Yes, this Tiger Woods story is odd and mysterious. Where was he going at 2:30 a.m.? (White Castle.) Why did he lose control of his vehicle at such a low speed? (Listening to real emotional This American Life.) What’s up with his hot wife? (She’s pretty.) Why did she go 5-Wood from such a short distance? (No confidence in short irons.)
Certain media outlets like the National Enquirer and TMZ will speculate and look for dirt. That’s what they do and I don’t think these organizations pretend to be legitimate news sources. They’re good at it and the rest of the “legitimate” media is following their lead.
And ESPN’s Jason Sobel wants answers damnit.
…for perhaps the first time in his professional career, Tiger Woods needs to come clean.
It would be a bold move for a man who employs more spin doctors than your run-of-the-mill United States senator, but it would be the right one. Woods should hold a news conference sooner rather than later to tell his story, answer each question and volunteer every little detail – no matter how tawdry or mundane these facts may be.
This opinion is echoed by a cast of other writers at espn.com. They want answers about the one-car-accident and minor property damage. In fact, they say Tiger owes it to us.
I’m not implying I’m not curious about this incident. I find it highly amusing. I also understand why this is a big story. It has all the appropriate details:
1. Globally-renowned, Elite athlete.
2. Sassy, and perhaps cuckoo, Elite Scandinavian Wife.
Not Nordegren. Norde-great.
3. Rumors of Infidelity.
4. Car crash with blood.
5. Poor quality 911 tape.
6. The State of Florida (America’s Dong).
So as ESPN begins rumblin and stumblin with their Tiger speculation, I have to wonder: WHERE IN GOD’S NAME WAS THIS JOURNALISTIC ZEAL OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS AS SUPERHUMAN ‘ROID FREAKS OBLITERATED MLB’s LEGITIMACY AND RECORD BOOK?
Kurkjian, Olney, Stark and most of the other ESPN talking heads did Bud Selig’s bidding over the last decade. They refused to speculate on the steroid-use of stars even when it was laughably obvious that the McGwires and Sosas of the world were no longer human. Even as positive steroid tests for guys like ARod and Manny came to light, they were still skeptical regarding the prevalence of PEDs.
In fairness to Olney, he hasn’t been as bad as the others, but had this to say last summer:
My own standard as a journalist is that I won’t speculate, in print, on who does steroids and who doesn’t, at least without proof. I don’t think any news organization should.
Stark went from willfully ignorant to indignant some time around a year ago. He still has this to say:
Bonds, McGwire, Clemens and A-Rod must get into Hall of Fame.
Yes, according to the ESPN consensus, these cheaters must be celebrated and Tiger must tell us how his marriage is progressing.
Most of their baseball-steroid coverage focuses on how the story won’t go away as opposed to how these stars cheated by using illegal substances. Their most egregious error is the 10+ years of deference they gave to Selig, the complicit clown most responsible for the abuse.
But God forbid they hold Tiger to the same standard (or lack thereof). God forbid they hold off on speculation without proof.
Of course, while ESPN has limited PGA coverage (particularly for bigger events) I’m pretty sure they’re still doing Monday, Wednesday and Sunday Night baseball 6 months a year. Is that the point? Probably.
