As Vikings fans we want to jump off the bandwagon as soon as we get behind in a game. Now after losing 2 out of 3 we're ready to drive the bandwagon off a cliff. I'm going to put an optimistic spin on things so not only will you stay on the bandwagon, but you'll buckle in and enjoy the ride.
First let's get the bad things out of the way. The number one problem is the offensive line. It has been overrated, and overlooked all year. When the Vikings were winning, the offensive line was getting a free pass. They have gotten progressively worse as the year has gone on. Until that gets fixed nothing will work. The coaching staff need to find a way to Adrian Peterson some room to run. Matt Birk anyone? Secondly this Favre and Chilly thing is way to overblown, as is everything that involves Brett Favre. But in typical Favre fashion he needed the attention and brought this up to the media. After the game Childress had his press conference and spoke nothing of it. It was a complete non issue, until old number 4 brought this to the media attention. What was Childress thinking? The media has been waiting for a juicy Favre story all year. Now it is being said that this is the 3rd time that Chilly wanted to pull Favre, funny how the first two times never ended up being a major issue. I have no idea, but I think this is a non issue What does worry me is that we've lost E.J. Henderson, and Percy Harvin suffers from Migraines with no real explanation why. Those are the worries, and they are legit and they are real.
But looking at the big picture and the NFC there is still plenty of reason for optimism. We are still 11-3. Start the season, and tell me that is our record after 14 games, and you'll here no complaint. Sure we've beaten a few cupcakes along the way, but who hasn't? We've beaten the Packers twice convincingly. And until a last second miracle they were the NFC's hottest team. We completely dominated the Cincinnati Bengals the AFC's likely #3 seed, who took the Chargers down to the wire. We beat Baltimore who could be a playoff team, and a team the beat the Chargers.
Every team has their highs and lows. Look at the Saints, if Washington doesn't miss a 22 yard field goal they would have lost 2 out of 3. Look at the Cardinals, they barely beat Detroit after getting drubbed by the 49ers. It's funny how everyone is high on the Cowboys now. Before they beat the Saints, all anyone talked about was December this and playoffs that. Everyone is all excited about the Giants because they beat the Redskins. Is that even an accomplishment? The team the worries me the most is the Eagles. But they have their own problems, the Eagles haven't beaten one team that would be in the playoffs if they started today. Their record against current playoff teams is 0-3. So find me a team, and I'll find you a giant question mark.
The NFL is over analyzed and broken down so much more than any other sport mainly because of the time between games. So do the Vikings have some issues yes. But my point is who doesn't. These NFL experts like Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk.com change their opinions weekly. They have to, who wants to go to a website that says the same thing each and every week. The Vikings control their own destiny, and should be the number 2 seed, with the only potential road game being inside the Superdome. I'm not as confident as I once was, but I don't see another NFC team that I would be overly worried about if they came to the dome. We absolutely can not play like we did against the Cardinals or Panthers. But our record against current playoff teams is 4-1.
So calm down Vikings fans, and enjoy the season.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Disgressions and Death
Lately it seems like everything associated with sports has been negative. We've had a NFL player dead at the age of 26. The most famous athlete in the world leaving a trail of infidelity longer than the Robert Trent Jones trail. Not to mention locally, the best basketball player quitting before ever playing a NCAA game. What is going on? Now I'm sure if we look at the percentages it's not much different than what goes on in the real world. But let's focus on these athletes and try and figure out why things go wrong. I think it there is essentially five deadly sports sins; Money, Fame, Greed, Exposure, and 2nd Chances.
In some cases high school sporting decisions can be attributed to money, but in most cases money starts playing a role immediately after high school. The amount of money involved and that can be made in sports is astronomical. It increases at each level, and the amount of people involved grows exponentially. Look at college, it's obvious that the NCAA is a cash cow that uses the athletes to fatten their wallets. Schools that make it to a BCS bowl game earn somewhere close to 15 million dollars. Can you honestly tell me that some professor has any say or pull in the classroom with some of these higher profile athletes. Let's take Colt McCoy for instance. Do you think in the week leading up to the Big 12 championship game he was busy citing sources for a 20 page econ. paper like the rest of the seniors are doing? Now it would take a pretty strong willed person to overlook that fact and still put in the effort to not only succeed on the field, but also in the classroom. Colt McCoy with one good game makes the school millions of dollars. Do you think that some $60,000/year professor is going to get in the way of that. The BCS as a whole is a system based 100% on financial reasons. There isn't a logical argument to the way it's set up. Every kid with enough talent enough to play in the next level has to make a decision to stay or go. And most of them leave early when faced with that decision. Who are we to blame them? I mean I would drop almost anything at anytime for a shot to make millions to play in the pros.
