A Response To Mark Madden’s Regarding His Tiger Wood’s Commentary

The Madden Apologetic For Choosing Golf Over Marriage and Family

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/sports_details/article/1424/2009/december/14/monday-madden-maybe-tiger-should-pitch-the-wife.html

In a sense Madden's article [Beaver County Times – Monday Madden 12/14/09] is more about what we should value in life vs. what Tiger did or should do... IT IS AFTER ALL ONLY GOLF - A game that culturally we have elevated way beyond its intrinsic and extrinsic value to the life and the world that we live in.

Regardless of what Neanderthal's like Madden write and say; and the blood rushing "man crush" they appear to be intoxicated with, you can never get around the fact that we live in a world where relationships matter and integrity, trust and loving relationships matter even more. For all the wackiness and inconsistency with which we practice these as humans... THEY STILL DO MAKE THE WORLD GO AROUND...
Infidelity of all sorts damages and destroys all of these aforementioned virtues. The commentators, who supported Madden's position can't know what Tiger's wife felt, experienced and believed... they can project from their own experiences, but THEY CANNOT KNOW. They don't know if for example what Tiger promised her in heart to heart conversations and private moments; if he gave her some life altering disease because of the unprotected sex with the 15 or so women that he was unfaithful with, or even how this will clearly affect the Wood's defenseless children etc. The sharp hard-bitten pontificating on what commentators perceive to be the reality of Tiger and his wife is only that pontificating... and it is implacably sad... There is nothing lasting and redemptive and helpful to the world-at-large, with the export of Madden's (and minions) values regarding marriage and families.

In addition, the shrill, biting and cynical responses of these Pro-Madden Commentators, who would use the absurd argument of "moral equivalency" [aimed at Tiger's wife/alleged golf club], in further support of Madden, leaves most of us thankful that we have been spared and/or at least that maybe we have found a way to transcend the kind of practical nihilism they seem to embrace. This kind of attitude (found predominately in single cell organisms) is after all inevitable when we live vicariously through others. The irony of course is that they have given themselves permission to objectify, subsume and accommodate people like Tiger emotionally, but people like Tiger did not give this permission to them – it is a false and pathetic reality, as well as an inwardly miserable kind of existence.

The black hole within which the last visages of Madden's humanity and emotions seemed to have been sucked in to, makes his position on Tiger and his wife just as tragic, for all - albeit in a smaller venue - and for that at least we can all be thankful!

Rich Grassel