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- #51
And THAT, I believe, is the root of the issue.
People put Tiger on a pedestal that few Greco-Roman gods could stand upon much less a modern, mortal athlete. So when that mortal stumbles, the people who placed him on that pedestal feel embarrassed or in some way "wrong" for allowing themselves to fall in love with an image and an ideal that THEY created and now it's as if their judgment has been called into question - like vouching for someone they barely know and then having that person do something wrong and that bothers them.
People felt that the winning and the dominance of that winning meant that Tiger must be some larger than life being and to them he seemed almost god-like and thus incapable of doing anything wrong.
When he DID end up doing something wrong, he shattered the image that THEY created and believed in and I think in many ways people are more mad at themselves than at Tiger because they now realize that the pedestal on which they placed him was simply built too high and their expectation level was too great and that their "god" was just a mere human after all.
-JP
This logic and theory probably only applies to a very small few, IMO.
It's true, Tiger's image will never be the same. But, I honestly believe a lot of people who liked Tiger before as a golfer, will still like him.
I think this whole "god" analogy about Tiger is being overstated and overplayed as well. To me, and other golf fans that I know, Tiger is and was simply the best golfer in the world, and the best that we've ever seen, period. If you're the kind of person who puts athletes, actors, politicians, etc., on "pedestals" and think they do no wrong, well, then you're not living in the real world and setting yourself up for disappointment.
Remember, people are fans of Tiger for his golfing ability. When this all came out about Tiger, did his golfing ability change?
Yes, Tiger did some bad things. Okay, we all know that. But, it's still a personal "issue" between him and his family.
Until he steps onto the golf course, he's none of our business.