PGA Golf Tiger Woods

I believe it would be very difficult to find someone who hasn’t heard of Tiger Woods. They are either familiar with his accomplishments on the golf course or maybe they have played his popular video game. It is also possible that they have followed his personal life when he got married to a Swedish model Elin Nordegren or when their marriage disintegrated when his infidelity became public.

Of course you might have caught him being a spokesman for Nike, Buick or Gatorade; these are just a couple of the companies that he has been a spokesman for.

Whether you like the man or not he certainly has made a name for himself.

Besides being a very successful golfer, even at a young age, his knack for being unflappable under pressure quickly created a following of fans. People loved seeing him sink that winning put, since it appeared that he had ice water in his veins.

Even with all of his success there have been obstacles as well. A very public spat with a former caddie named Steve Williams. These interactions exposed a negative side that people hadn’t seen before.

He has also been criticized for being a robot when being interviewed after a golf round. For me this criticism isn’t fair. People are who they are, expecting them to somehow transform into a great public speaker who is cool, calm and funny is a very tough request. I’m all for hoping that he softens up, and maybe lowers his guard a wee bit, but I don’t expect him to evolve into this warm and bubbly person when he sits behind a microphone; it is just not who he is.

With the incredibly popularity of the EA Sports developed golf video game, with his name and face on the cover, I guess it was only a matter of time before the game became available to play online.

With the rumors spreading about the imminent demise of home video games as we know it I envision that making the game playable online was a smart call. Being connected, electronically, has become so easy with the popularity of smartphones and tablets. Taking games to these users is another way to get people to use your product.

For years now a new video game has been developed with him on the cover. It probably won’t even eclipse the popularity of the Madden football games but it is still a very desirable game for golf fans, serious or not.

I have played an older version of the game on Xbox and it is fun. You can compete against other professional golfers on some of the biggest courses around the world. It is always a fun gaming experience when you can put yourself in the professional’s shoes and compete.

It doesn’t take too long to figure out how to control your golfer and you are put in situations, just like the real professionals. You have to determine how hard you are going to hit a drive or which club to use to get up on the green. Putting is a calculated judgment of speed and slope to gauge how to get the ball into the hole.

This was a man who had it all. He was very successful at his craft, was a highly desirable spokesman for some of the biggest companies, was married to a model and had kids too. Unfortunately all of this wasn’t enough for him and he was unfaithful to his wife, multiple times.

I still remember seeing the news when he crashed his vehicle at the end of his driveway, and his wife had busted out a window with a golf club (kind of ironic huh?) The media was in a frenzy speculating if he had been drinking and driving or whatever. When it came out that his wife had lost it after confirming that he had been sleeping around it was a shock to me.

As a married man I simply cannot understand what was wrong with him. I mean people cheat because they aren't happy with what they have right? He was married to a model, had two kids, was very successful and was wealthy.

I don’t know if he thought he would never be caught or if it was really an ‘addiction’ like he claimed it to be. As a grown man I guess I can kind of sympathize with thinking he was addicted to being with women, as most men probably are, but the difference is this married man is only interested in being with his wife. I certainly am not interested in being with prostitutes, as he was.

I think he would have to be pretty naive to think it his secret would never come out. I can see a normal person assuming this but we are talking about one of the most recognizable athletes in the US, it was inevitable that everyone would find out what he was really up to.

Following our favorite athletes and celebrities is a popular hobby for our society. It is so popular that there are magazines and television shows dedicated to any news of these individuals actions. In most cases this can be just connected to harmless curiosity but when the celebrity slips up these publications are usually all over it very quickly.

No celebrity is immune to these TV shows and magazines. Take ESPN for example, they pride themselves as being all about sports. Even if Tiger is playing poorly in a tournament they still note how many strokes behind the leader he is or if he missed the cut. If you are just an average golfer you certainly will not get this much attention.

Being a celebrity has its perks, but it is not all roses. When we make mistakes in our lives we just deal with it, celebrities don’t have this luxury. If they get into a car accident, tip a waiter poorly or speak a swear word it is reported. A video might pop up on YouTube or Twitter might explode with comments about the occurrence.

I’m not trying to obtain sympathy for these folks; as far as I am concerned they can seek comfort in all of their piles of money. I guess I just prefer to look at them as human beings and not a great athlete or award winner actor. Obviously they have been blessed with a talent and I’m happy for them.

Personally I will take my normal family, and a job that I enjoy, and not have to worry about some person stalking me for a photo or someone putting my every move under a microscope for examination.

I still see success for him on the golf course and the other facets of his life. With lingering injuries I think it will be tough for him to duplicate what he did early in his career but he will be just fine.