Once you hit the pros these guys earn more money than almost any other profession. Look at Nick Punto a below average major league baseball player who makes 4 million dollars per year. Look at someone like Kevin Garnett he'll make over 300 million in his career. And it's not their fault. Without us the fans watching on TV, and going to games this money wouldn't be there. So if you come from a poor family what's it like to suddenly be given a contract of over a million per year. Who in their right mind wouldn't splurge. So their isn't much self control, because it's hard to blow the amount of cash that they make. So what do you have to worry about. I would say money is the single biggest issue in most peoples lives. And for these athletes that is something if done right, they'll never have to worry about. Look at baseball, I think you can blame the entire steroid scandal on money. The more steroids the better numbers, the better numbers the more money.
Fame and greed go hand and hand. Once these guys are in the spotlight they don't want it to leave. Look at the number of quarterbacks on TV. Is it because they all love broadcasting. Or is it because they all love being the center of attention? But who can blame any athlete. Look back at high school, the coolest kids were the best athletes. Now multiply this and you have just absolute divas in a lot of cases. They start reading their own headlines and start losing any sense of realism. They lose touch with reality. The get into the best clubs, they can go to any event at anytime. They get endorsement deals, people are just feeding the egos with every autograph request, and interview they do. I imagine it's hard to become unwanted. So you need to take more risks, or cut a few corners to get back in the limelight at any cost. We treat these guys as if their more important or valuable than us. I think in large part we lose track of a true sense of where they belong. Sure if you're a kid, it is a major event being in the presence of one of these super stars, but as you get older you should grow out of that. When I worked for KFAN, there would be lines of 100+ people to meet guys like Brock Lesnar and Marion Gaborik. And the sat part is the majority weren't kids. So how can an athlete look in the mirror and see a normal everyday guy, when we don't even see that.
Exposure is getting worse and worse. Kids are being recruited in middle school. Go to some of these recruiting websites, and you'll see kids that are 14 years old being rated. They are just kids, leave them alone. Look at these college athletes, they can not make a mistake big or small without being scrutinized by the media. Look back at your college years, and think of the crazy things you did. It has nothing to do with your athletic ability, but it is just college age kids having fun, experimenting, and discovering the world one party, and one mistake at a time. So can we give Percy Harvin and Michael Phelps a free pass for smoking a little dope? I mean I think they've done all right for themselves. Adrian Peterson and Bernard Berrian got speeding tickets and that was front page news. These athletes in some cases though create or expose themselves to the exposure. Look at Ron Artest. That guy will do anything to get his name in the paper. He wrote an open letter to Tiger Woods. I mean do you seriously think Tiger who is a billionaire and can hire any PR firm or consulting company to help him spin this, really wants his name linked with Ron Artest? I think in a lot of cases we as fans, and the media need to allow these athletes to be humans. Look at how difficult some players find it to succeed while playing in New York. I also think a lot of these players need to take the turn down the quiet street instead of going full speed down the fully exposed expressway.
Athletes seems to get 2nd and 3rd chances more often than people in other walks of life. The pressure is so high on these coaches and owners, that they are willing to overlook a persons off the field issues if they can perform on the field. I'm sure this has been the case the entire way up. Mr. Star Quarterback doesn't get suspended the 2 weeks for drinking in high school, because they're playing the big rival. It happens then, it happens in college, and it happens in the pro's. Everyone feels bad for Pete Rose, why? He admittedly gambled on baseball, and accepted a lifetime ban. So why is there this belief that he's served his time, and belongs in the hall of fame. If it were that important to him he wouldn't have broken baseball's most sacred rule. How many chances was Chris Henry given? Look how that ended up. What about Michael Vick? Look at Kevin and Pat Williams, they broke a league rule, and used a Minnesotan law loophole to avoid the suspension. And we all applaud it because they're so valuable to the team. The NFL was starting to avoid players with "character issues." But then you get a guy like Percy Harvin or Randy Moss whose on the field performance outweighs the of the field issues. I think there is a difference between a young guy making immature decisions and being over penalized for that, than a grown man making a fully informed decision knowing that he'll get another chance. Look at Michael Vick, look at Kobe Bryant, look at Ray Lewis. These guys all were accused of felonies at one time or another. What happens at you're work if you're convicted of running a dog fighting circuit, or accused of rape or accessory to murder. I'd imagine you'd be let go, and that would be the end of the story. But if you're an all-world athlete you miss more time from turf toe than you do from a felony accusation. Being a professional athlete is a privilege not a right. But for every coach or GM that takes a stand against one of these guys there is another one willing to take a chance to save their own ass.
