Read a good article in today's USA Today written by Drew Sharp entitled, "Public rarely sees Tiger's private life." He talks about how so many athletes let the media catch them at a bad time and it can destroy their image, but Tiger Woods has done a fantastic job at keeping his public image clean and his personal life to himself. No one has a perfect life and as a celebrity the media is always looking for you to mess up. More athletes in today's world need to take a page out of Tiger's book and keep their personal lives...personal. Here is the article:
Golf awakens from its eight-month hibernation from relevance Wednesday afternoon when Tiger Woods returns to the PGA Tour after reconstructive knee surgery, the sport's most eagerly anticipated comeback since Ben Hogan's recovery from an automobile accident almost 60 years ago.
The timing offers an appreciative breath of fresh air.
Can you believe it? There's actually genuine interest in a star's athletic prowess rather than his expertise in wrapping his lips around a marijuana bong or in "stacking" steroids doses. I'm wondering if we can adjust to such a dramatic shock to our senses.
It's not that Woods isn't immune from that most common human characteristic — bad judgment. But he's done a far better job of insulating himself from the prying eyes and fervent pursuers that recently pounced upon the opportunities that Michael Phelps and Alex Rodriguez provided.
Tiger might be the only global sports superstar remaining that the public can honestly trust today only because he makes sure the public rarely sees his private life.
For all anybody knows, he could be a one-man freak show. But nobody will ever know because Woods remains as mentally focused in preserving his well-crafted image as he is in preserving a final round tournament lead.
He's purposely distant. Woods doesn't say anything publicly that isn't first properly vetted. He's basically assumed ownership of his own informational content, "breaking" stories on his website.
He's very selective about those with whom he socializes, attaching a codicil to those closest relationships — protect his privacy or risk becoming an outcast.
Have you ever seen a photograph of him emerging from a nightclub after hours? Has there ever been any whiff of inappropriate public behavior that gives the tabloid back pages its oxygen?
Woods understands the responsibilities that come with enormous fame. You flaunt your celebrity at your own risk.
Phelps and A-Rod don't get that. When caught in a compromising situation, they blamed the overreaction of others on not understanding that their mistakes were solely the result of innocent, youthful stupidity. But when you willingly accept the vast monetary trappings of your athletic success, you lose the privilege of naïveté.
Jordan thought he could do whatever he wanted without further scrutiny because he was Michael Jordan. He finally understood that his fame only invited more inspection, demanding even more diligence in how you conduct yourself away from the arena and with whom you associate.
There is no heroism in sports, only celebrity.
Maybe Tiger gets that better than the others. They've chosen the spotlight, so they better make sure that there's nothing to see.
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