I’ve had it. It’s been how long now? Am I really still hearing conversation about Tiger’s most recent outburst at the PGA Championship? Was it really that big a deal? Did a professional athlete’s cursing have that big an affect on you? Has it caused you a permanent emotional scar? If so, then here, let me offer you some advice if it’s still bothering you that much……SHUT THE (bleep) UP!! I mean for (bleep) sake already! A pro athlete said a (bleep) swear! Well holy (bleep) (bleep)!! I never thought I’d see the (bleep) day!
Seriously now, have you never sat near the sidelines at a football game? Ever been anywhere near the field at a baseball game? And how about a basketball game? Even watching an NBA game on TV, there’s so much (bleep) swearing you would think you were watching an episode of The Sopranos! Oh…but this is golf. I know, I know…golfers are better people. Golfers are above that. Etiquette, etiquette, etiquette….. (bleep) you! The guy got angry and he said (bleep). So the (bleep) what?!
Look, this is a professional athlete. And like most professional athletes, he takes his game and his performance seriously. He’s angry at himself when he makes a mistake. He’s not out there to (bleep) around. He’s out there to win the (bleep) game. So he gets angry at himself when he (bleep) up. Big (bleep) deal. I realize many people have rehashed this issue due to the Serena Williams blow-up (another over-blown incident in my opinion). But there’s no real comparison and therefore, no reason to even bring it up again. He swore at himself, not at another golfer. Not at a spectator. Not at an official. Not anyone. He swore at himself. You know what that is? That’s fire, passion and a desire to win and to be the best at what he does getting the better of him. He’s not going to tone it down and he shouldn’t. You can’t ask a professional athlete to “tone it down a bit.” Especially for a television camera! The best athletes feed off of a desire inside. They use it as a fuel for their fire. It’s happened to Tiger several times, and it’s going to continue to happen not just to him, but to many other athletes as well. Don’t blame Tiger when a microphone catches an F-bomb for millions to hear. If you want to blame someone, blame the TV networks!
That’s right. Blame the (bleep) networks for not having a delay – God knows there have been enough incidents and “malfunctions” that they should have learned their lessons by now. As a matter of fact, blame the networks for having a stupid (bleep) microphone on the (bleep) tee to begin with! Why the (bleep) is it there anyway? It’s only silence on the tee! We need a mic there to listen to how (bleep) quiet it is? “Oh, well we can hear the club hit the ball.” Well whoop-dee-(bleep)-doo! Put it on a (bleep) delay then! Problem solved! These networks know what the microphone is going to pick up, not just from the athletes, but from the spectators as well. It’s their fault if they don’t take the proper precautions. This is a competitive sport. It’s not a (bleep) television interview where it’s a nice, peaceful, serene setting where the interviewer and interviewee are five feet apart, sitting in comfy chairs and dressed in suits. It’s the middle of a (bleep) competition! It’s the field of battle!
Even worse than the people who don’t understand this are the idiots who talk and write about how classless Tiger is because of this. Yeah! Let’s just forget about the Tiger Woods Foundation. Let’s pretend the Tiger Woods Learning Center never existed. Let’s not pay any attention to the numerous causes he supports such as education, family/parents, human rights and environmental issues. As a matter of fact, according to The Giving Back Fund (www.givingback.org) he, along with Lance Armstrong and Michael Jordan, are the top three “celebrity givers” among all athletes. He does more for complete strangers in six months than most people will do for their own friends and family in their entire (bleep) lives! But he cursed during a golf tournament, so he’s classless? Shut the (bleep) up!
Look, as long as there are sports on TV, microphones will be around to pick up the occasional F-word. PGA golfers are competitive athletes, just like athletes in any other sport. In addition to that, they are human – just like you and I. They’re not perfect – just like you an I. They swear – just like you and I.
Now get over it.