Now obviously I've generalized a lot of players into these five categories. I think there are hundred of great human beings that use the above five categories to make a positive impact. That is one area I think that doesn't get enough coverage. I think that it just isn't as interesting to talk about the amount of charity work these guys do. Just about each and everyone one of them has their own charity event or cause in some shape and form. But when things do go wrong you can follow the five guidelines I've laid out. They are thrust upon the spotlight and given the keys to a high powered vehicle of life in the fast lane.
In some cases high school sporting decisions can be attributed to money, but in most cases money starts playing a role immediately after high school. The amount of money involved and that can be made in sports is astronomical. It increases at each level, and the amount of people involved grows exponentially. Look at college, it's obvious that the NCAA is a cash cow that uses the athletes to fatten their wallets. Schools that make it to a BCS bowl game earn somewhere close to 15 million dollars. Can you honestly tell me that some professor has any say or pull in the classroom with some of these higher profile athletes. Let's take Colt McCoy for instance. Do you think in the week leading up to the Big 12 championship game he was busy citing sources for a 20 page econ. paper like the rest of the seniors are doing? Now it would take a pretty strong willed person to overlook that fact and still put in the effort to not only succeed on the field, but also in the classroom. Colt McCoy with one good game makes the school millions of dollars. Do you think that some $60,000/year professor is going to get in the way of that. The BCS as a whole is a system based 100% on financial reasons. There isn't a logical argument to the way it's set up. Every kid with enough talent enough to play in the next level has to make a decision to stay or go. And most of them leave early when faced with that decision. Who are we to blame them? I mean I would drop almost anything at anytime for a shot to make millions to play in the pros.
Once you hit the pros these guys earn more money than almost any other profession. Look at Nick Punto a below average major league baseball player who makes 4 million dollars per year. Look at someone like Kevin Garnett he'll make over 300 million in his career. And it's not their fault. Without us the fans watching on TV, and going to games this money wouldn't be there. So if you come from a poor family what's it like to suddenly be given a contract of over a million per year. Who in their right mind wouldn't splurge. So their isn't much self control, because it's hard to blow the amount of cash that they make. So what do you have to worry about. I would say money is the single biggest issue in most peoples lives. And for these athletes that is something if done right, they'll never have to worry about. Look at baseball, I think you can blame the entire steroid scandal on money. The more steroids the better numbers, the better numbers the more money.
Fame and greed go hand and hand. Once these guys are in the spotlight they don't want it to leave. Look at the number of quarterbacks on TV. Is it because they all love broadcasting. Or is it because they all love being the center of attention? But who can blame any athlete. Look back at high school, the coolest kids were the best athletes. Now multiply this and you have just absolute divas in a lot of cases. They start reading their own headlines and start losing any sense of realism. They lose touch with reality. The get into the best clubs, they can go to any event at anytime. They get endorsement deals, people are just feeding the egos with every autograph request, and interview they do. I imagine it's hard to become unwanted. So you need to take more risks, or cut a few corners to get back in the limelight at any cost. We treat these guys as if their more important or valuable than us. I think in large part we lose track of a true sense of where they belong. Sure if you're a kid, it is a major event being in the presence of one of these super stars, but as you get older you should grow out of that. When I worked for KFAN, there would be lines of 100+ people to meet guys like Brock Lesnar and Marion Gaborik. And the sat part is the majority weren't kids. So how can an athlete look in the mirror and see a normal everyday guy, when we don't even see that.
