IT is perhaps not surprising when we hoist our superstars so high on to a pedestal that their subsequent fall can often be so steep and so spectacular. Such is the reverence and respect with which those who excel in their particular sporting field tend to be held that it is often forgotten that they must endure life’s trials and tribulations just like the rest of us. Being able to kick a football, throw a rugby ball or wield a golf club better than most does not make those athletes somehow immune to human frailty or tragedy.
Perhaps those quick to judge Tiger Woods and his recent transgressions ought to keep that in mind. The police mugshot following the arrest of the former world No 1 did not show him in the most flattering of lights, his appearance unkempt, the eyelids heavy. The dashcam footage released subsequently by the Florida police force that found Woods asleep at the wheel of his car was similarly uncomplimentary.
If there can be little sympathy for those who endanger the lives of others by driving when they are evidently not fit to do so, some of the reaction to Woods’ arrest and befuddled appearance on police film footage verged on a schadenfreudic glee at seeing someone previously hailed as almost superhuman being reduced to something far short of that. It recalled the perverse pleasure many took from the revelations a few years ago that Woods was going through what could diplomatically be described as marital difficulties.
Woods was a golfing pioneer. He revolutionised the sport, made it more athletic, more commercially attractive and, most importantly, more appealing to all regardless of age, background or race. His success transcended sport. The notion that a black man could become the most famous golfer in the world seemed highly unlikely prior to Woods’ emergence as a talent of some repute in the mid-1990s. Fourteen Major titles won over a dozen years showed he was as much about substance as he was style.
His achievements were met with a deserved flood of plaudits. He became a hugely-popular figure among golf fans and non-golf fans alike, as well as someone regularly in demand from sponsors and the media. That rush of acclaim helped create a public persona based largely on his TV interviews, advertising appearances and the occasional glimpse in the flesh of the lesser-spotted Tiger out and about.
It was far from the whole picture, of course. Like the proverbial iceberg, the face Woods showed to the world was only a tiny fraction of his true personality. His has been a largely blessed existence – more than $1 billion in accumulated wealth goes a long way – but behind the scenes there would have been daily strife and worries to endure like everyone else. Just because celebrities try to present a picture of serenity and eternal happiness to those peeking with curiosity into their seemingly perfect world does not make it necessarily true.
Our initial reaction to sporting heroes falling on hard times tends to be one of surprise. How could this happen? It is an instinctive but illogical response, based on the assumption that those in possession of athletic gifts ought to be just as privileged in every other aspect of their lives.
Maybe even the athletes themselves start to believe they are impervious to the everyday challenges when all they have heard throughout their careers is how remarkable and flawless they are. But such a theory is rarely based in reality. Footballers, rugby players, cricketers, athletes, swimmers and, yes, golfers have time and time again shown themselves to be vulnerable to life’s varied temptations, their misdemeanours played out in front of a gawping and shocked audience but one also secretly thrilled at their hitherto heroes’ comeuppance. Perhaps more remarkable is the fact that so many sporting greats have been able to retain a sense of equilibrium when they are being repeatedly told their achievements somehow make their lives of greater worth than others.
In an ideal world, figures like Woods would be judged solely on how they perform in their particular sporting arena. Woods did not wish to become a role model and yet it is a tag that has been thrust upon him based solely on his performances around a golf course. As the past week has shown, however, he is as human as the rest of us. Perhaps that should be kept in mind the next time a superstar topples precariously from their pedestal.
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