Tiger Woods: Ordinary Man

Hey World Family,
You knew Falcon and Dove were going to have to comment eventually on this issue. We would like to take a thoughtful approach, acknowledging that one day Sam and Axel will be older and able to read about these exploits, and hopefully, there will be some reading material that tries to encapsulate the larger meaning for them and the sport Tiger plays. It is them we have in mind as we pen these comments.

Elin, so sorry that he did this; I know (believe me, Falcon knows) this is hurting you in a way you never felt before, but you are strong, and I know that you are thinking your way through this to make the best decisions for yourself and your children. Do what you have to do; welcome your true support system and give yourself time…lots of time, to evaluate where you want to go eventually; but for now, get yourself to a safe place where you can think and your children can thrive with loved ones around you all. That is the most important thing you can do for you own mental and spiritual health.

Second, make your financial plans carefully. Leave no stone unturned. Get assistance from those with the expertise to assist you. Do not listen to the toxic talk out there. What is true or isn’t true in the gory details is not important, ultimately. You know the broad strokes, follow through from there.

To the Golf World: Wow; this is one of the big ones, isn’t it? Yikes. Football, basketball…they have had their troublesome players, but this one in golf? Unthinkable, eh? Until now…

Not really. Golf has always had its debaucheries. There are some guys on the tour right now that have their challenges, but after all, they are just guys…this was a god.

That seems to have been the problem; a lot of glossed over and overlooked for the mantle of false perfection (why do all these egomaniacs seek ‘perfection’?) and the hope was that the cracks would never show, much less a complete collapse of the false face. Oh well, stuff happens. Someone probably should have thought of Tiger as just another guy like so many and figured that sooner or later his ‘time was gonna come’. Maybe some friendly, sober advice on why and how this might collapse and how it might impact the game and how endorsements and sponsorships are handled in the future would have been nice.

Think this won’t impact future endorsements? Guess again. The party is over, my friends. Over and done. The day of the billion dollar athlete has closed. It has evaporated. If anyone out there thinks that any company will ever put their reputation on the line again banking on the integrity of a single man’s image with respect to alignment with their firm, you are mistaken. Those days are done. Endorsements will now be more modest, more sensible, and more in line with reality. People are human, make mistakes, and can be brought down by controversy that many may not see coming. No company is ever going to bank roll a game to the tune that was done with Tiger again. Not ever.
Don’t worry guys (and we say guys because female athletes never see the endorsement contracts that men do), there will still be plenty out there to be made. If Tiger returns as a strong golf contender, he will get endorsements, but maybe not from the same companies he did previously. We don’t think too many will just cut him off (like Accenture), but agreements will probably be allowed to expire. Tiger should start planning for a future where he will actually have to play to get paid, not just get millions for showing up… like an ordinary golfer on the PGA Tour.

To Tiger: We think it goes without saying that you probably were not ready to get married when you did. You may not be marriage material at all. It is clear your father prepared you to be a prophecy fulfilled, he just didn’t prepare you to be an emotionally mature, spiritually evolved man. He didn’t realize that denying you a proper childhood and feeding into the larger egocentric desires would create a son who was incapable of getting past the oral fixation level of desiring immediate satisfaction from where ever it would come from, regardless of the limitations, moral obligations, or feelings of others. You are not alone; there are so many just like you, so the money and fame are not the only components. Plenty of regular guys are just as screwed up as you are. Take comfort in the fact that you are nothing new under the sun in that respect, and that although your talent for hitting a little ball into a hole is admirable, and your foundation work is striking, we think of you like any other ordinary man-flawed, capable of great strides, and horrific failings. That should comfort you.

Your ego should surrender for the greater course of wisdom. Translation: you should get some help. You need to stop seeing people as simply there for your pleasure or objectification, and begin to see them as allies in your healing. Don’t worry about your golf game right now, it will be fine if your head is fine. Worry about your soul.

Start today working on your ability to forgive those circumstances that exposed you. You need to begin to shift your paradigm to a place that acknowledges the humanity in all-and that no one deserves to be objectified and marginalized the way you did the women you engaged with-not even the willing ones deserve the exploitation. As you evolve, if you allow yourself, you will see why this is so.

Welcome to adulthood, Mr. Woods-spiritual adulthood, which includes karma…and if you allow it, reconciliation and forgiveness. Maybe not enough to save a marriage, but enough to save a career. If you express yourself honestly, and compassionately for yourself and those you used, you may find a feeling of release and renewal for you on the next horizon. This moment is a trial, but it is also a gift. Use this opportunity wisely.

Peace,
Falcon and Dove