The Olympics are over and we’ll look at the latest developments in Vancouver this past week, but first a little commentary on Tiger Woods.
I’m on record saying that Tiger’s personal life is none of our business, and for the most part I have not changed that stance. However, he chose to hold a “press conference” to address his personal life, which makes it worth commenting on. I use the term press conference loosely because while I’m no journalist, I think I read somewhere that press conferences involve reporters asking questions to gain more information. The Tiger Woods Spin Machine – er, excuse me, his handlers, IMG – dictated only a small number of reporters could be in the room and that NONE of them could ask so much as one question! That’s not a press conference, that’s a speech, and the Golf Writers’ Association rightly boycotted the event. Again, I’m not going to cover the marital affairs of Mr. Woods – if you are looking for that sort of thing, I hear the Enquirer is all over it – I’m here to admit I was wrong about Tiger, he had me fooled.
I once thought that while he was the consummate competitor on the course, he was somehow different off of it. I think at one point he was, and that as almost always happened, power corrupted him – he’s made so much money and been handled so lightly by the PGA, the media, and everyone else that he gradually began to peel away from reality, to feel that if he wanted to do something then it was OK, because he was TIGER WOODS. He has always been extremely guarded in public and fiercely guarded his privacy (again, that’s ok with me), but he also sought to control everyone and everything around him – who has access to him, what they can and cannot write, etc. This latest episode proves that he hasn’t fundamentally changed at all, even after three months away his first instinct was to totally control his first public appearance, stage a sorrowful appearance with no questions or interaction and go back to seclusion. Terrible decision. He should have allowed 20 minutes’ worth of questions, gone out and signed autographs for kids, made a very conscious effort to become more accessible, more sympathetic, more REAL. Instead, he seems even more the machine today than he did when he was winning all those tournaments, and it’s really sad. As it stands there’s very little difference between Woods and Michael Jordan – both great athletes, both pretty awful people who think their athletic prowess gives them freedom from basic human decency. I hope that someday Tiger can find balance in his life, as greats like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and even Phil Mickelson have done.
There’s a larger lesson here as well: winning isn’t everything. Look what it’s done to Woods, his all-consuming need to win has narrowed his life as time has gone by. I see it even in non-elite athletes as well – the kids who go to tennis academies at age 12 or so, missing out on so much of their youth to chase a 1-in-1000 shot of fame and fortune (that they might resent once they get it – see Agassi, Andre). I see parents pushing their kids SO HARD as young as age 7 or 8…little league coaches allowing their pitchers to throw 150 pitches per game (thankfully this has been curbed)…in our area, young wrestlers competing 3-5 nights per week then every weekend, to the exclusion of all else, and controlling their weight from age 6 onward. There’s nothing wrong with competition, but it HAS to be part of a balanced life, and too many people lose that balance.
On to Olympic wrap ups – first, my hockey predictions were a bit off, mainly because Canada impressively won four games in six days to win gold. The win over Russia was the most impressive of the tournament – I still believe that had Russian won, they’d have gone on to capture gold – but give Canada credit, they played fantastic when it mattered most. As for the U.S. squad, they played above their heads and deserved their silver – this team should be remembered as one of the finest American hockey squads in history. No, not on the level of the 1980 team, but to go 5-1 and beat the gold and bronze-medal winners along the way is mighty impressive. The best news for the U.S. is the youth of the team – I believe they were the youngest in the tournament, and most of their major contributors should get another crack at gold (assuming the NHL allows participation in 2014 – a subject for another day).
Overall, I think the Olympics were a success. Yes, there were a lot of glitches the first week – and the death of the Georgian luger cast a shadow over the entire event – but it seemed like Vancouver got it together and the second week ran much more smoothly. Canada’s athletes also pulled it together. After a miserable start they ended up setting the record for the most gold medals with 14. Aside from hockey, the most impressive Canadian performances I saw were their men’s curling squad (the first team not to lose a single match in Olympic play), and female figure skater Joannie Rochette, whose mother had died only days before, capturing the bronze despite her heavy heart. I’m not a figure skating fan, but that was an amazing display.
For the U.S., the Olympics were their best-ever showing. From Shaun White’s dominance in snowboard to the alpine skiing team’s unexpected medal runs to the gritty performances of Evan Lysacek and the men’s hockey team, the entire group of athletes seemed to shine under the spotlight with very few exceptions. I’m actually sad to see the Olympics go – I’ll miss watching curling with my boys and the crazy-fast excitement of the downhill skiing events, but more than anything I’ll miss watching hockey played at its highest level, without fights, without cheap hits (mostly). The NHL should take note – the RULES really can be the ultimate enforcer, not some goon on skates who scores one goal every 200 games. With any luck, eventually the NHL will move past the fighting and allow the beauty of the game to take center stage.
Next week, we’ll review the NHL trade deadline – the Pens have already made their moves, and we’ll break them down.
Dave Glass can be reached at buggyracer@verizon.net, or (preferably) by commenting below.