Exposure is getting worse and worse. Kids are being recruited in middle school. Go to some of these recruiting websites, and you'll see kids that are 14 years old being rated. They are just kids, leave them alone. Look at these college athletes, they can not make a mistake big or small without being scrutinized by the media. Look back at your college years, and think of the crazy things you did. It has nothing to do with your athletic ability, but it is just college age kids having fun, experimenting, and discovering the world one party, and one mistake at a time. So can we give Percy Harvin and Michael Phelps a free pass for smoking a little dope? I mean I think they've done all right for themselves. Adrian Peterson and Bernard Berrian got speeding tickets and that was front page news. These athletes in some cases though create or expose themselves to the exposure. Look at Ron Artest. That guy will do anything to get his name in the paper. He wrote an open letter to Tiger Woods. I mean do you seriously think Tiger who is a billionaire and can hire any PR firm or consulting company to help him spin this, really wants his name linked with Ron Artest? I think in a lot of cases we as fans, and the media need to allow these athletes to be humans. Look at how difficult some players find it to succeed while playing in New York. I also think a lot of these players need to take the turn down the quiet street instead of going full speed down the fully exposed expressway.
Athletes seems to get 2nd and 3rd chances more often than people in other walks of life. The pressure is so high on these coaches and owners, that they are willing to overlook a persons off the field issues if they can perform on the field. I'm sure this has been the case the entire way up. Mr. Star Quarterback doesn't get suspended the 2 weeks for drinking in high school, because they're playing the big rival. It happens then, it happens in college, and it happens in the pro's. Everyone feels bad for Pete Rose, why? He admittedly gambled on baseball, and accepted a lifetime ban. So why is there this belief that he's served his time, and belongs in the hall of fame. If it were that important to him he wouldn't have broken baseball's most sacred rule. How many chances was Chris Henry given? Look how that ended up. What about Michael Vick? Look at Kevin and Pat Williams, they broke a league rule, and used a Minnesotan law loophole to avoid the suspension. And we all applaud it because they're so valuable to the team. The NFL was starting to avoid players with "character issues." But then you get a guy like Percy Harvin or Randy Moss whose on the field performance outweighs the of the field issues. I think there is a difference between a young guy making immature decisions and being over penalized for that, than a grown man making a fully informed decision knowing that he'll get another chance. Look at Michael Vick, look at Kobe Bryant, look at Ray Lewis. These guys all were accused of felonies at one time or another. What happens at you're work if you're convicted of running a dog fighting circuit, or accused of rape or accessory to murder. I'd imagine you'd be let go, and that would be the end of the story. But if you're an all-world athlete you miss more time from turf toe than you do from a felony accusation. Being a professional athlete is a privilege not a right. But for every coach or GM that takes a stand against one of these guys there is another one willing to take a chance to save their own ass.
Now obviously I've generalized a lot of players into these five categories. I think there are hundred of great human beings that use the above five categories to make a positive impact. That is one area I think that doesn't get enough coverage. I think that it just isn't as interesting to talk about the amount of charity work these guys do. Just about each and everyone one of them has their own charity event or cause in some shape and form. But when things do go wrong you can follow the five guidelines I've laid out. They are thrust upon the spotlight and given the keys to a high powered vehicle of life in the fast lane.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
P.S.
I've heard enough of Michael Wilbon of ESPN, and Henry Lake of KFAN. They are both African American, and they both can not comment on stories involving African American athletes without making race the major issue. It seems like each and every time that a story comes up with a African American in some sort of scandal or controversy, which is often self induced, they don't comment on the story but rather reflect the attention to the race issue.
5 W's
WHO - Who makes the decision as to what goes on those blue highway signs that declare that certain businesses are close enough to the highway that it would be very convenient to get off at the next exit. Yesterday I took an exit off of 494 to find a Holiday gas station. I then proceeded to drive over a mile, and through at least 6 stop lights. So that Holiday had no business being on that blue sign. If I had known the drive I'd have to endure after leaving the highway I would have never gotten off. I mean all things considered I could have reached Seattle eventually but that's not on the sign.
