Last month, Tiger Woods shocked the sports world by confessing to committing several occurrences of adultery. Suddenly the most famous golfer of all time, sterling image and bright smile, became a staple on the five o’clock news and was on the cover of every gossip magazine. To date, nearly a dozen women have come out and said they had an intimate relationship with Woods. After creating such an uncompromised image over the years, people had to wonder why he would risk everything he had worked for to have superficial affairs with several women. Although it seems crazy, athletes with the killer instinct that makes them so successful in their sport often carries over into the real world. They have been wired to view themselves as impenetrable through the years and that shield makes them feel invincible to those close to them.
Like Michael Jordan, Woods suffers from an unequivocal work ethic and competitiveness that makes them great but often doesn’t translate to the real world without consequences. Jordan committed adultery during the peak of his athletic brilliance and eventually faced much scrutiny for his divorce and gambling issues that likely stemmed from the competiveness that he needed to blow off in some way. Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times states, “(Tiger) is merciless, a man who, when he steps on to the golf course, will not feel their pain. He will inflict it and enjoy it.” Competitiveness is not something an athlete can simply turn off when they aren’t competing.
In the end, it will be the same mentality that got Tiger into this mess that gets him out of the predicament he finds himself in with his sponsors and fans. The competitive nature will take over and Woods will do anything to prove his doubters wrong and rise once again to the top of the sports world. Even after his apologies, it is likely that his mentality of invincibility will not change. Personality traits are the most difficult things to change in people because they have likely become so entrenched in the makeup of the person’s brain that their skewed thought process seems normal to them. No matter the outcome, the damage has been done. However, as Golf Digest’s David Owen stated in a piece written before the scandal, “(Woods) is such a complete master of his talents and ambitions, he has been able to pull himself together after setbacks that would have ruined the rounds, or even the careers of lesser players.”
Mr. Woods, you’re away.
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