Tiger's Poor (or Childish or Angry or Unprofessional) Antics

[ControlJunkie]

Let's also keep things in perspective.

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but this, along with the interview with John Smoltz that was recently discussed, got me thinking - if Tiger was an athlete in MLB, NBA, or NFL, what current pro athlete in each one would he most closely be like?

If he were a pitcher in MLB, I'd think Randy Johnson or John Smoltz in their prime because of the intimidation factor, and for whatever reason, I equate being long off the tee equivalent to throwing 90+ MPH. Not sure why that is... At the plate, no one really comes to mind.

[mirv]

i curse pretty frequently on the course, though i do try to keep it under my breath. people within ten feet could hear me probably, but that'd be about it. if i ever actually raise my voice at a shot, it's rarely anything profane. i used to slam my clubhead against the ground after a bad shot, but quit that real quick after one day, my driver head popped clean off the shaft as i was smacking it. talk about embarrassing and looking and feeling like a complete crybaby.

anyway, all that said, tiger's antics don't bother me in the slightest. as long as he doesn't actually hurl his club into the gallery or do something like i did where he whaps the club so hard against the ground it breaks, i'm not particularly bothered by it.

[Fat Slice]

Here I disagree (sorta). Most of Tiger's income comes not from winning golf tournaments, but from product endorsements. Part of those agreements require him to maintain a certain image. In effect, he is always on the clock with those companies (and I think generally, he has done a much better job than most athletes creating a solid image.)

Tiger indeed makes lots of money from endorsements. Those endorsements are only there because he wins tournaments. His job is to win while playing within the rules - really, that's it.

[enarhi]

He really has no poor (or childish or angry etc.) antics as far as I'm concerned. He's just animated....I'd be much more concerned if, as the world's best golfer and the face of modern golf, he was bland and unemotional on the course. The fact that he shows his emotions, be they good or bad, is part of what makes him who he is.

[Prairie Golfer]

As bad as his antics are, I doubt they exceed the likes of Woody Austin, Lanny Wadkins, Craig Stadler, Tommy Bolt, Mark Calcavecchia and Steve "Volcano" Pate. He's got the cameras on him all the time and he's going to get his antics picked up at a much higher rate than others in the past.

There is no telling what ungentlemanly conduct has been seen over the years and overlooked. Bobby Jones is one of the most revered gentlemen in the game's history and he once ripped up his card and stormed off the course during the British Open.

As far as the kids go. I'm the one that needs my tender ears protected from their bad language.

[Chas]

Point well taken. There's certainly a "detection bias" that Tiger is going to suffer from inevitably because the camera's on him so much more than anyone else.

Also, I didn't mean to suggest with my analogy to McEnroe in an earlier post that Tiger is anything like as bad as the Brat was in his prime - he most certainly is nowhere near IMO. And Mac was my favorite tennis player back in the day, the guy was a true genius with that magic racket of his, esp. at the net. He just couldn't help himself, it was just the way he was - the mental/emotional intensity etc etc.

I will say that I've followed Tiger around the course (Torrey North and South both) a few times at the Buick over the years and never saw him do anything untoward. Nor have I seen it happen on TV in live action, only in a reply. So I don't suppose that it happens as often as all that.

[Ryanrocksfender]

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but this, along with the interview with John Smoltz that was recently discussed, got me thinking - if Tiger was an athlete in MLB, NBA, or NFL, what current pro athlete in each one would he most closely be like?

Tiger whould be a lights out closer! mariano rivera comes to mind lol if tiger becomes a closer my team the rays whould be delighted to have him =]

[timwalsh300]

How were some of the greats from the past? Did any of them have similar blow outs after bad shots? Can't imagine them having fits like Tiger's.

I'm reading a book about Bobby Jones right now. It talks about how he was notorious for losing his temper early in his career. Quote...

But just prior to that, dissatisfied with his approach shot, Bobby had thrown his club back toward his bag, lying on the ground near the gallery. The club glanced off the bag, bounced up, and hit a female spectator in the lower leg... Walker [USGA President] warned: "You will never play in a USGA event again unless you learn to control your temper." As a result of his childish display, the incident at St. Louis, coming on the heels of his surrender at St. Andrews [where he picked up his ball, shredded his scorecard, possibly threw it into the water, and quit], had brought Bobby to the verge of exile from the game.

That said, he was only 19 or 20 years old at the time. I haven't finished the book yet so I don't know if this kind of behavior continued.

Tim

[Undr Par]

regardless of who we are speaking about (Tiger Woods) having this thread alone speaks volumes has to how the World has changed...

I'm 38yrs old and can still remember being out at a Stadium or around grown men (who had the mouths of a sailor) but they respected the company of Women and children and rarely cussed (if at all), but now it's the parents fault for taking their children to Stadiums or even now Golf courses and (as people say) you should expect the unexpected....why is that? people rarely respect each other anymore.

[Joejoe26]

At the end of The Open, there was a little video to honor Tom Watson for his play that week. Anyways, I remember them showing a little clip of Tiger off a tee box and him slamming the club. While he was doing it, the narrator of the tribute said something about the behavior. I, personally, thought it was ridiculous for them to include that clip in the video to show his "childish".

