When Tigers Cry

I first became aware of Tiger Woods when he was two years old. One of Los Angeles' top sportscasters brought Tiger and his Father to the set of the news broadcast for an impromptu demonstration of Tiger's putter prowess. Tiger was already personable and an awesome performer.
A key ingredient of Tiger's ultimate success on the links was the obsessive daily practice sessions directed by his Father. Could it be that such constant parental supervision distracted Tiger from formulating his own personal life goals and visions? His freedom to experiment and commit youthful indiscretions may also have been seriously compromised. Tiger's development was, to say the least, abnormal. But it is fair to say that Tiger himself, as a prodigious athlete, has always been abnormal, meaning he was not just your average kid.

As a young adult Tiger found himself married with children. With his questionable preparation for such responsibility did Tiger simply wing it? It is well established that a horde of attractive women threw themselves at Tiger's feet. If you were in Tiger's shoes what would you have done? Now, in the wake of revelations pertaining to his personal life, many of Tiger's sponsors have abandoned him. This reactive desertion by many of Tiger's sponsors speaks volumes about the sociopathic nature of the corporate sports industry. The corporations lined up at the "Tiger trough" to capitalize on his stellar performance as a “golf machine”. The moment his extramarital exploits became public his corporate sponsors ran like frightened sheep.

Their abandonment speaks volumes about the fragile quality of business relationships in the professional sports world. The tactical reactions to Tiger's negative publicity indicate a more realistic view of his corporate sponsors' loyalty to him. War on Sports asks: Should Tiger's diehard fans boycott each of his sponsor's that deserted him? Here's a look at a partial roster of the companies that have distanced themselves from Tiger: AT&T, Accenture, Pepsi, Gatorade, Proctor & Gamble, Gillette and Golf Digest/Condé Nast. As always we welcome your comments and opinions on any topic under discussion at War on Sports.