My Mother Always Taught Me to Mind My Own Business

Ladies and Gents, I have a real problem. Anyone who knows me, knows I am a major fan of Tiger Woods. not just because of what he does on the golf course, but because of who he is, and what he does off the course. I am fascinated by the attributes that comprise, what I feel; is the greatest competitor in sports. I also respect how he has been able to keep himself out of the eye of public scrutiny his whole life. unfortunately that seems to have changed this week.

As many of you know, Tiger was involved in a MINOR traffic accident last Thursday at 2:25 a.m. , in front of his Florida estate. The report from the police stated that in the act of backing out of his driveway, Mr. Woods hit a fire hydrant, and then a tree. The force of the impact was minor enough that airbags didn't deploy, but forceful enough to give him some cuts and bruises. Police arrived on the scene, found Mr. Woods lying on the grass being attended to by his wife. He was treated at the scene and taken to hospital. There he was admitted treated, and released in good condition. Alcohol was not a factor. Charges are pending upon completion of the investigation. These folks, are the facts up to this point. Again, I emphasize the word FACTS.

Now for the rest of the story. When media reports (term used loosely) first broke, they said Tiger had been involved in a major accident near his home, and was taken to hospital in serious condition. There were reports that he wasn't conscious, that he was seen bleeding profusely from the neck. Later, once the hospital released their statement of his good condition; the media began to speculate what had happened. This is where my big problem starts. If any of you don't want to hear my rant and rave about the media, you should log off now. You've been warned.

I can't stand how the media has become more and more tabloid driven, than fact driven. Now a days we are bombarded by the latest scandal, rumor, and speculation. The media no longer reports on news, they search out and dig up trash, looking for drama, disfunctionality, and scandal. There are morons out there chasing celebrities, and public figures with a little hand held video cameras, asking them about the latest scandal and calling it news! As I've mentioned before, Journalism, is a dying, if not already dead; art. I don't think there is a single true Journalist left out there. They are all glorified tabloid jockey's. And now they've turned their eyes on Tiger.

Rumors and speculation have run rampant since this incident was first reported. It has gone from mild, to malicious, to outright vindictive. I believe the media has a grudge against Tiger, because he has managed to stay so private. Every time they try to delve in to his personal life he shuts the door, so now they are out for blood, and this is a possible way to get it. The rumors have been that Tiger was having an affair, that his wife, was angry and chased him out of the house with a golf club, smashing the windows of his SUV. They say he is refusing to speak to State Troopers because he's trying to hide the fact that he was drunk. They're also reporting that perhaps he was sneaking off in the middle of the night to meet up with his mistress. This morning I read on the front page of the Post "Has Tiger's image become tainted? Will this deter current and future sponsors from allowing him to represent their brands?" I've also heard from some "reporters" in the sports media, that his silence is only creating more controversy, and doing him more damage. Folks, This is all a ploy to try and get the Tiger out of it's cave so to speak. This is an example of the type of sensationalism, that honestly, is destructive and evil to society.

Here are the facts I've learned through research. I'll post the links as well, so you can see them for yourself if you'd like. 1. Alcohol was NOT a factor. 2. He is not having an affair, as stated by the supposed mistress. (see http://blogs.golf.com/presstent/2009/12/rachel-uchitel-denies-affair-with-tiger-woods.html) 3.He is not required to speak to the state troopers, for a minor accident like this. All that is required is a driver's licence and his registration. ( see http://blogs.golf.com/presstent/2009/11/police-deny-media-reports-of-woods-investigation.html) 4. Tiger Woods owes us nothing more than the statement he posted on his website. Which I think is a fair explanation. (http://web.tigerwoods.com/news/article/200911297726222/news/)

This has been fairly embarrassing for the worlds top ranked golfer. It was a mistake made by a human being. I think he is handling it the right way by keeping it all in house. If there was nothing criminal happening, than what business of it is ours. He doesn't have to explain himself to anyone, as to why he was pulling out of his driveway in the early morning. He doesn't need to defend himself to anyone. It really bothers me how nowadays everybody thinks they are entitled to know everything about everyone. I don't owe it to anyone to reveal what goes on in my private life. That's my business, and nobody else's. Some of you may say "Well that's the price of being in the public eye." I hate that statement. Yes, being in the public eye opens you up to more scrutiny, but it doesn't mean you are required to air the family laundry.

I for one hope, and know that if Tiger stays quiet long enough, this will all go away. Right now the media is trying to dig really hard for a story, and I think its a testament to the pathetic lives they lead as well as all of us who drink up the dribble they put out there. We all have issues in our lives we have to deal with, so let's focus on that, rather than trying to distract ourselves with someone else's. If your interested in a good article about this, go to http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=4700875&sportCat=golf