The Tiger Woods Problem
by Josh Levine
Let’s dub today Tiger Woods Day, and make it the last day on which public apologies will be abided and accepted. I hereby call for a moratorium on apologies.
Tiger’s well-rehearsed heartfelt apology was just the latest in a long string of pleas by the rich, famous, and powerful to allow them back into our lives, and our wallets. Politicians, athletes, actors — blessed with the trappings of celebrity have increasingly found themselves at the podium in recent years, begging for forgiveness. More specifically, they’re begging us not to take those trappings away.
Seth Godin said it best in The Dip, essentially that most of the rewards in any profession are reserved for the very few at the very top. The reason, among other things, is the scarcity of available spaces at the top. Who’s the second best golfer in the world? If you follow golf, you should know the answer to this, although there might be some debate. The rest of us have no idea. Is it John Daly, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Iacocca? Who cares?
But what does the best mean? The guy who scores the lowest and wins the most jackets? Or the guy who plays well enough on the field and is also a model husband. That’s for you to decide, and for us as a society to decide what matters most.
Either way, I propose that given the untold riches — both monetary and in the form of women all over the world throwing themselves at you — give to guys like Tiger, this is a one-shot deal. Zero tolerance. No apologies. You mess up, you have to own it. No fake tears or rehearsed speeches. The collective sob stories must be stricken for the record. We either care or we don’t.
Of course, I’m living in my own little fantasy world. We are addicted to the soap opera of public life in which people are lionized and then brought back down to earth. But I say it all has to stop. Today.
Who’s with me? Post your comments here and help me celebrate Tiger Woods day.
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