Out of Bounds | To Tiger Woods: I just don't care

I just don't care. I sat through all 14 minutes of the Tiger Woods apology not once, but twice this week. I listened as he apologized for having an affair, as he beat his chest claiming he had done wrong and as he lashed out at the media for implying that there was domestic violence in his house. What did I get from my 28 minutes of observation? Honestly? Nothing. I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to superstar athletes' private lives, I simply couldn't care less anymore.

Tiger Woods' extra-marital affairs have been in the headlines for weeks, the hot topic in a sports world that has otherwise been pretty much scandal-free recently. His public apology and his move away from the golfing spotlight is now the key headline across all media, but my only question is, "Why?"

The argument usually stems from the fact that we somehow hold our athletes in high regard and that they are examples for our children. It's why we come down so hard on them when they transgress, and why we call for blood anytime there is a "scandal," or at least that's how we excuse our behavior. When it comes to these athletes' private lives, we hypocritically expect high-moral standing, as if that in any way has anything to do with the status that was conferred onto them for their completely unrelated feats in athletics.

That's why when Marion Jones admits to having used steroids, we bash on her unapologetically, send her to jail, strip her of her medals and humiliate her, completely forgetting that it was because of those steroids that we hailed her as a national hero and an example for all. In our minds, Jones wronged us. She lied to us. She's somehow now evil, and we somehow now feel betrayed. Of course, had we not found out that she used steroids—or if we had just simply refused to believe it as we do with Olympic sprinter Carl Lewis—then much like Lewis, Jones would have remained an American icon. After all, we don't forgive steroid users, we cut them down, we bash them and we put little asterisks all over their accomplishments, right Barry Bonds? Unless of course they happen to come back and have a good season, helping the Yankees win the World Series, but Alex Rodriguez is a special case, right?

Anyone else smelling the hypocrisy? We love to repeat to each other that story about how athletes, and anyone involved in athletics, are expected to be held to high standards, but really is there any truth in it?

Just look at some of the most famous sports figures in the world today. We can start with TNT sports announcer Marv Albert, a man who we all listen to and love. He's thought of as an icon in the sports-casting world, but Albert has a dirty little secret we've all somehow forgotten. In 1997, Albert was charged with felony charges for forced sodomy against a 42-year old woman with whom he had had a 10-year sexual relationship.
He pleaded guilty to assault and battery, leading to the sodomy charge being dropped. However, this convicted criminal today remains in the public spotlight, much like Michael Vick. But that's all in the past, Albert made his amends, we can forgive and forget, right? In the meantime, Tiger Woods needs to apologize, because how dare he mess up in his private life. Athletes have a responsibility, even more so than sportscasters do.

After all, it's not like Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, possibly the two most iconic sports figures of the late 20th century, have ever transgressed. Well, not quite, you see. When Magic Johnson admitted to being HIV positive in 1991, he also admitted that he had had multiple unprotected extra-marital affairs, sometimes with several women at a time. Michael Jordan, on the other hand, holds the record for one of the highest divorce settlements ever, $168 million, after he and ex-wife Juanita Vanoy split in 2006. They had previously filed for divorce in 2002 after allegations of Jordan's infidelity with two women, one of who filed a paternity suit against him, also in 2006. What was the result for Johnson and Jordan? Well, look at them today. Jordan's brand is as strong as ever, and he's on the verge of buying the Charlotte Bobcats, an NBA Team. Johnson remains in the public eye while his company, Magic Johnson Enterprises, continues to grow, presently valued at around $700 million. The fans love both of them, and their pasts have not once been talked about in the same way that Tiger Woods' has been dragged through the dirt.

Why do we pretend like we care when athletes mess up, when really we don't? If we really, passionately were offended by these men and women's actions, then we never would let them back into our homes. But we still do. Even more sickeningly, we feel almost better about ourselves when we do care, like when former New York Knicks General Manager and Head Coach Isaiah Thomas stated this week that he was "ready to forgive Tiger," as if that meant anything to anybody except Thomas, who now feels like he is a better person for it.

I don't understand the moral cutoff that we have, whereby after a certain transgression we no longer worship the athlete as we always had in the past, but rather now smear him or her and put the athlete down. If truly we were supporters, then shouldn't we have been there for Tiger during this hard time, instead of expecting apologies? He didn't cheat on me. I am not his wife, so why is he apologizing to me? If anything, I was the enforcer; I made him feel like a superstar, like the rules didn't apply to him.

Take the example of Argentinean soccer superstar Diego Maradona, or the man of a million mistakes. Maradona has been treated for cocaine addiction multiple times, has been divorced, has had alcohol abuse problems and, even today, he still owes the Italian government over $47.5 million in back taxes. Yet, through it all, Maradona remained a darling in Argentina and worldwide, as fans simply loved him. Today he is the manager of an underachieving Argentinean national team, but he is still adored. Why? Because people fell in love with him for his athletic feats, not his personal life, so when his personal life went astray people still loved him and supported him because the cause for their love had not been compromised.

Unfortunately, I don't like Jordan because he's a good father, and I don't like Johnson because he's a good husband, maybe I should, but, in reality, I love both of those guys for what they did on the basketball court. And because of that, I will always think of them as my heroes, and I will always watch old games and listen to what they say, and I would still do anything for just an autograph from these guys. In that same vein, it doesn't make sense for fans to turn on Tiger Woods. So he messed up, who hasn't? But don't pretend like Woods somehow wronged you, he didn't. Don't pretend like there is even a pretext in which he could wrong you, because there isn't. Short of Woods turning out to be Milli Vanilli, and all his feats having been done by someone else, we, as fans of Woods the athlete, have no right to judge this man. All we can do is support him through this tough time, and any sort of apologies to us are completely uncalled for.