I AM...TIGER WOODS

First and most importantly, I want to say how proud I am of Tiger for doing what he did today. Its tough to even think about what the past 3 months has done to Tiger Woods mentally and emotionally. Yes, this whole situation is his fault and all the blame- as he made clear- should and is on his shoulders. Tigers apology was a step in the right direction for he and his family.

For the duration of his public statement- roughly 13 minutes- I was in a zone between Tiger and myself- and I could not keep my eyes off of him…I had to hear every word. He covered almost every question and angle to a thought I had from a personal standpoint. Yeah there are still a few that linger on- such as how many women he actually hooked up total or what the exact date will be for his triumphant return to the game of golf- but those questions as Tiger made clear are between only he and his wife-deservedly so.

It came to me for the first time today while watching hi, that Tiger is not treated like everyone else. He mentioned how he realized he has to play by the same rules as everyone else and how his fame and fortune blinded him. But in reality, we treat Tiger like a superhuman god-before and even after this wild 3-month escapade. How many people do you think around the world stopped what they were doing completely to watch Tigers EVERY word. How many employees huddled around a television in their office buildings, what about all the children in schools who made their teacher put it on in their classroom. Tiger is followed and watched more closely in our country -and probably around the world- than our president. All I’m saying is think about it. When you include little kids, athletes of all ages, teenagers, young adults, adults, the elderly I mean every type of person no matter where you are from made sure to watch these 13 minutes more closely and seemed to care more about what Tiger had to say than our presidents last speech (I would love to see the numbers on that). We talk, eat, sleep, and some of us breathe Tiger Woods on weekends where he is playing in tournaments. Every time he steps foot onto the course, at least in my family, Tiger Woods controls our world. Is it sad? NO. Is it incredible? YES, every second. Why? Because I am watching the best athlete to ever live in the prime of his career. I was born in 1987. The last time an athlete was in his prime of this enormity (besides the Great Swiss Roger Federer who is right there with Tiger in how I watch and root for them) it was Michael Jordan/Wayne Gretzky. They were at their peaks when I was too young to realize or appreciate what they were doing and what talent and skill they each had. Tiger is one of the most recognizable and followed human beings in the world today. Every athlete writes his/her own story through their actions, achievements, and words. When you think about it NOONE has ever been able to KNOW the real Tiger Woods because he lives and breathes on such a higher atmosphere than we all do- but today Tiger Woods brought himself down to a level where everyone can comprehend the world that he currently lives in and his state of mind.

Some critics didn’t think Tiger was sincere, some thought he was on drugs, some say he took performance enhancing drugs, some believe he should have come out earlier to address his situation. To those people; Imagine being in his position. He was as sincere as I have ever seen him. In reference to the other allegations, he may have taken male enhancement but not performance enhancement (joke) and I mean just look at the work-out regiment he has. Very few can say they train and do what he does every day to remain where he is in the world of sports. Lets go back to the last time we really saw Tiger before this 3 month stretch- he was accepting a trophy in Australia. Now since that day look at the velocity in which his whole world came tumbling down. I believe Tiger needed this time to really think about what he did. He needed the necessary amount of time to formulate all of the accusations that we being brought on him each and every day. Had Tiger come out earlier midst all of these women stepping forward it would have caused even more trouble for he and his family. There were moments throughout his statement where I truly felt bad for him- I guess you can say for the first time that I felt his pain. Tiger focused some of his speech on the treatment of his family. His wife Elin and children Sam and Charlie should not have and hopefully will not continue to be dragged into this mess. Tiger was right- his wife deserves praise not blame. Through the women I’ve spoken to regarding Elin’s situation she has faced- it is one that most women can’t comprehend. Yes, married women are getting cheated on everyday, but most do not come even close to this magnitude of scale- considering his fame throughout the world and the total amount of women he was involved with. Tiger will save his marriage and he will come back before the season is over. I know that I am one of millions who want to see Tiger back on the golf course for the first major of the calendar year. Will we? Me being an optimist believes so- but this decision is one that he can only answer. I expect to see ESPN and every other media outlet ask these questions to take up air-time but the truth of the matter is that whenever Tiger believes he is ready- I’ll feel terrible for all those on the PGA Tour who compete against him. I hope Tiger sticks to his word about acting more professionally out on the golf course- no more throwing clubs or swearing- but exude a love for the game that has been missing the last few years he has played. I’m not sure what his father Earl would think of all this mayhem but I can assure you one thing and that is he would advise Tiger to take the steps that he is now taking to get back to the honorable man we all know. Tiger is my hero and will continue to be even after these transgressions. I predict that by the time he decides to leave the game of golf for good he will have won a total of 23 majors.