Tiger's a Cheetah - do I care?

The rumors are flying, skirts are coming out of the clubhouse woodwork to claim he's putted on their greens, and will or won't the missus walk away with a windfall after all is said and done.

Tiger may be smart about his golf game, but not about his "game" - rather, keeping it on the down-low.

I can only imagine the ego-inflating effects of being the top player in your sport. It can make you feel invincible, untouchable, and immeasurably important. And it seems to have made Tiger this way, in lieu of his indescretions.

Indescretions - such a soft, unimposing word that really doesn't do his actions justice.

We may never know what the real story is here - how many women, where and when, for how long, and why.

What interests me about his situation is, having had the upbringing he did, and the close relationship he had with his father - what happened to his value system? Is the drive for satisfaction, whether it's physical or mental or whatever, that powerful? Did losing his father at such a young age affect his value system? Or was this type of reckless behavior ingrained from the start, and just now had cause to be explored?

My stand on cheating is this - people, in their right mind, have the ability to choose right from wrong. Sometimes they choose wrong, for whatever reason. We're only human - fallible, flawed and fucked up. However, if you recognize the wrong, and make a concerted effort to never do it again, and atone, it's doesn't excuse the behavior but makes you worthy of a second chance. That's what is so great about second chances - the opportunity to learn from mistakes and make life better, for you and the ones you love, and the outstanding feeling that comes with forgiveness.

Each situation is different - it's up to the people directly involved to work through the issue and judge whether or not the relationship is worth fighting for.

And just to be clear - I don't believe that Tiger is the moral compass for children, just because he is a sports hero. And if he is, then the parents are doing a shitty job of raising their child because they should be the purveyors of the moral compass. And if an adolescent decides that they are going to cheat on their partner because Tiger did it, they need some serious help.

So the question remains - should he be allowed to keep his endorsements? Should he remain a hero in the sport of golf? Should he be given the opportunity to save his marriage?

For me, I can separate the pro from the average joe and say that he helped me to understand the sport of golf and made it much more tolerable to watch on television. He's not my hero, but if I have to watch golf again (this obviously isn't anything I enjoy watching) I will be glad if he's on the green.