To Be or Not to Be…Selfish: The Tiger Saga Continues

Tiger Woods walked into his first T.V. appearance in more than three months looking drained and deflated. He walked out looking the same way.

On February 19, 2010, the “best golfer on the planet” gave a full apology for the “multiple transgressions” he committed against his wife Elin, and his two children.

The apology lasted more than ten minutes and was well received by most major media outlets across the country, but did he really need to spend ten minutes highlighting his actions and how they’ve affected everyone around him?  To say you’re sorry is one thing. But to say you’re sorry a hundred different ways in ten minutes, well…that just seems desperate.

And who knows. Maybe Tiger was desperate to start the public cleansing process. Maybe he was desperate to hear the words, “I forgive you.” Or maybe he was desperate to get back on the golf course. Regardless, even desperate men looking for forgiveness should realize that when you do something wrong, its best to say something along the lines of “This is what I did. I am sorry for hurting those who love and support me, and I will make every effort in the future to repent and change.” But no, not Tiger. Instead of making his apology short, sincere, and to-the-point, Tiger decided it best to stand in front of a global audience and “chip” away at his own knees for the “sake of his family.” And maybe some find that admirable, but others find it self-indulgent.

Consider this, an old philosophy scholar once said that Mother Theresa is one of the most selfish people to have ever walked our planet. Sounds crazy, right? But think of it this way. Any action one performs is done with an eye on what they can get out of it, what they get back. And while the Mother Theresa example may be extreme, the philosophy scholars’ point was simply this. All actions, good or bad, repentant or defiant, are done for selfish reasons.

Who knows, maybe Tiger’s apology was a selfish act to ease the tension now felt by his former, and current, sponsors. Or maybe Tiger’s apology was simply structured to provide him a much needed, and long awaited, sense of relief. Either way, one thing is for certain. Tiger Woods’ public apology, though heartfelt at times, seemed to benefit him a lot more than it did his once adoring fans, friends, and family.

The Full Tiger Woods Press Conference was provided by Fox News