that’s life Tiger’s stripes haven’t changed

RIVER VALLEY and OZARK AREA — I found the 12-year-old magazine buried under others that I couldn’t bear to part with for one reason or another.

This one I kept so I could remember why I didn’t like him, and because I thought it might be collectible some day.

It’s a 1997 GQ magazine with Tiger Woods on the cover.

I don’t remember why I bought it originally. Probably because Tiger Woods was a big deal and my husband loves golf.

After I read the article, I immediately couldn’t stand Tiger Woods, and I wanted him to lose every time he played.

In the article, titled “The Man. Amen,” he told the interviewer - and some women who were there flirting with him - racist jokes and sexual jokes, and at one point said to the interviewer, “Hey, you can’t write this.” (After all, he was Tiger Woods. The Man.)

I just couldn’t believe how crude Tiger was, and even rereading it now, I cringe.

And I’ve been in newsrooms.

He was 21, but so what? Character is character. In the article it talked about his dad. It also talked about the rumor that his parents were separated.

After reading it, I told some Tiger fans about the article. I thought that would be a revelation and they’d immediately turn off of him like I had. That wasn’t what happened. It didn’t seem to matter about Tiger’s character when he could play like he does.

A few years later, I saw a TV show about the learning center he’d built and all the kids he’d helped. I thought it was great when he married the beautiful Swedish model and had those cute kids.

I got sucked into the Tiger fan club, too.

I figured he’d grown up and, man, he was amazing to watch on the golf course.

When the story broke about his wreck, my brother - a golfer - and I e-mailed about it.

Something’s not right about it, my brother said.

I agreed. More to the story. I figured he and Elin had a fight.

When the dam broke and woman after woman came forward, I admit, I read every word.

I went to every site to look at photos of these women. I read his texts and listened to the voice message he left one of them.

My original thoughts about Tiger resurfaced. He hadn’t changed.

He’d never grown out of being that crude, hedonistic kid.

I felt sorry for his wife and children. I don’t buy the argument that his wife should have known how he was. Lots of men play the field before they get married, but they take their vows seriously.

Tiger’s wife probably expected that when he wanted to marry her; those vows meant something.

We haven’t heard about her having any affairs. She was taking care of those precious little kids of theirs, for one thing. Kids who will grow up and read all these things writtenabout their daddy.

I guess that never crossed his mind when he was with all those women.

I looked on the cover of that old magazine, and I couldn’t believe it.

The headline of one of the articles was “How to Cheat on Your Wife.”

I wonder if Tiger read it.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 135 on 02/28/2010

Print Headline: that’s life Tiger’s stripes haven’t changed