I watched the press conference given by Tiger Woods, along with the rest of the world, wondering how Tiger was going to respond to all of his criticism. The world wanted Tiger to be humbled, as they do with most black male athletes who’ve been made into public enemy number one. They did it to Michael Vick, Terrell Owens, Ron Artest, and many other African American athletes who’ve done things that the world does not consider to be acceptable.
RELATED: Tiger Woods Sorry For Affairs, Unsure When He’ll Return To Golf
What’s funny, however, is that Tiger doesn’t have it in him to be humbled. He won’t let you make him into your little boy, and as nerdy or “oreo-like” as some might think he is, he’s not going to let you break him down. The tone of Tiger’s press conference was a reflection of that fact.
Text continues after gallery …
During the press conference, Tiger did all the apologizing he could do. He admitted to his mistakes, his flaws, and everything in between. Yeah, yeah, right. But there was really a subtle negotiation taking place. One that says, “OK, I’ll apologize for this, but you BETTER NOT EVER think of doing that.”
He apologized for misbehaving, but said that the media had better not think of following his daughter to school.
He admitted that he’s shown poor judgement, but let the world know that he’s not going to talk about his marital problems to anyone.
RELATED: Tiger Woods Cancels Appearance In His Own Golf Tournament
He was willing to have a press conference, but the press wasn’t actually invited.
For every inch he gave away, Tiger took three inches back. He wasn’t going to allow himself to be humbled. Such is the nature of Tiger Woods and none was going to be allowed to remove his testicles.
There were more scores to settle in addition to the beef Tiger has with the American public. There was the one with Accenture, the company that dropped Woods right after the scandal broke. By having his press conference during one of Accenture’s events, he stole all of the golf-related headlines away from them. The golf writers chose to boycott, but that matters as much as the stripper’s union boycotting a church service. The truth is that golf writers don’t matter to mainstream America, only CNN, NBC, ABC and all the other networks that have every inch of Tiger’s attention.
The other score Tiger has to settle is with his fellow golfers. Ernie Els called Tiger “selfish” for having his press conference at the time he chose (translation: This the typical “arrogant negro” complaint that folks have when black men stand up for themselves. Note that Ernie Els is from South Africa, where black people have been historically disrespected). Tiger claims that he doesn’t know when he’s going to come back to the game of golf, but it will surely be soon enough for him to whip Ernie Els’ South African butt during the year 2010. There’s no better way for Tiger to prove his point to the “haterologists” than to beat them into the ground. He will surely show them no mercy.
Tiger Woods is back, and he is focused. This is going to be an interesting year.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
at 9:49 am
This is for tiger
the only people you have to apologize to is your family on both sides and to the biggest of them all is god. Everybody else like those sponsors now you know they only stand by you in the good times, so next go rounded tax those sponsors.
at 12:16 pm
@CaliFemme23 You said it all. Nothing else to talk about on this. EOS
at 11:05 am
..it is my belief that any of us can change from our foul habits lacking morals and values…and it’s been proven people do change if they want too..
(I can’t say that Tiger will never change for the better with regard to morals & values..none of us can actually KNOW that he WON’T change)
..the ideal to make better choices is the power GIVEN to us from our creator and enables us as humans to CHANGE and live a better life of morals and values…the power which enables the CHOICE to change is not questionale and does happen all the time with people..and if people have not changed and decide to make better choices with regard to morals and values for a better life.. we as humans would still be living in the stone age.
Another comment made by Tiger I took issue with is this.. when Tiger stated there’s no history of domestic violence in his marriage ..which was saying I DARE the media and authorities to come looking for domestic violence because there’s none..another issue that he or his wife don’t want the public or authorities to dig into.. and he might be telling the truth..up until the night on thanksgiving..when all the windows of the truck were broken out.. and Elin by witness account had the club iron ..(laughing)..
and now ..those women he slept with..are asking for a apology? Pleeze(laughing) they should make an apology to Elin..Tiger’s wife.. instead of getting on T.V and asking for one from Tiger..
at 5:10 am
Tiger is only pissed off now he cant just walk into a diner and pick up a waitress anymore. The press conference was a waste of time. He just got a reality check. The media will always jump at the opportunity to bring down someone (particualarly a black man) that has squeaky clean public image. I think tiger is done calling himself “cablinasian”. You’re just a black man like the rest of us. Peace.
at 10:01 pm
He said enough for his endorsements to keep coming, and that’s all that was for. He knows he owes no one anything, that’s why this was set up this way. Good for him, and now he can get back to boning skanks. Those are the white women he really wants, not uppity, snotty models who don’t fu(k.
