Tiger Woods' career at stake

Just when you thought he was the ideal role model, shocking secrets dispel the truth in an instant. The next day his career seems to utterly collapse because of personal issues. That’s what happened to the first billion-dollar athlete and No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods last November.

If you haven’t heard about the incident, I’ll spill it out for you, briefly.  It was reported by ESPN that Woods was leaving his home around 2:25 a.m. in an SUV and lost control striking a fire hydrant and a tree. Later text message, e-mail and voice mail reports revealed Woods’ adultery.

Quite frankly, I’m tired of hearing about the Woods story. But I can’t accept the fact that some news reporters are trying to ruin his career. I didn’t think it was ethical to reveal his personal life to the public. Am I wrong about this? North Lake students don’t think so.

NLC student Jules Kabama said it wasn’t right and the media should stay out of people’s personal lives. While it is something Woods will have to learn to live with, Kabama agrees it is for Woods and his wife to deal with.

The rumors that released Woods’ affairs to the public resulted in the loss of the golfers’ relationship with his wife and sponsors. Gatorade reportedly dropped the superstar. Nike wants to continue its partnership while AT&T and Gillette have made no comment.

Lessley Okoro also agrees the media crossed the line. She said it was wrong for the reporters to intervene with Woods’ marriage life. She said it ruined his career because he lost endorsements and many fans who loved him.

This is not the first crisis for a famous athlete. NBA star Kobe Bryant, for example, was indicted for an alleged affair with a 19-year-old Colorado woman in 2003. As a matter of fact, CNN reports 80 to 90 percent of athletes cheat on their wives.

Another NLC student, Daniel De-La-Torre, said it hurt Woods’ career. He also said if Woods wanted the public to know about his marriage and private life, he would have confessed. De-La-Torre added that what happens in his personal life does not impact his talent as a golfer.

Woods admitted to his infidelity, so is his career ruined? I certainly don’t think so but it’s going to take some time for the athlete to reconcile with his family. At this point, we all know he’ll be stepping away from the greens for a while.

As I’ve stated before, mistakes are going to be there. Just when most people probably thought Woods was the perfect athlete, this incident proves he’s just another human being in society. He not only did the right things on the course, but off it, too, until now.

I know he’ll be back. He still has true fans that will be waiting for his spectacular appearances on Sundays. He embraced 14 major championships and 71 career tournaments. What’s five hours without a superstar? It’s a game, an unexciting game.

Without Tiger, golf is nothing.

—Myka Williams is sports editor for the News-Register.