Read the opposing argument from Loyal Homer.
Tiger Woods has chosen the Masters to mark his infamous return to golf. If the comments of Augusta National’s Chairman, Billy Payne, are any indication of how the rest of the golf world feels, his return will not be a positive one.
There is a right way and a wrong way for an athlete to return to competition once they have been involved in ignominy of any kind.
Or perhaps I SHOULD say there is a right way and Tiger’s way.
In returning to competition the “right” way, the focus of the athlete’s return is not on the scandal itself, but it is instead on the athlete’s performance in the game. Michael Vick’s return to the NFL was a great example of the “right” way to come back.
When Vick finally returned to the game of football, the focus was not about his dog-fighting scandal, because there were no questions left to ask about his actions. In the time leading up to his return, he was very transparent in his behavior, making himself accessible to the media whenever they wanted to chat. More importantly, though, was the fact that his apologies and actions POST-scandal all seemed to be genuine and heartfelt.
Sure, there were protests surrounding his return, but those protests were not a focal point any more. The voices of dissent had already been heard, and because they had nothing new to protest, and there were no unanswered or unresolved situations to further fuel their fire, their complaints were considered yesterday’s news.
Vick had taken back control of the situation by giving the press and the public what they wanted. He partnered with the NFL in the build-up to his return, and they cooperatively organized his transition back into competition. He answered all the questions, no matter how unpleasant it may have been for him, and the general public seemed to be satisfied with his responses. In doing so, his return was not about what he DID, but instead was about finding out what he will DO now that he is back.
As a result of that positive and cooperative effort, both the NFL and Vick benefitted from his return to the game. Instead of Vick’s presence on the field being a DISTRACTION, he became one of the most intriguing characters of the previous NFL season.
Tiger Woods and the PGA should have taken a page from Vick’s book.
Where Vick was open and accessible, Woods has been reclusive and inaccessible. Where Vick gave the appearance of genuine sincerity, Woods has portrayed resistance and after his seemingly insincere apology, the only SINCERE regret I believe he feels is that he was caught. The result of his foolish commitment in trying to avoid the scandal (which ironically appears to be the only commitment he CAN honor) is that the unsatisfied public will continue to dig and question until they get what they feel are satisfactory responses. Just ask guys like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, or Mark McGwire about how easily the public forgets.
Sure, the scandal was set off by off-the-course indiscretions that had no bearing on the PGA Tour, but now there is speculation of possible HGH use, which would have impacted his play ON the course. As the scandals surrounding Woods continue to swirl unchecked and unaddressed, they will increasingly draw attention FURTHER from the game of golf.
This whole situation has already been a major distraction from the PGA Tour, and Woods wasn’t even playing. Just imagine the damage that will be done if he begins to win tournaments again amid speculation that he may have used HGH. Because Woods’ credibility has been damaged, and he has failed to portray a SINCERE act of contrition with regard to his peccadilloes, the public is less likely to believe his denials of HGH involvement. A snowball effect ensues, where the layers of doubt build higher and higher.
The public’s quest for the truth will ultimately supersede any interest in the competition that will take place on the course. While the officials at Augusta may be able to exert some influence over the media during the Masters, they cannot extend their control beyond the confines of this one tournament. The Woods saga will eventually become a distraction to the PGA Tour, and as each day passes that questions go unanswered (or new accusations arise), the press will become more insistent on seeking information.
This situation cannot be swept under a rug, and it will not just go away. If anything, the American public is forgiving, but until Tiger addresses the elephant in the room and portrays a SINCERE attempt at repentance, the general public will not be willing to forgive, and they will CERTAINLY not be willing to forget.
The PGA may need Tiger Woods back in competition, but they need a Tiger Woods who is not mired in controversy even more.
Posted by Bleacher Fan 
The Suspending Tiger Woods Debate – FINALLY, A Tiger Woods Debate That Pertains to SPORTS
March 2, 2010Read the opposing arguments from Babe Ruthless and Loyal Homer.
You may not have heard anything about this, but someone mentioned to me the other day that there is some golfer named Tiger Woods who apparently cheated on his wife, Elin Nordegren. The media hasn’t done much to cover the story, but from what I can tell this Tiger fellow has admitted to several affairs, and has since withdrawn from further play in the PGA to attend “rehab”.
At least the PGA won’t be affected by this…
And today’s lesson in sarcasm was brought to you by “Tiger Watch!”, the 24-hour news source which has already brought you such groundbreaking reports as – “Elin put gas in her car WITHOUT wearing Tiger’s ring!” and “Elin took Tiger coffee today!” (GASP!)
Seriously, this has gotten WAY out of control!
ESPN.com has even gone so far as to commit a full section of their golf page online to the “Tiger Tracker”. Now, in addition to finding out about the PGA schedule, players, statistics, etc., golf fans can also get a full complement of dedicated media coverage strictly focused on Tiger Woods. Some of the Pulitzer-worthy headlines from this so-called news source are “Finchem: I should have briefed players on Tiger”, “Tiger apologizes, unsure about return”, and “Tiger’s caddie: Heckling won’t be tolerated.”
My personal favorite, though, is “Faith can bring Tiger discipline, Dalai Lama says”!
I’m not making that up – Not only has the Dalai Lama weighed in on “Tiger-Gate”, but ESPN has actually seen fit to follow it as a newsworthy story. The situation is absolutely ABSURD!
The sad reality is that Tiger’s philandering has soaked up far too much of our time and attention. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that more people know about Tiger’s sordid affairs than they do the Toyota recall, a much more important and RELEVANT issue going on in America right now.
As for the PGA, this scandal has been covered more than all of the league’s other headlines combined. For example, did you know that the PGA has already had EIGHT different tournaments take place this year? And although most folks could not tell you a single tournament winner so far in 2010, I’d be willing to bet that EVERYONE knows about Tiger’s “apology” offered during a press conference where no questions were allowed, only a few cameras were invited along, and Tiger simply read a statement that he would not yet be returning to golf.
Which brings us to our question of the day – Should the PGA suspend Tiger Woods?
Clearly, this media frenzy has become a distraction in the PGA. From the scandalous story itself to the aftershock effects of misplaced media focus, the PGA has lost their biggest star and all attention has left the game to instead follow the tabloids in a Paparazzi-esque hunt for the next shocking headline. Still, it must be pointed out that Tiger’s actions had nothing to do with the game of golf. He did not cheat in any way (on the game, that is), and he was not acting on behalf of the PGA during his peccadilloes.
So what is the PGA to do?!
Babe Ruthless will argue that Tiger Woods should be suspended upon his return to golf, while Loyal Homer will take the position that Tiger should not be penalized by the PGA for this situation.
I’ve gotta run, though, because I just heard on TV that Tiger cut the cheese twice during his workout this morning, and I don’t want to miss the rest of the story!