WHAT - What is everyone's hard on for Randy Moss. Or am I just to biased to see the bad side of him. I mean this guy has played a hall of fame career, and holds the record for most touchdowns in a season. So why does everyone get on his case every time things aren't going as planned. I mean I'm sure he does take plays off, and doesn't give 100% each play, but who doesn't? We don't search and destroy every other player that does this. What about in baseball, I think it's similar to running out a routine ground ball, we don't castrate each player that doesn't give 100% going down the line.
WHERE - Where will Aaron Rogers get drafted in fantasy drafts next year? This will be the second consecutive season that he will finish number one as far as fantasy QB's go. But I've taken an informal poll amongst friends, and I haven't met a person that has said they would take Rogers ahead of Manning, Brees, Rivers, or Brady. I wonder why this is? Is it because he's a Packer and every person I've asked is a Vikings fan? Is it because he's in such a small market? I don't understand it.
WHY - Why does everyone think that the Phillies acquiring Roy Halladay is such a huge addition over Cliff Lee. I agree taht Roy Halladay is a better pitcher than Cliff Lee but by how much. Not enough in my opinion to give up 2 of their best prospects. Everyone keeps talking about Roy Halladay is going to clean up in the National League, and he might, but look at Johan Santana. He's been outstanding, but he won more Cy Youngs in the AL than the NL. My point is I just don't think that pitchers like Cliff Lee are appreciated as much as they should be.
WHEN - When is Tiger going to play golf again, and when will this all end. I previously wrote about my disdain for the Tiger saga. But it's impossible to avoid. I find it hard to believe that he is going to skip the Masters or any other major. The majors are what this guy does. And what does not playing golf do? What's it like at home. I've heard that they're getting a divorce, so why doesn't he just keep playing. Not only golf but the women side of things too. Bill Simmons wrote about this. But he should just continue to dominate the golf world, but start throwing the ladies down in each and every tour stop. So not only are the sponsors curious as to which tournaments Tiger's going to play, but the ladies are going to start looking at the schedule as well. Think if Tiger rolled up to each tournament with a lady under each arm, and got rid of Steve Williams, and replaced him with female caddy. My advice for Tiger . . . . Play on Playa.
WHAT - What is everyone's hard on for Randy Moss. Or am I just to biased to see the bad side of him. I mean this guy has played a hall of fame career, and holds the record for most touchdowns in a season. So why does everyone get on his case every time things aren't going as planned. I mean I'm sure he does take plays off, and doesn't give 100% each play, but who doesn't? We don't search and destroy every other player that does this. What about in baseball, I think it's similar to running out a routine ground ball, we don't castrate each player that doesn't give 100% going down the line.
WHERE - Where will Aaron Rogers get drafted in fantasy drafts next year? This will be the second consecutive season that he will finish number one as far as fantasy QB's go. But I've taken an informal poll amongst friends, and I haven't met a person that has said they would take Rogers ahead of Manning, Brees, Rivers, or Brady. I wonder why this is? Is it because he's a Packer and every person I've asked is a Vikings fan? Is it because he's in such a small market? I don't understand it.
WHY - Why does everyone think that the Phillies acquiring Roy Halladay is such a huge addition over Cliff Lee. I agree taht Roy Halladay is a better pitcher than Cliff Lee but by how much. Not enough in my opinion to give up 2 of their best prospects. Everyone keeps talking about Roy Halladay is going to clean up in the National League, and he might, but look at Johan Santana. He's been outstanding, but he won more Cy Youngs in the AL than the NL. My point is I just don't think that pitchers like Cliff Lee are appreciated as much as they should be.
WHEN - When is Tiger going to play golf again, and when will this all end. I previously wrote about my disdain for the Tiger saga. But it's impossible to avoid. I find it hard to believe that he is going to skip the Masters or any other major. The majors are what this guy does. And what does not playing golf do? What's it like at home. I've heard that they're getting a divorce, so why doesn't he just keep playing. Not only golf but the women side of things too. Bill Simmons wrote about this. But he should just continue to dominate the golf world, but start throwing the ladies down in each and every tour stop. So not only are the sponsors curious as to which tournaments Tiger's going to play, but the ladies are going to start looking at the schedule as well. Think if Tiger rolled up to each tournament with a lady under each arm, and got rid of Steve Williams, and replaced him with female caddy. My advice for Tiger . . . . Play on Playa.
