I have to take my swings at Tiger!

Sorry for the lack of posts these past few weeks - I was visiting family in Chicago recently!  And while I was there, the local news station one night had a segment where they asked people "Who was the most annoying person of 2009."  Jon and Kate got some votes, but there was another popular answer:

Tiger Woods.  Have you heard what's up with him?

OK, you might be tempted to click away, purely based on the media over-saturation, but please bear with me, as I think I have some fresh things to say about it.

Point #1 - I’m not surprised.  I really wasn’t.  Even though there wasn’t a squeakier-clean image than of Tiger Woods, him getting hanky-panky on the side seemed almost inevitable in my head.  Why?  Power!

Look at guys in 2009!  We had that North Carolina senator that said he was hiking the Appalachian trail when he was REALLY in Argentina.  John Edwards (I think that was this year, right?) revealed his affair.  The Letterman scandal.  I even heard a rumor that Jay Leno and Fran Drescher had a fling.  Is it the draw of men in power, whether they be CEOs, lawmakers, athletes or Late Night Talk Show hosts (?) or is it just that it appears in our Google Reader news feed?  While David Duchovny's private life is "news" as opposed to mine, there is also something about fame, power and celebrity.

Every person is capable of cheating, but I think those with power have more temptation, more opportunity.  Not many ladies are looking to date Sonny, the unemployed truck driver.  But Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods - celebrity, athletic superiority, fame, tons of money!  Maybe he sought it out, maybe it came to him, but at some point, people didn't see him as a nerd who golfed.  He was frickin' Tiger Woods!  The ease at which he could have a rendezvous was just as easy as spending $1,000 on dinner, so I wasn't surprised one bit.

What did surprise me was that he thought he'd never get caught (the arrogance of pride and privilege?).

But, that leads me to - 

Point #2 - Why aren't we mad at these ladies?  Sure, a couple of his hook-ups were one-night stands and may not have known he was married.  But more than one of these relationships were on-going, including the infamous voicemail gal.  They HAD to have known he was married.  One Google search would've told them that.  Shouldn't we spread the outrage out to all involved in this whole stinking mess?  What are 15 girls doing messing around with a married man??

The Jerry Springer show was usually faked (they occasionally would bring in actors from Second City Chicago and iO Chicago), granted, but one trend was always consistent on the show.  If someone was cheating on their significant other, Jerry would bring out the "other person."  Inevitably, the cheat-ee would attack the "other person", usually leaving the cheat-er alone, in his or her chair.  I remember thinking to myself "Why aren't they mad at the person THEY were dating?  This other person is just a stranger?"

In fact, my most vivid cheated-on memory is catching my then-girlfriend in the act with another guy.  When I caught them, I simply turned around and left.  I was upset with her, not the stranger.  Maybe if I had known both suspects, I would've been angry at both people.

So in the case of Tiger, his wife is likely mainly upset at Tiger.  That I get.  But as outsiders, where should we direct our outrage, if we have any?  Should we be celebrating these women, granting them interviews, inevitable book deals, spots on talk shows?  Is any of this truly our business?

I am not absolving Tiger of his infedility.  But for so many women to be seeking him out is also strange to me.  Ladies, help me out - why would a woman go after a married man?

But, that leads me to my last point.

Point #3 - Tiger should not have married.  I mean, granted, I'm sure he never thought he'd be where he is now.  But, in the midst of his girl-fest, how could he not have known this would come back to bite him in the butt?  That this would ruin his marriage, and potentially his golfing legacy, even with just one hook-up on one night?  He should've remained single, and then we wouldn't have cared about his bachelor escapades.

Chris Cooley of the Washington Redskins started dating a cheerleader from the team.  The story goes that the cheerleader told her cheermates the good news - about dating the Tight End - when her teammates revealed how many of them had already slept with him.

So is this about athletes and infidelity?  Is it the same as congressmen and senators who end up having affairs?  What role do these mistresses play?  Are they trying to hurt these other women?  Do they feel superior to them, taking away their husband’s “heart?”

I can read your minds.  I'm getting sick of this, too.  How about this, like Bill Maher:

New Rule:  If you're in a relationship, stay committed.  If you want to "Tiger Woods" it, break-up with that other person.  Then putt-putt away.

There we go.

'Til we meet again.

-Chris2