Anyone here who has ever played competitive golf (match play, junior golf, high school golf, etc.) know the pressure of performing well. Tiger is a guy who is paid to play well. Not only that, there has been this expectation that his been constructed to where Tiger NEEDS to play well at every event. If he doesnt play well, the whole golf society starts to rain down on him. We must remember that he is still human. To say that Tiger plays under large amounts of pressure is an understatement. I'm 26 now and when I played in high school golf, I used to swear A LOT. I even threw the club and what not. I think back now and yeah it was stupid and childish, however, I still remember what got me to that point. When you practice golf day after day, day and night, you'll get angry when you dont perform to your expectation.

Anyways, without ranting on, yes there should be a certain etiquette while you are on the golf course and I think Tiger does pretty well in that category. When I play with other people, I try not to slam clubs or swear because I dont want to ruin their game, however, if i'm by myself, yeah, i'll swear. It is not like Tiger does it every hole and I think it really shows how much heart and time he puts into this game. The whole getting angry thing is not just a switch you can turn on and off. I'm actually thinking about getting a stress ball to use on the golf course so that I dont slam my club to the ground or swear. Maybe Tiger should do the same thing too.

[alf174]

I think this may have been covered in the past but wasn't sure what to search for.

I agree and just because he's Tiger doesn't give him carte blanche on how he shows his frustration. His behavior may be sending a message to the kids that look up to him that its okay to swear and beat things; its not. I bet he has ever not seen a video of himself acting that way; I wonder if he would tone it down if he did. oh, wait, the Happy Gilmour scenario! [/rant]

[dag2000]

The requirements of the job are to score low and to play by the rules. You are putting your own personal 'code of conduct' on Tiger. It's your problem, not his. If his 'antics' rise to the level of a suspension, then so be it. For now, however, he's just losing some fans. He doesn't 'need' to adapt his behavior at all. He needs to play better, that's about it.

We are both putting our respective personal codes of conduct onto Tiger; we simply have different standards for what is acceptable and what isn't. Neither of us is wrong... or right. We just have different preferences.

Tiger indeed makes lots of money from endorsements. Those endorsements are only there because he wins tournaments. His job is to win while playing within the rules - really, that's it.

You're missing a link in the logic chain.

Seeking economic returns from the expense, advertisers and sponsors give money to athletes. Sponsors (for short) select the most popular athletes, not just the best athletes or most successful competitors. Usually of course, the most popular are the best athletes, because everyone loves a winner, but this isn't always the case. Anna Kournikova earned far more in endorsements than many of her more accomplished opponents could ever hope to earn. In order to get money from sponsors, Woods has to be appealing to the sponsors' customers. Some things contribute to appeal; other things detract. Winning makes him appealing to most people. Being handsome makes him appealing to many. His race and ethnicity make him popular to many also. And his swearing and slamming of clubs is in the process of detracting from him his appeal to some people You and I are both customers. You don't have a problem with his behavior and I do. If most people are like you, Woods doesn't have to change. People like me will grumble and we will have the choice of watching golf or not. If enough people are like me, Woods does have to change because he'll get pressure from the people with the money.

[Chas]

True, except that at this point Tiger doesn't need to make another dime from any commercial entity. He is, after all, a billionaire. Tiger is a man who is now most interested in his place in the history of the game of golf, apart from his personal life of course. I would suppose that this will strongly influence his behavior in the future.

[dowlichr]

Yes Tiger's antics are pretty bad I mean yes you can get mad at hitting a bad shot but he needs to tone it down a little because there are millions of people watching him. Many kids got into the game of golf directly because of Tiger. Unless he wants to play the Charles Barkley I am not a role model campaign with Nike he needs to stop swinging his clubs around. Also lets up Anthony Kim can hold on to his clubs as well.

[SpacklersEdge]

I think this may have been covered in the past but wasn't sure what to search for.

Say what you will, but I think this whole thread is a bit silly. I mean talk about nitpicking. I could care less if he drops the F-bomb. Obviously he is frustrated since he knows he can do much better. I can think of 100 examples in most majors sports worse than club slam after a swing...

[kris]

come on. he does no more than most of us do after hitting a bad shot.

[Joejoe26]

come on. he does no more than most of us do after hitting a bad shot.

I definitely agree with Kris. Also, cmon, kids are not going to start throwing their clubs or swearing because Tiger does it occasionally. I would think that kids have the logical interpretation to know what is right and what is wrong. To say that Tiger's behavior can influence children to do the same, in my opinion, is reaching.

[Cizzle]

I definitely agree with Kris. Also, cmon, kids are not going to start throwing their clubs or swearing because Tiger does it occasionally. I would think that kids have the logical interpretation to know what is right and what is wrong. To say that Tiger's behavior can influence children to do the same, in my opinion, is reaching.

I disagree. Many children (adults too) plumb bobb it because the pros do. If anyone thinks Tiger (and he's not the only one, I've seen Nick O'hern and Pat Perez do as bad if not worse than Tiger with slamming clubs) slamming clubs is not a big deal, then you have not experienced another golfer do it in real life. I witnessed a playing partner do a Tiger on 10 at Turnberry and it ruined the entire hole for all four of us. No one could speak because it was so awkward and frightening. If you are a real man and a real golfer, you should be able to control your emotions and not disrupt your playing partners. Even Arnie made fun of Tigers reactions.

P.S. I spit and cuss on the golf course. I am strictly talking about throwing and slamming golf clubs.