Update: Since I originally wrote this post on December 1 the story has only gotten more sordid and bizarre. Not sure the post is still relevant, but I'm not pulling it as I still think it's worthy of discussion.
There are a few things bothering me about the Tiger Woods coverage thus far, including:
- The instant presumption of guilt;
- The high-and-mighty tone of the media coverage;
- The rush-to-criticism of how he's handled the situation.
Perhaps it really is the worst PR hatchet job ever, BUT I don't see anyone bothering to argue that perhaps Tiger's handled it perfectly. A few thoughts ...
- Have any of your friends and family expressed real disdain for Tiger's alleged dalliances? I haven't. Why? Because we all do stupid things and unless you're a grandstanding politician or member of the 4th estate struggling for eyeballs, we know better than to judge.
- How many people do you REALLY believe will stop buying Cadillacs, Wheaties and every other piece of merch featuring his name or likeness? Here's my guess ... 1% drop-off. And over time he'll gain that back.
- What explanation does he owe anyone? Where in the celebrity-fan social contract does it say he's on the hook to come clean?
- None of us are privy to the legal ramifications of going public. Someone in his position might have more to gain by letting the rumor mill stir rather than telling his story to us.
- Why do we care so much about what he does in his private time? Why is it even worth his time to indulge our gossip-loving fanaticism?
- I keep hearing people say that if he just went public right away, this would all have blown over. Nonsense. This story has legs regardless of his participation. Nothing he could do would dampen the volume or tone of coverage.
To be honest, I'm not sure I'm buying my own argument. But I guess the point of this post is that we should always force ourselves to look at situations like this from every angle - not just the most obvious or convenient.