opinion, and I completely understand why you want people to listen to what you have to say. It is a symbol of importance, leadership, and substance, especially if you are a member of the media. But when a person in authority makes an idiotic statement just for the sake of mass deliberation, I have officially lost respect for them.
ESPN.com writer Bill Simmons made the mistake of saying something he shouldn’t have in a chat. I’m willing to give him a pass. It happens. So instead of repealing what he said, he… elaborated on it? Even on the surface, ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons comparison of Tiger Woods’ recent problems to Muhammad Ali’s exile in 1970 is moronic.
Simmons writes, “When Tiger Woods returns to golf, he will face a level of pressure that well surpasses anything any other transcendent athlete has faced in my lifetime.”
The phrase, “level of pressure” pushes my soul to irate levels. I hate to let you in on something Bill, but Tiger Woods doesn’t care about you. Tiger Woods could careless about what you, and the rest of your buddies in Bristol think about his personal life. You all write about him as if you have never done anything wrong.
Maybe you don’t want to acknowledge it, but I’ll say it for you. Tiger looks at the rest of us like we are inferior, because we are. The only pressure on Tiger Woods while he is on the course is if he should use a four or five iron. The size of his gallery when he plays only feeds his complex. The proof of his complex is evident in the allegations of the numerous women he has been with. He has the right to have that complex. You as fans gave it to him. Maybe he hasn’t earned the right to cheat on his wife, but that is between them. It isn’t our (us as sportswriters) place, and it isn’t yours either.
If anything, this entire “scandal” taught me one thing, and that is, the media as a whole is irrational. I know a lot of sports minded people, and none of them care about this “scandal.” Who exactly is going to be applying all of this pressure to Tiger? This “scandal” is an indirect proclamation from the American media that they are unable to put things in their clear perspective.
Muhammad Ali was sent to jail during the prime of his career, and was accused by most of the nation of being unpatriotic. Simmons completely fails to mention that after he was arrested, and convicted, he was BANNED from boxing. I’m going to repeat that for the slow, he was BANNED from boxing for about three years.
Tiger cheated on his wife. Wait, you mean he really didn’t break the law? He didn’t go to jail? He really didn’t kill anyone while driving drunk? He didn’t kill a limo driver? And he wasn’t doing drugs?
But yes, Tiger Woods will have a much tougher time rebounding.
Even ignoring all of that, Tiger Woods doesn’t owe you anything. He doesn’t. You keep watching his ads then buy the products he endorses, you keep going to golf courses, and you keep feeding the lunacy involving all of this, and idolizing him in your own mind. It doesn’t change a thing. He is his own person. Tiger Woods doesn’t care what you do in your spare time, so you should probably meet him halfway.
Stick to your internet chats, Bill.
