The Anatomy of a Tiger’s Apology, by Sylvia Rosario
Unless you have been living under a rock, or have been spending some quality time on an island with the cast of “Lost,” you have no doubt caught wind of Tiger Woods’ recent televised apology. For those of you out of the loop, on Friday, February 19, 2010, Tiger Woods publicly apologized for the multiple extra-marital affairs he committed that resulted in the loss of several lucrative sponsorships and public prestige. With seemingly much shame and trepidation, Tiger Woods ran down a laundry list of individuals he believed he needed to make amends to, carefully side-stepping discussion of his apology to his wife and children. However, I can’t help but to wonder, beyond trying to salvage the multi-million dollar brand that is “Tiger Woods,” why the need for a public apology from Tiger Woods. Could it be that along with the desire to salvage his tarnished brand image, Tiger Woods also felt the need to tackle the weight of both private and public expectations heaped on his back? In the weeks following the news of Tiger Woods’ escapades, it seemed that many of those sitting on the Tiger Woods sideline were eagerly tapping their feet and crossing their arms expecting a word from the golf star. Seated on one level of this sideline were the Tiger Woods fans who had invested time, money and adulation into the Tiger Woods machine.
On yet another level sat the families who dreamed that their child would be the next Tiger Woods. Perhaps off into a corner of this sideline was the religious community who decried and bemoaned the acts of Tiger Woods as evidence of an ever-increasing devaluation of marriage and fidelity. Each level of the Tiger Wood sideline carries its own expectations, disappointments, and need for validation via an apology from Tiger Woods. As a Christian, I believe that confession is indeed good for the soul. Unlike some of my Christian counterparts, however, I did not expect a public mea culpa from Tiger Woods. For me, the Tiger Woods saga is a blaring reminder of how thoroughly the pit of lust and deceit can ensnare an individual, causing him or her to believe the lie that these acts of betrayal will bring them satisfaction, success and happiness. Additionally, this saga taps into the very essence of our practice and need to carve idols out more than just wood and gold. Other than consuming our energy and focus, idols warp our sense of reality, looking outward to other people, situations, and things. Instead of looking outward towards Tiger Woods, I would challenge individuals to examine the state of their own hearts, delving deep within their core to seek out and destroy the idols they have fashioned into gods to worship.
Out of the Tiger Woods mire stands the opportunity for us all to check our own individual expectations, resolving to cease from expecting our idols to validate our worship of them. If anything else, the Tiger Woods debacle serves as yet another illustration of how what is done in the dark eventually comes out into the light. Yet, within the darkness of regret and brokenness, lies the light of hope, forgiveness and joy. May Tiger Woods find his way onto the path that leads to hope, forgiveness and joy; may we all.
This commentary was posted by guest blogger Sylvia Rosario.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 9:14 am and is filed under Commentary, Uncategorized.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
The Anatomy of a Tiger’s Apology, by Sylvia Rosario
Unless you have been living under a rock, or have been spending some quality time on an island with the cast of “Lost,” you have no doubt caught wind of Tiger Woods’ recent televised apology. For those of you out of the loop, on Friday, February 19, 2010, Tiger Woods publicly apologized for the multiple extra-marital affairs he committed that resulted in the loss of several lucrative sponsorships and public prestige. With seemingly much shame and trepidation, Tiger Woods ran down a laundry list of individuals he believed he needed to make amends to, carefully side-stepping discussion of his apology to his wife and children. However, I can’t help but to wonder, beyond trying to salvage the multi-million dollar brand that is “Tiger Woods,” why the need for a public apology from Tiger Woods. Could it be that along with the desire to salvage his tarnished brand image, Tiger Woods also felt the need to tackle the weight of both private and public expectations heaped on his back? In the weeks following the news of Tiger Woods’ escapades, it seemed that many of those sitting on the Tiger Woods sideline were eagerly tapping their feet and crossing their arms expecting a word from the golf star. Seated on one level of this sideline were the Tiger Woods fans who had invested time, money and adulation into the Tiger Woods machine.
On yet another level sat the families who dreamed that their child would be the next Tiger Woods. Perhaps off into a corner of this sideline was the religious community who decried and bemoaned the acts of Tiger Woods as evidence of an ever-increasing devaluation of marriage and fidelity. Each level of the Tiger Wood sideline carries its own expectations, disappointments, and need for validation via an apology from Tiger Woods. As a Christian, I believe that confession is indeed good for the soul. Unlike some of my Christian counterparts, however, I did not expect a public mea culpa from Tiger Woods. For me, the Tiger Woods saga is a blaring reminder of how thoroughly the pit of lust and deceit can ensnare an individual, causing him or her to believe the lie that these acts of betrayal will bring them satisfaction, success and happiness. Additionally, this saga taps into the very essence of our practice and need to carve idols out more than just wood and gold. Other than consuming our energy and focus, idols warp our sense of reality, looking outward to other people, situations, and things. Instead of looking outward towards Tiger Woods, I would challenge individuals to examine the state of their own hearts, delving deep within their core to seek out and destroy the idols they have fashioned into gods to worship.
Out of the Tiger Woods mire stands the opportunity for us all to check our own individual expectations, resolving to cease from expecting our idols to validate our worship of them. If anything else, the Tiger Woods debacle serves as yet another illustration of how what is done in the dark eventually comes out into the light. Yet, within the darkness of regret and brokenness, lies the light of hope, forgiveness and joy. May Tiger Woods find his way onto the path that leads to hope, forgiveness and joy; may we all.
This commentary was posted by guest blogger Sylvia Rosario.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 9:14 am and is filed under Commentary, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.