Why do the media think Tiger owes them an explanation?

[zeg]

Agree. Tiger has enjoyed all the perks and advantages of his fame, yet wants the media to respect his desire for privacy and space. Sorry Tiger, it doesnt work that way. In some ways, I think Tiger does owe his fans more of an explanation and that a lack of an explanation only makes him look worse.

Disagree. He paid for that fame by being the best damn golfer in a generation, and perhaps ever. He gave us some amazing golf. Being famous for being good at something isn't (and/or shouldn't be) an automatic invitation to the press to invade your private life. Tiger has been quite steadfast in his efforts to maintain a wall between his personal life and his public life, and that has nothing to do with the perks and advantages of his fame. Had he become famous by opening himself up to reality shows then he could be fairly criticized for hypocrisy in later asking his fans to respect his privacy. He didn't. His fans simply have no grounds to expect that he'll let them in to his personal life. He should be grateful to them for what they've done, but that means he should be willing to sign autographs, help the next generation of golfers get access to the game, etc, not that he needs to let them in to his private life.

[Three Putt]

Mass media made Tiger a billionaire and he wasn't bitching then. The meat grinder doesn't care if you're on the way up or the way down, just that your story is engaging enough to get people to watch/read/click.

No....Tiger friggin taking apart the field by 12 strokes at the Masters and 15 at the US Open made him who he is. PERIOD.

[sonnydamico pdx]

Three Putt is right on the nose. He pretty much summarizes the jist of the entire thread <"in 25 words or less"!!!>

[zeg]

Yep, Three Putt nailed it.

[shortstop20]

No....Tiger friggin taking apart the field by 12 strokes at the Masters and 15 at the US Open made him who he is. PERIOD.

Exactly. Tiger doesn't need the media.

[clubhousehero]

I agree with Stretch on this one. Without the media, Tiger is still a great golfer, but he wouldn't be a billionaire. Just a multi-millionaire with all his winnings. Tigers game made him the best golfer in the world, the media did everything else.

Isn't there a story of a young Tiger eating with Arnold Palmer and Tiger is complaining that he can't just be a normal 20 year old to Palmer. Palmer tells him that most 20 year olds don't have 20 mil in the bank either and if he didn't want all the attention he can just quit golf and get a normal job, that way nobody would pay attention to him anymore...well it went something like that at least, and thats how i feel about it too.

[shaun]

Team Tiger has tried to use the media for its own purposes throughout his entire life. Woods's father had him appear on The Mike Douglas Show in 1978, when he was aged two or so. You don't become a billionaire, or close to it, from just winning golf tournaments. Through various media, Woods marketed himself as a wholesome, clean cut and honest guy, dedicated to his wife and family. He made an absolute fortune from doing so. Not only was it not true, but it was light years from the truth. Does Tiger owe the media an explanation? No. I doubt that anyone in the media actually thinks that he owes them an explanation -- whether it's about his personal problems or his game. Can he complain too much if the media now wants to know what's going on? No. Should he be surprised that the same forces that made him might now seek to tear him down? Of course not.