The Best and Worst Game

The Best and Worst Game by Jenny Nelson

Everybody who is classy plays golf. Everybody who plays golf is classy. Proper, prestige and wealth are other words that may depict the game of golf and its players. But perhaps not all of them.

Up until November 29^th, 2009 when America’s idol and hero, Tiger Words, was confronted with cheating allegations by his wife, Woods seemed to portray all of these qualities and more. Some might say he was almost god-like, a figure similar to Zeus.

Orin Starn, author The Passion of Tiger Woods, says that is because of his pristine reputation in America that him behaving badly seemed all the more radical. Starn

recalls abruptly ascending through his writer’s block as the scandal of Woods having  over 100 mistresses surfaced through the media. Fans and golfers all over the nation racially reinvented this man whose race was once blindly overlooked.

What does race have to do with Woods having over 100 mistresses? Good question.

Prior to this scandal, Woods’ race was not taken into consideration because his game was that of a God’s. In a sport that was and still is primarily dominated by middle aged white males, one would think a young African-American would have been seen as the outcast.

He wasn’t. Until he made numerous mistakes that showed the nation that he, too, was human. And now currently in rehab for his sex addiction.

The saying,“ to kick a man when he’s down” truly has no better situational meaning than with Woods during this scandal.

As he is plagued with physical abuse, sponsorship ties, divorce, anxiety, and more, people now began deeming this man a “hypersexualized black man”, according to Starn.

Along with other racially insensitive terms that will go unnamed, his race was used to blow up this event even more than other sex scandals, such as Arnold Palmer.

It’s been six years and this God-like figure has since been making numerous attempts to once again ascend above all.

And what was Starn’s response when he was asked if he thinks Tiger is done?

“No! Keep hope alive!” Starn replied.