I've resisted jumping in. My first instinct was to think that this is none of my business. After all, Tiger is not someone we elected. He didn’t ask to be our hero or our spiritual guide. He earned our awe and admiration by being the best golfer—maybe ever. Have we a right to expect more?
In this light, and in light of my own hero-worship of him, I wanted to see this as a private matter. Yet it doesn’t seem that simple. If the consequences of his actions affected only him and his wife, I'd be sad and sorry— and silent on the subject. Like it or not though, he and his family are not the only potential wounded.
Will the game of golf be hurt? True, golf greatly benefited from his talent and image, but that doesn’t change the fact that it might suffer from his fall from grace. Will his foundation be hurt? True, no one would ever have benefited from his foundation had he not earned the money and fame to create it. But that doesn’t change the fact that a consequence of his alleged “indiscretions” might be diminished contributions. Will cynicism increase, public giving to causes in general decrease, the quest for heroes come to be seen as a dim-witted and outdated endeavor?
Besides, at least some part of his affect on the public good came not only from his talent but also from his image—an image that was carefully crafted by him and his sponsors to make millions. In working to build that image, sell us products, create his foundation, he did ask to be our guide; he did ask to be our hero. In that sense, he cheated on us too.
No, he didn’t owe us a boost in professional golf, an increase in the number of young people taking up the honorable sport, a foundation designed in part to “build character,” or any of the other benefits we undeservedly derived from his talent, drive, ambition and ability. But he gave us those things; and some of the public good he did do could suffer. That would be a shame.
If a measure of a man is how he deals with his mistakes, I hope he will come to see the ways in which this is more than just a private matter. I hope he will work to fix his family and to minimize potential public consequences. I hope he’ll be a hero. Not because he has to, but because he can.
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