Monday, December 7, 2009
5 W's
WHO - Who was that team that played the Cardinals last night on Sunday night football. That wasn't the 2009 Minnesota Vikings. That team got dominated in every aspect of the game. And what's the deal with Adrian Peterson. Is this a little slump, or is there a bigger issue. I don't want to over react to one game. So I'll wait until after the Bengals game this week to get to worked up. I'm calling it the "Debauchery in the Desert."
WHAT - What was Texas doing at the end of the game the other day? I mean that was literally the worst clock management I've ever seen. For those of you who haven't seen it, Texas runs a play and the clock is running with 28 seconds to go, and then with like 6 seconds left needing only a field goal to win, they run another play, and runs the time out by passing the ball out of bounds, and loses the game, but after review the officials put 1 second back on the clock, and Texas kicks a game winning field goal. TEXAS HAD A TIMEOUT!!!!!
WHERE - Where will Tim Tebow be drafted now that his NCAA career is almost over? I have heard everything from a 2nd rounder to 5th rounder. I think anything 3rd round and after is a crapshoot anyway. So why not take a chance on this guy. He is a proven leader, playmaker, and most of all winner. So I don't care if he's a tight end, fullback, or h-back, I would like to see him in purple. This guy is special, and I think you immediately make your team better by having him on it. It just adds another dimension as to what you can do with your offense.
WHEN - When are the Twins going to sign Joe Mauer. The longer this goes on, the longer I think it might not happen. I think the Twins should just do it, and get it over with. The problem is they can't afford him financially and want to stay competitive, but they can't afford it public relations wise, if they finally get this stadium, and the first big free agent they let go, is the hometown here. So just give him a check, let him write the number in that he wants, because you have to do it. Knowing the Twins though, I bet they're waiting for something like Twinsfest to do it, just to create more publicity.
WHY - Why can't we get a better system in college football? You could have 3 teams finish the season undefeated? Granted the National championship is an ideal matchup, but what about the other teams. What about Cincy, thay play in one of the big conferences, the Big East. What if they beat Florida and finsh undefeated? They can't be national champions. So obvisously this system is broken. Now with all of that being said, we're not going to change the system, so why doesn't Boise St. make the toughest non-conference schedule in the country? Sort of what Memphis does in college basketball. I know they played Oregon, but that was the only ranked team they played all year. So I don't feel too bad for these smaller schools that do have the cream puff schedules.
WHAT - What was Texas doing at the end of the game the other day? I mean that was literally the worst clock management I've ever seen. For those of you who haven't seen it, Texas runs a play and the clock is running with 28 seconds to go, and then with like 6 seconds left needing only a field goal to win, they run another play, and runs the time out by passing the ball out of bounds, and loses the game, but after review the officials put 1 second back on the clock, and Texas kicks a game winning field goal. TEXAS HAD A TIMEOUT!!!!!
WHERE - Where will Tim Tebow be drafted now that his NCAA career is almost over? I have heard everything from a 2nd rounder to 5th rounder. I think anything 3rd round and after is a crapshoot anyway. So why not take a chance on this guy. He is a proven leader, playmaker, and most of all winner. So I don't care if he's a tight end, fullback, or h-back, I would like to see him in purple. This guy is special, and I think you immediately make your team better by having him on it. It just adds another dimension as to what you can do with your offense.
WHEN - When are the Twins going to sign Joe Mauer. The longer this goes on, the longer I think it might not happen. I think the Twins should just do it, and get it over with. The problem is they can't afford him financially and want to stay competitive, but they can't afford it public relations wise, if they finally get this stadium, and the first big free agent they let go, is the hometown here. So just give him a check, let him write the number in that he wants, because you have to do it. Knowing the Twins though, I bet they're waiting for something like Twinsfest to do it, just to create more publicity.
WHY - Why can't we get a better system in college football? You could have 3 teams finish the season undefeated? Granted the National championship is an ideal matchup, but what about the other teams. What about Cincy, thay play in one of the big conferences, the Big East. What if they beat Florida and finsh undefeated? They can't be national champions. So obvisously this system is broken. Now with all of that being said, we're not going to change the system, so why doesn't Boise St. make the toughest non-conference schedule in the country? Sort of what Memphis does in college basketball. I know they played Oregon, but that was the only ranked team they played all year. So I don't feel too bad for these smaller schools that do have the cream puff schedules.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The King of the Jungle wants to play!
