The epic unraveling of Tiger Woods is "notable for the levels of its depravity, creativity and mystery," says Mark Kreidler in ESPN. But the fact that a professional athlete failed at marriage should surprise no one — in their world, "the shocker is when things go right." Divorce rates among the athletic elite hover "somewhere between 60 percent and 80 percent" thanks to a vicious mix of money, youth, and the temptations of life on the road. Woods' case is so extreme, "we almost have to exclude [him] from the conversation," but just remember, writes Kreidler, "the next time you read about a superstar who's still married to his first spouse, it won't be against the rules to be impressed." An excerpt:
Most of the top-tier athletes I've known who failed at marriage suffered either from me-itis, got-rich-too-fast syndrome, or a pronounced case of arrested adolescence. Some of them realized after the fact that they liked being single and moneyed more than they liked being married. A few simply chose horribly when it came to a partner... and some of them got married very young in life and had no idea the stress that a job of constant travel puts on the relationship.
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