I don't play golf. I don't watch golf. I'm not a golf fan. I've never seen Tiger play.

[MineralMan]

In fact, my only exposure to golf comes, generally, when the local Sunday evening news is delayed on my local CBS affiliate due to some PGA tournament that is running overtime.

I don't watch tennis, either, nor have I played tennis in over 50 years.

And yet, I know about Serena Williams and Tiger Woods. Why? Because they are Black athletes who have excelled at sports that were long only played by white people. Those two athletes, along with others, have made news because they broke through racial barriers to become champions of the sports in which they chose to compete.

I don't know either of them on any sort of personal basis. I don't follow the sports they play. But I know of them, and they are prominent because they overcame the racial prejudice connected with their sport and became international figures in those sports.

For that, they have great significance, I think.

Do they have personal flaws? No doubt. We all have personal flaws. Many sports figures of prominence have personal flaws.

That, however, does not negate their accomplishments and breakthroughs in sports that have long been dominated by white people. For that, their fame is well-deserved.

I'm puzzled at the animosity generated toward those people when their personal flaws are exposed for some reason. Such flaws make national news. Why?

So, Tiger Woods was badly injured in a single-vehicle car wreck. He was the only one hurt. Nobody else was harmed. Only Tiger Woods. So, why are people posting diatribes against him? People who don't know him at all. People who have no reason to trash the man publicly after his car accident.

That's my question. It should be a question anyone who is tempted to write some sort of scathing diatribe about him. Look inward, folks. What is it that makes you so angry at someone who was injured in a car crash?

[Turin_C3PO]

1. Yeah, the reaction by some has been bizarre to me.

I don’t want to believe that possible racial animosity is behind the criticism but it does make me scratch my head.

[wishstar]

2. I haven't posted about Tiger before but he endangered some of my closest relatives

The accident occurred close to the home of my family members including 3 young children who travel that road every morning going to work and school. One of them works in the Trauma unit of Harbor UCLA Med Center that helped him.

From all reports he acted irresponsibly endangering others in a residential neighborhood with schools close by. There is a Montessori School along that road and the High School right across from where he wrecked.

[MineralMan]

6. And yet, he hurt nobody but himself.

[Srkdqltr]

3. Even here I have noticed a racial and gender bias .

No where near all and not that many but it is there.

[HipChick]

9. racial animosity bias..

Was very noticeable...

No one gave Tiger anything

and he worked damn hard for his success...

Someone so young still having to push through and crack racial barriers is a sad reflection on the US

[Butterflylady]

4. I agree with your assessment. While I am not a fan of any major sport

I just file comments such as you have described under human nature. No matter how humans advance themselves there will always be those who carry that attitude.

[Dave Starsky]

5. It is ALL they're talking about on EVERY news station.

It is way, way beyond ridiculous. You'd think the Archduke Ferdinand was just shot. I don't think the Apollo 11 landing got this much fucking wall-to-wall 24/7 coverage.

[MineralMan]

8. Is that somehow Tiger Woods' fault?

Yes, the news media are covering the accident, but also covering other things. I am a news fan, so I'm watching the news.

They cover the story, and then move on to other stories.

Why attack the athlete? That's my question. Especially why attack him when it is the news coverage that seems to bother you?

[Dave Starsky]

15. The way overblown media coverage is not Woods' fault.

It's the fault of our useless news media that is doing everything they possibly can to avoid covering hearings about the Insurrection and Trump's legal troubles as we speak.

CBS This Morning was all... about... Tiger. Expert after expert coming on and speculating, one after the other, about what Tiger Woods is doing right now as he lays in a hospital bed with his leg pinned together. It's so completely absurd.

[LeftInTX]

18. Hey! That's all they talked about when he and his ex-wife had the fight

I think he got in his car and had wreck while he was taking Ambien.

I think there there was a golf club involved in this....

Then Tiger made a public apology in front of these heavy velvet drapes.

Not watching TV, but Tiger is not in my Google news feed right now.

[HipChick]

7. Thank you for posting this MineralMan

sums my thoughts entirely...

[MineralMan]

11. Well, I was annoyed at MSNBC for focusing so much on the Tiger Woods

story. But, that didn't cause me to attack the person who was injured. I was annoyed at MSNBC, not Tiger Woods.

Today, they're back covering what's going on in DC, not Tiger Woods. Yesterday, they jumped on what they thought was a much bigger story than it turned out to be. I hope they learned from that.

But, there was only one person hurt in that accident. I hope he recovers fully, just as I hope everyone who is injured recovers fully. I'm not angry at Tiger Woods. I have no reason to be.

[malaise]

10. Thank you my brother

[MineralMan]

12. No thanks needed, but thanks anyhow!

[cbdo2007]

13. People just love attacking successful people. Tiger is one of the most skilled athletes of our lives

and people love to make them seem terrible and try to punish them for succeeding, it is really weird.

I actually did get into golf for about a year right before Tiger's other incident, I think it was about 11 years ago, and it was so much fun to watch him play, like he was significantly better than the other players and would make some amazing shots that nobody else would even come close on.

I hope he can get help for whatever is going on with and can still be out there inspiring everyone and doing good in the world.

[Pongo]

14. Thank you for this post. It restored my faith somewhat.

[11 Bravo]

16. Excellent post. (From one who plays golf, watches gold, is a golf fan, and ...

has seen Tiger play hundreds of times, both in person, and on TV.)

Some athletes simply transcend their sport.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. +1

For 20 years, Tiger HAS BEEN golf.
He's clearly bigger than the sport itself.
As someone who started seriously following golf in 1970, he is, IMO, the best to have ever done it.
And, I've seen lots of great ones.