Finally we've found out the truth about Tiger Woods. And of course the truth isn't good. In fact it's not even close to par. I view these story's slightly different than a lot of people. My reaction to the story is this, "WHO CARES." This doesn't and shouldn't matter in our lives. It doesn't make him a worse golfer, and he will be just as competitive the next time he steps on a golf course. So why should the fact that he cheats, change my opinion of him. Remember when Charles Barkley said, "I'm not a role model." Well that's the truth. The problem is that we hold these celebrities and athletes up on such a pedestal.
Look at the names; Kobe, Tiger, Bonds, Puckett, and Clemens. Those are just a few names, but they all have had some major blemishes, and what the expert call, "character issues." Percy Harvin had character issues, and look at him thus far, Jared Allen had character issues and he's doing all right. Remember the Vikings love boat incident? The entire Vikings team has character issues. But so does everyone else. I've got friends who have been to jail, I've got friends that have cheated on their significant others. I'm still friends with them. Find me a person that doesn't have character issues.
I think that we need to begin viewing these people more realistically. They are humans just like the rest of us. The only difference is they have more temptation in front of them. If I look at 10 of my friends and I put them in the same situations as the names I listed before, I think the vast majority of them would be in the same boats those guys are, some even worse. We love Tiger because of his golf. The way Tiger treats his family isn't part of my fascination with him. These guys aren't hero's, these guys aren't role models.
Does this make Tiger a bad person? No, it makes him just like a lot of guys who have made a bad choice or two or four along the way. Look at people at your work. I'm sure most of them have character issues. This just goes to show you that, money, fame, power, etc. can't buy you a perfect life. In fact I think all of that makes it more difficult. There is a reason that the divorce rates are so high in the celebrity world.
So I think we all just need to appreciate these people for what they are. I love Tiger Woods the golfer. I love David Letterman the comedian. I love Kurt Cobain the artist. I love I love Kobe Bryant the basketball player. These guys might be the slime of slime, but I don't care. I don't want Kobe dating my daughter, or Kurt Cobain taking my son hunting. The problem is some people put so much time and effort into caring what these people do, they spend less time educating and caring for those that matter.
I still want to see Tiger break Jack Nicklaus' record for majors. I haven't changed my opinion on him. Until I found out he was cheating I never really thought too much about his private life. And now that I know he was cheating, I'm not going to think too much about his private life.
Look at the names; Kobe, Tiger, Bonds, Puckett, and Clemens. Those are just a few names, but they all have had some major blemishes, and what the expert call, "character issues." Percy Harvin had character issues, and look at him thus far, Jared Allen had character issues and he's doing all right. Remember the Vikings love boat incident? The entire Vikings team has character issues. But so does everyone else. I've got friends who have been to jail, I've got friends that have cheated on their significant others. I'm still friends with them. Find me a person that doesn't have character issues.
I think that we need to begin viewing these people more realistically. They are humans just like the rest of us. The only difference is they have more temptation in front of them. If I look at 10 of my friends and I put them in the same situations as the names I listed before, I think the vast majority of them would be in the same boats those guys are, some even worse. We love Tiger because of his golf. The way Tiger treats his family isn't part of my fascination with him. These guys aren't hero's, these guys aren't role models.
Does this make Tiger a bad person? No, it makes him just like a lot of guys who have made a bad choice or two or four along the way. Look at people at your work. I'm sure most of them have character issues. This just goes to show you that, money, fame, power, etc. can't buy you a perfect life. In fact I think all of that makes it more difficult. There is a reason that the divorce rates are so high in the celebrity world.
So I think we all just need to appreciate these people for what they are. I love Tiger Woods the golfer. I love David Letterman the comedian. I love Kurt Cobain the artist. I love I love Kobe Bryant the basketball player. These guys might be the slime of slime, but I don't care. I don't want Kobe dating my daughter, or Kurt Cobain taking my son hunting. The problem is some people put so much time and effort into caring what these people do, they spend less time educating and caring for those that matter.
I still want to see Tiger break Jack Nicklaus' record for majors. I haven't changed my opinion on him. Until I found out he was cheating I never really thought too much about his private life. And now that I know he was cheating, I'm not going to think too much about his private life.
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