My complaint with Woods has more to do with the corrupting influence of IMG and the fact that Woods never really had to swing a club as a pro to be a wealthy man. I prefer my pros to earn their money BEFORE they get it.
I do agree with that. What happened to proving yourself over a good chunk of career before becoming Mr. Big? I was in college from 1995-2000 and my roommate was on the golf team. His father and grandfather were also big into golf, his whole family was. They hated how the media fawned all over Tiger Woods literally the day he went pro. Before he had won a single round it was all about him on ESPN and the other sports networks. (There’s some real shades of Ronda Rousey there, it just took Woods 12 years to crash instead of 2.)
The thing my roommate’s father taught him was respect for the game and your fellow players. He was big on that, “Golf is a game of respect.” Even in the 1990s it was well known that Tiger was the type who liked slamming clubs, cussing loud enough that people 50 yards away could hear it, and being a jerk in the clubhouse to guys with successful 20+ year careers.
I saw the same thing with NASCAR at right about the same time. Jeff Gordon put me off NASCAR as much as Tiger Woods put me off golf. I consider it a good thing. I’ve been a lot more for local college club teams then pro sports for over 20 years now.