Read the debate intro and the opposing argument from Babe Ruthless.
The golf world has been reeling since the “transgressions” of Tiger Woods became public.
The PGA Tour has especially been hurting this year. As Bleacher Fan asked in the intro, can you name a 2010 tournament winner? No, Phil Mickelson hasn’t won yet. The casual fans have disappeared from the game, all because of the loss of the game’s greatest attraction. Now I am in no way condoning the actions taken by Woods OFF the course, but to suspend him from the PGA Tour is not the answer.
The tour needs Tiger back, because ratings and attendance at tournaments are down, as is the buzz factor when watching on TV. Even Tiger’s apology drew higher ratings than most tournaments do. However, his admitted affairs are not a reason to suspend him. After all, what law did Tiger Woods break?
Did he break the vows of marriage? Yes! Did his actions go against the moral values that we hopefully all live by? Absolutely. But his actions had nothing to do with the game.
What they have done is caused everlasting damage to his image. He is practically losing a sponsor every week. Last weekend, Gatorade decided that it no longer needs the services of Tiger, becoming the latest to follow the mass exodus of sponsors who have left along with Tag Heuer, AT&T, Accenture, and Gillette. This results in the loss of millions of dollars to Woods – Isn’t that enough punishment?
When Woods returns to golf, the scrutiny he will be under will be tremendous. Making a 15 foot putt on the 18th at Augusta is nothing compared to the pressure he will feel in his first tournament back. It will be a circus. Whatever privacy he had established for him and his family has unfortunately been tossed aside with yesterday’s trash.
Another key factor is to consider is that Woods would lose little to no money by being suspended. In golf, you achieve your earnings by playing in tournaments. The better you play, the more you make, unlikeother sports where you are employed by a franchise and are playing on a set salary. Woods is essentially playing for himself, and despite all the losses in sponsorships he is still financially secure. There is no guarantee that he will even try to tee it up for the rest of the year. I thought briefly that he would return for The Masters in early April, but that doesn’t seem likely at this point.
Some have argued that other golfers have been suspended, which establishes a precedent. John Daly is an example often used in this argument. While Daly is a guy I actively root for, his suspension in late 2008 was warranted. He became familiar with an orange jumpsuit after being publicly intoxicated. Yes, he spent time in jail. Woods has not spent time in jail, unless you count Elin’s doghouse!
Suspending Woods would serve no real purpose, because it would not be a real setback for him. The real setbacks have all been self-inflicted by Tiger, and have all been punishment enough.
Even after the sexual issue recently, Woods is still my idol. It’s a real pleasure to see Woods on the golf court again.
Why do you still like him? Is his image not tarnished at all in your opinion?
There’s no doubt it’s tarnished. We should all be able to agree with that. But according to the last figures, he’s still bringing in money through endorsements. However, I think a clearer picture on that will be told with next year’s figures.