The Week: Most Recent Sports:Tiger Woods' Sex Scandal

Pro athletes: Doomed to divorce

The Week — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:23:00 -0400

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...

Tiger Woods' divorce: Who won?

The Week — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:02:00 -0400

Golf superstar Tiger Woods and his Swedish wife, Elin Nordegren, officially divorced on Monday, marking an end to one of sports' most startling and epic sex scandals. Nine months after Woods' mysterious late-night car crash outside his Florida home triggered revelations that he'd cheated with dozens of women, the couple issued a terse statement wishing each other "the very best for the future." While Woods will be allowed to "share parenting" of their two children — 3-year-old daughter, Sam, and 19-month-old son, Charlie — People reports that Nordegren could receive anywhere...

Grading Tiger's first interview

The Week — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:29:00 -0400

When Tiger Woods made his very public mea culpa in February, he was criticized for not allowing anyone to question him afterwards. Last night, the golfer finally submitted to a TV interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi (watch video below), but imposed a strict five minute limit. Did Tiger's first exchange with a reporter since November tell us anything we didn't know yet?

He's still an arrogant jerk: He hasn't changed, says Mike Lupica in the NY Daily News. The "arrogance" of dictating the rules of this interview was breathtaking. Despite his much-publicized therapy, "the new Tiger Woods" still thinks...

Tiger Woods press conference: First reactions

The Week — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:39:00 -0500

After months of silence, Tiger Woods publicly apologized today for the sex scandal that has been in the headlines since November. After Mark Steinberg, Woods's agent, announced the press conference earlier this week, many commentators have offered suggestions for what the world's best golfer should say. He didn't take their advice in all cases — but are his words likely to satisfy his fans, his sponsors, his fellow golfers, and the general public? And what will become of his marriage and his golf career? (Watch Tiger a CGI reenactment of Tiger Woods' Thanksgiving scuffle with his wife)

... More

Should Brit Hume apologize?

The Week — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:04:00 -0500

Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume has come under fire for suggesting that scandal-plagued Tiger Woods should "turn to" Christianity in order to achieve "total recovery." Although Hume's remarks that Woods' Buddhist beliefs don't "offer the kind of forgiveness and redemption offered by the Christian faith" have been savaged as both unprofessional and uninformed, he isn't backing down — reiterating his claim on "The O'Reilly Factor" and responding to critics by saying, “Tiger Woods has an opportunity here and my prayer would be that he would take it." Does he owe Woods an apology...

Tiger scandal: How much money will it cost him?

The Week — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:46:00 -0500

With some of his biggest sponsors fleeing and an apparently imminent divorce, Tiger Woods stands to lose a fortune in the aftermath of his ever-mounting scandal. 'Just how much' is the question on the minds of the various journalists who are busily estimating Woods' assets and expenses. Here, a rundown of the numbers that are being floated.

ASSETS AND ESTIMATE WORTH BEFORE SCANDAL

$1 billion
Tiger Woods' total estimated lifetime sponsorship earnings (Forbes)

$30 million
Woods' annual salary from his Nike sponsorship (Time)

$600 million
Tiger Woods' estimated net worth (People)

$39 million
Estimated value...

Tiger's 'post-racial' sex scandal?

The Week — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:34:00 -0500

Tiger Woods famously describes his mixed ethnicity as "cablinasian" — Caucasian, black, Asian, and American Indian — and has long been regarded as a case study in how Americans can move past divisive race-based identity politics. But, for some commentators, the fact that all of Woods' alleged mistresses are white has thrown his "post-racial" credibility into doubt, suggesting that he is rejecting the black part of his heritage. Rush Limbaugh has even speculated that the American "black frame of mind" will only get more "depressed" due to "Tiger Woods' choice of females." Are opinionmakers...

Tiger Woods: What the world is saying

The Week — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:23:00 -0500

Since the now-infamous car crash in the early hours after Thanksgiving, Tiger Woods' increasingly salacious scandal has dominated the headlines. (The story has covered the New York Post for 11 straight days.) So, with news of Gatorade dropping their Tiger drink, and speculation of other sponsors distancing themselves from Woods still in full swing, here's a look at what major international newspapers are saying about the fall of the world's greatest golfer.

AFTONBLADET (Sweden)
Hurray for Elin!: For any celebrity, "fat bank accounts, beauty or power" mean little "when humiliation becomes a reality...

Tiger Woods' mistresses: A complete guide

The Week — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:23:00 -0500

As the Woods affair continues to grab headlines around the world, newspapers and news sites have taken to referring to the women in numerical terms—speaking, for instance, of Tiger Woods' "seventh mistress" or "8th woman." Making it even more confusing, much of the reporting that has driven the tally has come from tabloids and gossip websites, without clear reporting standards. Keeping in mind the caveat that nearly all the "facts" in the Woods affair remain murky, here's a numerical key to the women who have reportedly been involved with the golfer:

1. RACHEL UCHITEL
Age: 34
Occupation: "VIP...

Can Oprah save Tiger?

The Week — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:52:00 -0500

Things just keep getting worse for Tiger Woods. As the number of his alleged mistresses rises to six (or higher), his wife, Elin Nordegren, has reportedly moved out of their Florida home, his favorability rating has dropped 24 points, and gossip sites say his post-crash hospital records may indicate a drug overdose. Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey's producers have invited Woods to address the scandal on her TV show. Could a compassionate Oprah lead Woods through the sort of public mea culpa that could restore his image and save his multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals? (Watch sports radio jockey Jim...

Early opinion: CGI 'reenactment' of Tiger Woods' crash

The Week — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:40:00 -0500

Made for Taiwanese television, a hypothetical CGI "reenactment" of an alleged late-night dispute between Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin Nordegren, is drawing bemused and perplexed reactions from U.S. bloggers. See video below:

TMZ: "There is no video of what went down between Tiger Woods and his wife Elin Nordegen on the night of his accident — so the Chinese made one up!"

Videogum: "I don't speak Chinese, but I think what happened here is pretty clear...Tiger crashed his CGI Grand Theft Auto car into a Matrix tree, and now he and his wife are starring in Veggie Tales 4: Golfing...

Tiger Woods' sex scandal?

The Week — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:48:00 -0500

Tiger Woods' mysterious car crash outside his Orlando-area home has left him with facial lacerations, a public-relations nightmare, and an alleged sex scandal. Woods' has repeatedly declined to speak to the Florida Highway Police and his only public statement (on his website) includes an apology for an unspecified "situation." Amid tabloid reports that Woods is having an affair with New York cosmopolite Rachel Uchitel (who's hired celebrity lawyer Gloria Alfred), commentators are split: Is Woods' persistent silence making a bad situation worse?

Tiger’s silence will hurt more than the truth...