"Tiger Woods: Worse than Tony Soprano"

[DemocratSinceBirth]

MONTREAL – First of all, let me say quite clearly that I am not a fan of Tiger Woods. Never have been, never will be.


I recognize that he can hit a golf ball quite well, for what that’s worth. Lance Armstrong can ride a bike. Barry Bonds can hit a baseball. LeBron James can dunk a basketball.


That doesn’t make any of them heroes. Matter of fact, they’re all about as far from being heroes as you can get.


Tiger Woods is a man whose life is built around greed and a ruthless, monomaniacal obsession with winning. No wonder he’s obsessed with acquiring mistresses. The man has always had everything he ever wanted – who is going to tell him no?


When I read about Woods, all I see is stories about when he’s going to return to the tour, how he’s going to rehab his image (as though it’s all about image and nothing else) why he’s likely to come back better than ever.


No one mentions that this was one twisted, greedy human being from the get-go. Tiger Woods is what happens when you turn your child into a machine. Pity his father, Earl Woods, is no longer around to see the destruction he has wrought.

...


Tiger Woods is a great golfer, whatever that is worth. He is not a great man, by any stretch of the imagination. Woods doesn’t begin to measure up to the athletes who were also great humans: Jackie Robinson, Jim Thorpe, Bill Russell, Babe Didrickson, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens, Rocket Richard. They had to fight real hatred and prejudice. They suffered real hurt.


http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Tiger+Woods+Worse+than+Tony+Soprano/2363482/story.html

DSB's note: I never liked Tiger Woods since his father said he would be as great as Muhammad Ali. No athlete will ever be as great as Ali when you factor in his influence on culture, his nation and the world. The fact that he beat people up for a living almost became incidental to who he is and was.