The Bitter Truth About Celebrity

I was at a lunch in Houston this week where I met one of my longtime heroes, the great home run hitter Hank Aaron. After watching him shake hands and chat with the hordes of people who came up to meet him, I told him it was a pleasure to meet a famous person who was just the way I thought he would be.

Arnold Palmer, the great golfer, was the same way. If Palmer ever ate in a restaurant without being interrupted by a dozen people who wanted to meet him, it went unrecorded. But he always got up, shook hands, and wished them well.

Which is why I loved the story John Feinstein told in the Washington Post about the lunch Palmer had with a 21-year-old Tiger Woods, the year Woods won his first Masters.

Tiger opened up to Palmer. He said he couldn't be a normal 21 year old because he had to sign autographs, talk to the media, do photo shoots for sponsors.

"It just never ends," he said.

"You're right," Palmer replied. "Normal 21-year-olds don't have $50 million in the bank. If you want to be normal, give the money back."

Tiger Woods is 34 and close to a billion dollars now in worth, but as his life came apart last week, he was still complaining about being put upon, about being unable to lead a normal life.

Sorry Tiger, we all make mistakes, but if you wanted to be normal you should have taken Arnie's advice, just played golf with your friends on Saturdays like the rest of us and I promise you no one would have cared what you did - except maybe your wife.

[mtnman28778]

Excellent, excellent commentary on fame and shame, or the lack thereof. Thanks to reality TV, we have the mindset that there is no level of debauchery that people won't stoop to to get what they feel is their 15 minutes of fame. In the end it is absolutely meaningless. Thanks to Bob for pointing that out!! Whatever happened to character and substance and standing for what is right?

[blackwhitebook]

I hve always thought of Face the Nation as a top notch CBS political news program until bob with a little bob schieffer took it to a new low. It is overious that bob took Tigers' actions personal. Just maybe it is time for little bob to retire.

[mtnman28778]

Tiger is a fool and proved it publicly. The fact that the mainstream media has wallowed in his shame with him proves the lack of journalistic integrity rampant in America these days. Tiger's story shouldn't even have made the local news in Orlando because it isn't news, it's drama and the childish pursuit of notoriety.

[fleabag75]

Bob should retire?? Blackwhitebook,,, I think it is time for you to retire your keyboard.

[tybee3280]

I'm surprised that you, Bob, who has had the rare privilege of making a mighty good living doing exactly what you want to do, would ever even consider telling anyone not to follow their dreams because all it takes is a fender-bender to get the media thinking they can look into your bedroom.

[snowingagain]

Bob has it right. When Tiger decided he could advise me on what kind of car to drive, what kind of razor I should buy, and what brand of clothes I should wear he entered my world. And if this is Tiger's way of showing respect for his fellow human being (be it his wife, his fans, or his sponsors), I no longer invite him into my world. If he doesn't want me to comment on his world, then don't be advising me on mine.

[JoeDynamo]

...actions speak louder than words.

[drbill21]

This is totally idiotic and very unfair to Tiger.

Palmer's comments, if true, were 12 years ago. In the intervening years, it is clear that Tiger has embraced that advice. Other players consistently say they don't know how he handles it and they wouldn't want his life for a minute. No other athlete in history ever had to deal with what Tiger deals with... certainly not Palmer and I don't think this is what he had in mind when he advised Tiger.

Second, Tiger has NEVER said otherwise. To say "he was still complaining about being put upon, about being unable to lead a normal life" is simply ridiculous. Tiger never said or even implied such a thing. No one is "put upon" more than Tiger but he simply expressed dismay at the unprecedented intrusion into his private life. It is not unreasonable for him to expect a "simple human level of privacy."

Palmer NEVER had to deal with the level of scrutiny that Tiger puts up with. And the real irony is that Palmer was the biggest womanizer of them all -- this was well-known. I suspect if you asked Palmer now about Tiger's situation, he would NOT be telling Tiger it comes with the territory. Palmer would have been appalled if the media had reported his private conduct the way Tiger's is being reported.

