The surge of moralising about the golfer’s personal life, in a society like that of the USA, is baffling.
The other day, David Letterman devoted his top 10 list to “ways that Tiger Woods can improve his image”. Among them was to release the list of women he DID NOT have sex with. Now, late night talk shows are a good barometer of public opinion in the United States, and there is no doubt that right now it is going in a way Woods would not like it to go. However, this is merely another instance of how fickle public opinion can be.
Did we like and admire Woods because he was a good family man and a devoted husband and father? There was no evidence of that. We only knew that he was an excellent golfer, the best in the world, and that was reason enough to admire him. Despite some patchy results in recent times, Woods remains a very-very good golfer.
But that seems to count for little. Woods has quickly moved from being a $100 million man to a nowhere man. Porn stars, waitresses, club hostesses, and an imprisoned Hollywood “madam” have crawled out of the woodwork to talk about his sexual escapades. Not one sponsor’s advertisement has appeared on prime time television in the US since November 29, two days after Woods crashed his car in the wee hours. According to the Davie-Brown Index, which tracks the US public opinion of celebrities, he has fallen from sixth on the list of celebrity endorsers to 24th.
This sudden surge of morality, in a society like that of the US, is baffling. All Woods is said to have done is lead the kind of life that may be most (American) men’s fantasy. Why do footballers indulge in roasting of groupies? Why do rock stars move from one sexual partner to another? Why do successful actors have affairs with their co-stars? Why do bureaucrats and policemen take bribe? Why do bankers award obscene bonuses to themselves? Because they can!
Woods can take heart. Public opinion comes thundering in waves and bursts and looks like it would last, but doesn’t. Basketball player Kobe Bryant, who was accused of rape in 2004 (the case was later dismissed), managed to rebuild his image. David Beckham is no stranger to charges of adultery, but they have had little impact on his saleability. In a matter of a few years, the Beatles moved from being nice, clean cut boys to men seeped into drugs and sex. But, nearly four decades later, their music continues to enthrall everyone.
It cannot be said with any certainty that Lennon would have been more popular if he came home by six every evening to watch television soaps with Mrs Lennon, and wrote What Is Mobile Number instead of Imagine. Or that Woods would be loved more if he kept hitting the ball into water but planned leisurely summer vacations with Elin Nordegren.
