Monday, January 28, 2008

Tiger's Roar



Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a Tiger Woods fan.




I like him for more reasons than one. Let's see, he and I are both half-Thai (our moms!). He and I are both December babies. We both like golf. The similarities end there pretty much. Oh, he and I have dark hair. That's it.




Tiger just won his 62nd PGA tournament, tying him with Arnold Palmer on the all time list. Twenty more and he can surpass Sam Snead's 82 wins.


Is he that good? Damn right. Could he be better? Yes. And for that, it proves how good he is.


Of course, in the game, you drive it to the fairway, hit your approach onto the green and one- or two-putt for birdie or par. Tiger? Well, for not hitting into the fairway as often as he should, he still laps the competition. If you've never hit a golf ball from the rough, try it. Now, get your ball to stick the green. Under PGA conditions. With the entire hold stacked four deep with spectators. For a million dollar check. That's when reality hits. I'm still waiting for Tiger to repeat his Tiger Slam, holding all four trophys at one time.


Perhaps someone will mention, "Well, if Tiger is so good, then how come he doesn't talk more with the press?" I think that stars of any venue, whether it be sports, acting, singing, or any other notoriety, should be courteous to their fan base and supportive of the press that feeds that base. I also can only imagine how difficult it could be with the current state of the paparazzi and how any and everything is blown up to effect drama. While I would love to read more about Tiger, or even just watch an interview with him, I understand his take on the media's sometimes motives about creating drama.


Oh well. Keep up the good work Tiger.

4 comments:

Kristopher A. Denby said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kristopher A. Denby said...

I could care less if he talks to the press or not. In fact, I respect the celebrities who don't do a lot of interviews and keep their laundry out of the spotlight more than the ones who are constantly blabbing or posing in front of the camera. He is a golfer. That's his job. His media resposiblities end where his endorsement contracts say they do. I don't think he has any obligation to his fans to do more interviews or give them anymore insight into his private life. His job is to come out under par. Period.

The Mert said...

It's a double edged sword any celebrity lives by.

I doubt Tiger competes for the money, otherwise he would compete in over 22 tournaments a year. He doesn't need it, so he doesn't. He does fulfill his professional contractual obligations.

But Tiger has tried to give those interviews, and been burned by them in the past. He does his little dance and he's gone in regards to most press.

Arguably, there are many who claim that "a celebrity is such due to his/her fans; shouldn't s/he pay more mind to the press and fan base that supports the celebrity?"

What's so funny? While many others mug for cameras and such all the time (you see them on Entertainment Tonight and such), Tiger doesn't. For all that, he is still in demand.

Go figure.

PS - Good to hear from you bro.

Kristopher A. Denby said...

I just don't think celebrities have that obligation to be accessable to their fans. Why should they? The same people that love them today, love to hate them tomorrow. Tabloids and celebrity news outlets feed an ugly side of our culture that I've never really quite understood.

Once, Tom Cruise was the most popular male lead in the business. Now he is fiercely hated by the same fan base that loved him before. The public will turn on you in a heartbeat, and the smart celebrities learn that early on. No one is perfect. Sooner or later some dirt is going to shake out of your shoes, and the public will be right there to watch you fall and even cheer when you do.

Why give them more to work with?Why do interviews or make appearances that are just going to be fodder for some no talent hack (who probably will be speaking with a lisp) to rag you about on E! Entertainment or the TV Guide Channel (ugh, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit).

I respect people who are respectable. And to me, pandering to the morally bankrupt celebrity news outlets is not respectable. If you talk to those quacks, do interviews, photo shoots with them, then you only bring the misery upon yourself. If you stay out of the lime light, they have a tendency to leave you alone. Case in point: Harrison Ford.