The Blame Game

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. That's just about all everyone in the sports world can talk about today.

From the now infamously recked Escalade to his many mistresses, it seems that Tiger Woods has now become synonymous with all that is unclean in the eyes of the public. In the aftermath, Tiger has taken up hiding from the masses, afraid to utter a single word that is not unscripted and carefully planned out, watching and suffering as his endorsement empire has come crashing down as if it were Rome on fire.

While no one will question the fact that he did what he did, many today are questioning how he pulled off one of the greatest false-advertising campaigns in the history of sports, a campaign which labeled Tiger not only as one of the greatest sports figures the world has ever seen, but also a model citizen that everybody in their right mind should try emulate in their everyday life.

With all this in mind, the true question is who is at fault for the wool over the public's eyes; Tiger, or the public themselves?

Lets begin with Tiger himself. Woods erupted onto the golf scene in the 1990s with his famous "hello world" press conference. Hello world indeed. The kid was amazing, and quickly took over as quite possibly the most dominate golfer in history, piling up tournament wins as if he were placing coins in the piggy bank.

Along the way, Tiger and his troops began painting a picture of Woods as a wholesome American, talented and charming with just the right amount of pride and humility. Up until the recent scandal, this is all that the public saw of Woods, and for that matter, all that the public really needed to see.

So there it is. Tiger Woods is officially guilty of false advertising, and many in the sports world still can not come to grips with what has transpired in front of them.

Now on to the sports public, as mass which demands the best from all athletes who dare place themselves in the public's eyes. both on and off the field of play.

To be fair, no one, not even Tiger's wife, knew what was happening behind the scenes. But there is the root of the very problem. The public, with all their demands of perfection, never stops to realize that all people, even their deified athletes, are human. That's right, human.

All that really matters in the eyes of most sports fans is winning. It starts with a simple "What? This new kid has won how many events? And he's how old? Count me as a fan!" From there it changes and morphs from a belief that the athlete is the best at his sport to a belief that the athlete is now the best person on the planet. Woe to anyone who dare thinks the athlete might not be as kosher as everyone believes in their hearts

Then it happens. The truth is unleashed, and all who believed this so-called model American is the next best thing since the invention of Cracker Jacks is left with mouths open wide, pondering and questioning how they could have been fooled.

This situation brings to light a simple fact that should have been considered right from the very beginning. The public knew nothing of Woods outside of the golf course, but made up their own fantasies of him. The kid was winning, so how could he not be this great person who does everything right?

The fact of the matter is that the media and fans all need to bring their views of athletes around the world back down to earth and be done with sports deities, never again pretending that a athlete is automatically a grace to the planet just because of their winning record.

So here's the question once again. Who is to blame for the "Tiger Woods surprise?" Until athletes change their marketing schemes and fans realize that the best place for athletes is on their TV screens and not on top of thier shrines, the simple truth is that both Woods himself and the public are to blame, and it doesn't look like anything is going to change in the near future.