In the past two weeks after missing the cut at the British, Tiger Woods has been openly criticized throughout the sports media for his actions after bad shots. Apparently, some people feel Tiger needs to be more of a role model for kids by not cursing or "throwing clubs" after poor shots.
First of all, has anyone ever seen Tiger "throw" a club. I've seen him toss the club aside, hit it against his bag, and slam it in to the ground. Many players on the tour do the exact same thing but obviously its not made to be a big deal when its not Tiger. I've seen many normal golfers "throw" a club, and the club ends up in a lake or stuck in a tree.
My personal opinion is that people need to get a serious grip when they suggest Tiger is not being a good role model. I would say that his overall effect on the world, especially with kids, has been overwhelming positive. Yes, it is true, he curses when he hits bad shots, and regardless of what parents think, your kid is going to curse whether they see Tiger curse or not.
As far as being a role model, lets take a look around the sports world. Michael Vick is killing dogs, Big Ben is being accused of rape, Pacman Jones is making it rain and gets arrested time after time. Many athletes in all sports have been found guilty of taking steroids. Countless athletes have committed adultery. Many athletes are involved with drugs and guns. Tiger's name has never been involved in any of this nonsense.
People need to understand that when Tiger is playing golf, he is 100% focused on the task at hand, and is concentrating in the moment. When he hits a bad shot, he is immediately reacting and getting frustration out. The people criticizing Tiger must be "perfect" and never curse, get mad, or frustrated while at work. Just because he is the #1 player of all time doesn't mean he is some robot that will never show emotion.
Anyway, there has been lots written about this issue and here are some examples that can be found at Golf Girls Diary, Wie Under Par, Devil Ball Golf, and Rick Reilly's article for Espn.