Without excusing Tiger's apparent philandering, which is very disappointing, his handling of the media attention over the last 10 days has been exactly perfect:

1. He accepted full responsibility for the public aspect of his behavior... the car accident... while providing the police what the law required. He satisfied his public obligation.
2. He admitted responsibility for "transgressions" ... everyone understands what he was referring to.
3. He recognized that people are curious -- an understandable human reaction given his celebrity and the "out-of-character" nature of the allegations, while still drawing a line with his eloquent comment that private sins should not require press releases and family problems should not require public confessions.
4. Finally -- and what many seem to overlook -- he took a bullet for his wife by addressing the one rumor that affected her and not him -- allegations of physical violence related to the accident. The rumors -- unsubstantiated -- are that she attacked him with a golf club, thereby committing a crime -- felony domestic violence. He defended her against this charge while leaving all the charges against him unrebutted. It takes a lot of guts to not respond. I think in the long run this approach will pay off.

What else do you expect Tiger to do? Do you expect him affirm or deny every single tabloid rumor?

Someone tell me. Mr. Schieffer, please tell me exactly what you would like Tiger to do or say? What does he owe you that he hasn't already told you?

[JoeDynamo]

It's not what we expect Tiger Woods to do now, he's tried to cover his arse best that he can, no, it's why he did what he did (with those nine and counting women while he's been married with children) that is the fatal ***** in his character and, yes, his image that will be a bit harder for him to deal with, for when it costs El Tigre in his wallet, deeply, it will be then that he realizes what a true ass he's been, if he's lucky and actually does realize it, then maybe he might actually attempt to repair his soul

[mp1741]

Amen, Bob..Amen!

[bill0bob]

I disagree with Bob. I think we should let people have private lives. Maybe we should pay them less money, if that's what it takes. I don't watch sports to learn about how many women the players have had. I watch to enjoy the skills displayed by the players.

But this story isn't really about Tiger Woods not wanting to spend hours every day shaking hands with fans. This story is really about the media hounding him and his family adn friends, trying to get details about his alleged affairs.

How many young men do any of you know who didn't do everything they possibly could to have sex with as many women as possible? You might argue that that was OK, only up until he got married. But most men don't get as many opportunities as Tiger has had, so they have no clue how many times they would have "strayed" if they were in that situation.

I think this matter is nobody else's business but Tiger Woods and his family, plus how ever many mistresses he might have had. We should leave them alone to work it out.

[lloydbest1]

If it were you or me I couldn't agree more.

I actually like Mr. Woods and have a great deal of admiration for his talent, as well as his willingness to work very hard to nurture it and convey that into a VERY comfortable standard of living.

That said, I also believe That IF you do go to the length Tiger did to become acomplished in your profession, become fabulously wealthy and to become the object of reknown and adoration for millions; there are a few things you need to give up while traveling down that road.

Remember, he chose that life.

Regardless of what you have done to carve your name on the world consciousness; whether you are a top-flight athlete, a rock-star CEO, a luminary in the entertainment world or high profile politician - the price you pay for fame and fortune is the public's expectation of your sacrifice some of the "gimme's" that ordinary citizens take for granted.

A right to privacy is one of them.

[pjk12354]

Here is some advice for Tiger.........Keep It In Your Pants!

[rondivoo]

This is a short, direct, and to-the-point commentary. It is also right on! Tiger Woods has always had a "hands-off", leave-em-alone attitude. He is aloof and obviously resents having his "privacy" invaded by hordes of people he doesn't even know. As Palmer told him, he can't be treated like a normal person. He wants the money and fame but doesn't want what goes with it. He's brilliant when it comes to golf, but that's where it stops... no one is his right mind who is so famous and doesn't want public attention would have sent all those text messages and had sexcapades with various women and not expect to be caught.