Years ago, when Woods roared, junior golfers meowed. Today, the pride of budding juniors with games that were born and bred in the tall, brawny, intimidating, and seemingly perfect shadow cast by the late Tiger Woods are fully grown, incredibly talented, and...completely astonished.
Today's college golfers may be more shocked by the shattering of Woods' once perfect image than any other group of (current or former) "Tiger-gawkers." When Woods made his professional golf debut in 1996, the class of 2010 was made up of highly impressionable eight-year-olds. As they matured and reached for their clubs en route to developing their games and mental strength, many of them were greatly inspired by Woods' dominating performances and perfectionism.
To many junior golfers who were developing while Woods took the PGA Tour and the world of professional athletics by storm, Woods encompassed everything that they could ever dream of becoming - even the kids' parents probably couldn't identify a more ideal role model for their junior athletes to mimic. For once, it seemed that professional athletics sported a winner worthy of being idolized both on and off the court, field, pool, etc.
The moms fell in love with Tiger because he prioritized family, he was well-educated, and he never seemed to forget to brush his sparkling white teeth. To kids, Tiger was appealing because he played a sport for a living, crushed his competitors, pumped his fist in triumph like a super hero and was notorious for his love of playing video games in his free time. As the young guns matured, Woods' appeal never waned. If video games fell out of style for the juniors, Woods' confident and cool persona, his beautiful wife, and/or his lavish lifestyle was still worthy of admiration.
Tiger Woods had it all, and everyone bought it. For years, his image empowered (and duped) millions of his fans with a sense of hope and conviction that nice guys can finish first - a lot - and that one can succeed in life if he/she is well-rounded, exercises discipline, and emphasizes family values. Woods' commitment towards such values is (now humorously and hypocritically) displayed in a personal letter written by him on the Tiger Woods Foundation website. The letter opens up with Tiger saying, "From early childhood, I dreamed of being the world’s best golfer. I worked hard and applied my family’s values to everything I did. Integrity, honesty, discipline, responsibility, and fun: I learned these values at home and in school, each one pushing me further toward my dream."
Maybe Woods is telling the truth. Perhaps he did possess those qualities when he was en route to winning a closet full of green jackets, and authoring enough PGA Tour records Jay-Z may blush. The more forgiving critics may argue that Woods merely fell victim to his celebrity and the army of women likely driveling at the site of the world's richest athlete; others would argue he was lying all along. Unfortunately, we will never know who the real Tiger Woods ever was, is, or will become. More tragically, those who placed Woods on a pedestal and relied upon him as a source of inspiration and hope, feel cheated, lost, and questioning whether or not their dream of becoming the next Tiger Woods was a complete waste of time.
Tiger Woods has disappointed many people. Besides his wife, Elin, the group of individuals he likely hurt the most consisted of junior golfers who thought they knew who Woods was. In the coming year, it will be interesting to see who will be the new wholesome professional athlete that will fill the now empty shoes that Tiger wore, and to see how Woods' disciples may compete against their phony mentor in the coming years.
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