Comments on: Tiger By The Tail: The Un-Making of the Model Black Man

By: Cecily Walker

Cecily Walker — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:14:30 +0000

First, you don't know me, so don't assume you know anything at all about me based on what I've written in one post. Second: If you're going to hurl insults at me or at my other guests, I'll be deleting your posts.

There may not be anyone in current popular sports culture "who is at the level of TIger", but there have been in the past. I feel confident that I made that point about Michael Jordan. Maybe you're not old enough to remember what a pop culture sensation he was; I don't know you so it isn't fair for me to assume. The only parallel that comes even close to this one is the scandal that erupted when Bryant Gumbel left his (black) wife for a (blonde) white woman, but even then, the press coverage wasn't nearly as widespread as with this story.

I ultimately care not one whit who Tiger Woods forms relationships with - no matter how tenuous those relationships may be. This post was a commentary on the media coverage, and how this coverage is racially tinged. Whether or not you choose to believe it, there are some black women who don't denigrate black men for their romantic preferences, and I happen to be one of them.

C., I'm sorry to leave your comment without much context, but I didn't want to let the snide and vaguely dismissive comment before it stand in this space.

By: RPM

RPM — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:29:37 +0000

I think it's unreasonable to think there is NOTHING racially tinged about the coverage. Let's not get crazy. Cecily's made some very valid points about the double standard of race and gender in the media. Oprah? Seriously?

By: sj.hairston

sj.hairston — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:19:00 +0000

The fact is there are no black men on the level as Tiger. If there were they would be treated the same way no matter what the color of thier wife's skin. Sister would you get down from the cross and see that its not a race thing and that black women dont have to call Oprah for a special show about how no one cares about the black woman.The issue here is simple a man who is not capable of forming normal healthy relationships. The game of golf is a solitary game in which a man plays the golf course and himself. Tiger has become so entranced with himself that he could no see beyond his on self need for affection and control. The fact that his wife was not black did not and should not matter. Tiger has always distanced himself from anything to do with his African-American heritage. This probably stated with the views of his father who by all accounts was suffering from self hate. Tiger was raised believe that he was above all things and golf was his religion. The fall from grace is a simple example of when a man is raised to not know who his is outside of a sport this is what happens, a sad lonely man searching for love in cheep waffle house across America.

By: sj.hairston

sj.hairston — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:32:00 +0000

The one thing I do know about you is that a view that is different from yours you find threatening, and you feel the need to attack. The media is doing their job. Why does everything always come down to race? President Clinton was involved is a despicable affair, and it was covered by the media with the same zeal that they are covering Tiger. Its simple: if you are big, then the coverage is big> When Tiger was winning majors where were you commenting on the amount of media coverage? In grace Tiger was a media darling and in disgrace he is the same. Tiger is news. My point was why can’t you and those who espouse to your views understand that just because there no black women in the story that Tigers now a target of the media. Without the media we would not have the President that we have now.

By: Cecily Walker

Cecily Walker — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:14:30 +0000

First, you don't know me, so don't assume you know anything at all about me based on what I've written in one post. Second: If you're going to hurl insults at me or at my other guests, I'll be deleting your posts.

There may not be anyone in current popular sports culture "who is at the level of TIger", but there have been in the past. I feel confident that I made that point about Michael Jordan. Maybe you're not old enough to remember what a pop culture sensation he was; I don't know you so it isn't fair for me to assume. The only parallel that comes even close to this one is the scandal that erupted when Bryant Gumbel left his (black) wife for a (blonde) white woman, but even then, the press coverage wasn't nearly as widespread as with this story.

I ultimately care not one whit who Tiger Woods forms relationships with - no matter how tenuous those relationships may be. This post was a commentary on the media coverage, and how this coverage is racially tinged. Whether or not you choose to believe it, there are some black women who don't denigrate black men for their romantic preferences, and I happen to be one of them.

C., I deleted your comment below this one because after I deleted the insulting one, your reply lost its context.

By: sj.hairston

sj.hairston — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:52:47 +0000

Oprah? Seriously? Yes, she the pentacle of success in this country. But you may have a point,if the Oprah show is not quite suited for you RPM, perhaps you would find the Mo’Nique show a better forum for bitter angry black women. For once can you woeful black women not make everything about yourselves?

By: RPM

RPM — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:29:37 +0000

By: sj.hairston

sj.hairston — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:19:00 +0000

By: Cecily Walker

Cecily Walker — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:31:18 +0000

I have to say I'm surprised at how generous people are being with the media in this thread. What I mean is, explanations about the timing of the story/the slow news cycle surprise me, because I don't expect the media to do any better when it comes to salacious stories like this. I admit I'm jaded, but maybe I'm more of a pessimist than I'm willing to admit.

By: RPM

RPM — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:18:34 +0000

- The collective, yet unspoken thought that our society shares about the Woods affair is: “He cheated? On her? But look at her!” -

That was the very thing that kept making my head implode. That sort of incredulity was both aesthetically shallow and racially charged in the “you can do no better” sense. Every time I hear it, I want to find a nine iron myself – as if cheating (in many cases) has a thing to do with the perceived desirability of one's partner. In all fairness though, the timing, the radio silence after it all, the busted truck window and an “incoherent, bloody” Tiger sprawled across his driveway certainly helped to make this more newsworthy than it should have been. Excellent post, sorry I didn't catch it earlier.