at 1:56 pm
I dont know when the public needed a man to apologize for having sex on his own damn time…He doesnt owe any remorse or guilt to anyone but his wife/children…And judging by hte few clips here and there of the PC(press conf.) that I did see, he isnt remorseful,apologetic or seemingly guilty. He seems more or less like he just wants mofo’s to leave him alone…Tiger is NEVER going to be a ‘changed’ man…No man ever feels bad about cheating…They only feel bad when they get caught, so all of the press and media that are trying to make Tiger feel bad about slangin wang can give that up…had he never been ‘caught’, he’d be golfin and fukkin as we speak!
at 10:54 am
Lets please not make this a race issue. Im not a golf fan never was a tiger woods fan but im rooting for hime now. I dont feel like he needs to addrsss his behavior, he did not do anything illegal, the media came at him like he was caught doing steroids are something. Its gonna be funny when he comes back and wins all the tournaments and all of these same people criticising his behavior are gonna look real stupid. And for everybody talking like he is a bad person, look at your own lives, there is a good chance your doing alot worse than what he did, keep your head up tiger!!
at 2:39 am
If Tiger is a practicing Buddhist, then returning to his spiritual development will help him alot more than rehab or press conferences.
It’s hard to believe he was running from his home for no reason. If his wife wasn’t chasing him then why didn’t he just stay in bed? The part about Elin seems like a lie, which makes everything eles he said, seem invalid.
at 12:15 am
@jantuzzi..you are a liar and a ignorant racist .. and you are making it a RACE THING and here’s why..
..what Mark Mcquire and Pete Rose did was CHEAT the game they played.. McQuire for taking steriods and Rose for gambling on the team he played with(REDS)..both BIG TIME losers in the sport of baseball and neither will ever get in the BASEBALL HALL OF FAME ..what Tiger did was marriage infidelity.. NOTHING to compromise or CHEAT the sport of golf which he is skillful .. so where is the discrimination? There is none..
You are just like any other racist american who just can’t fathom that a blackman is president of the united states.. so now you are on the other end of the sphere..how does it feel? what you are feeling is what we have felt for hundreths of years as the hands of white racist people who felt they were entitled to discriminate, be prejudice and /or kill african americans for SPORT until it was against the LAW in year 1964 ..
..you don’t like it do you? That we are equal to you and yours .. but we were never a people to hang people from trees as a sport and have a picnic around it in the name of GOD..so don’t worry its not gonna happen as what your people did for hundreths of years to african AMERICANS..
What tiger did was a personal issue between he and his wife and family , sponsors and his shelfish soul.. again he never cheated on the sport by taking steriods or gambling on the sport of golf..
at 9:12 pm
you don’t have to make it a black thing. Mark Mcquire is being chastized and the last time i checked he is white. The press, author included, needs something to write about. No doubt we have been discriminated against, but let’s not stoop to blaming whitey, look at our gains and who is in the White House
at 6:44 pm
All Tiger has to do for the media is to show them his billion dollar black ass to kiss.
at 4:27 pm
Wowerz @da people riding TIGERS Nuttz! lmfao…he don’t care about y’all! Let GOD handle that…real talk! Wut he did was wrong and against GOD’s ten commandments, he has to pay ultimate price now HUMILITY.
at 1:42 pm
I believe Tiger addressed all of the issues he needed to. I, for one, do not believe that he needs to address salacious details of his past indiscretions. I certainly do not believe he owes any of his, “Mistresses” an apology. I could understand if they were underaged naive girls who did not know any better. There is no way those women believed that Tiger was going to leave his wife for them. Where is accountability on their part. The media came out in support of David Letterman in his indescretion, and laughed along with him. They say that it is different with Letterman, and yes it is because he is a white man. I do not believe Tiger has to go around stating, he is African American, we can all see that. He is doing a lot for African Americans, as well as other young people.
I am pleased that he is returning to his faith of, Buddhism as that will help a lot. I am not a Golf enthusiast, but my five year old Grandson, and son-in-law are. They have not lost interest because Tiger’s image is tarnished. It is not about Tiger, although he was the catalyst. He opened a door that is not going to close. He is still a young man, and I hope that he will focus on his family. This was a very public humiliation, and it is his lesson to learn. He is earning money, taking care of his family, a good son to his mother, and a good citizen. We should not judge a person by his lowest moment, but by the sum totality of his life.