Sustained!: Image is Everything

Monday, December 7, 2009

Image is Everything

If any of the allegations of the women who allege that they have been having affairs with Tiger Woods are true, then Woods has done a miracle maintaining his image. For a black man to have had that many affairs with white women and to have kept it a secret is astonishing. But even the best image consultants and spin doctors will have a difficult time taming the wild white elephant in the room – for more than the last decade Woods has been a black man dominating a sport normally reserved for whites.

I know… I know…. Tiger isn’t really a black man. His father is black and his mother was Asian. And he does not consider himself a black man. He considers himself a man. Or “Cablasian” as Woods says it. But let’s get real. Woods is a black man. If you saw him on the street and you did not know he was Tiger Woods, you would know that he was a black man. For years he has been acceptable to white America as long as he played phenomenal golf. It was hands off Tiger Woods. People idolized Woods merely for what he did as a sports figure. They did not see him as a black man. No one inquired about his political views or his views on moral issues. Tiger just played golf. He did nothing more and nothing less. In fact, he played golf so well that people did not care. As long as he wasn’t really a black man, he wasn’t really a threat.

But now that affairs with several beautiful white women have surfaced, white America’s love affair with Tiger Woods will be put to the test. And frankly, I do not think Woods’ image will survive. Numerous athletes have been noted to have had affairs in the past. Such a thing is common place amongst athletes. And many of those athletes are still held in high esteem. But none of them had won the trust of the white community like Tiger Woods. Whites were willing to look past his black face and see a great golfer.

Golf is an elite, predominately white sport. America is still the home of numerous exclusive private country clubs that still, in 2009, only allow whites. That’s right, there are numerous country clubs built around golf that do not allow blacks to play, eat or even use the restroom in their facilities. These clubs are frequented by republican congressmen and others in political office. In 2000, Tom Delay and Bob Ney hosted a golf event at a whites-only club near Philadelphia named the Aronimink Golf Club. South Carolina Republican Party chairman Katon Dawson, a 2009 candidate to head the Republican National Committee held a membership in a South Carolina whites-only golf club. Growing up in New Orleans, I remember learning of the New Orleans club and its history of being a whites-only golf club. I recall my first summer clerkship at a large law firm in New Orleans and being shocked when the hiring partner took all of the white law clerks out for drinks to the Boston Club – a whites-only club in New Orleans. Business deals were done and alliances were formed. Exclusion was a means of limiting access and maintaining power.

The NAACP, led by Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall’s efforts, had numerous objections to Segregation in public places of accommodation SUSTAINED! But the pro

tections of such laws do not extend to all private places. Tiger threatened to open that door. His roaring success had the potential of giving birth to numerous other minorities who could enter the sport. But that potential has never been reached. Unlike Venus and Serena Williams, Tiger Woods never reached into disadvantaged communities to help any aspiring players out of the womb of poverty. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if Woods had used his fame and success as a golfer to highlight and eliminate exclusive golf clubs? But he always had his image to maintain and protect. Woods needed to be accepted by the white community. Perhaps the destruction of that image and fact that Woods will be held to a different, arbitrary standard will give Woods a glimpse of injustice and force him to come to grips with being a black man. Then maybe, he will rise to the challenge and try to maintain a different image.

4 comments:

AnonymousJul 28, 2010 12:07 PM
I have a friend whose grandfather was a exalted leader in a local community. He desecrated her as a small child for a paticular purpose. It was never apparent to her because she never had a taste of what society considered the good life because her assigned work was hard, knowledge of the difference may have interurpted desecrated progress. This child never lived her own life even her husband was chosen for her by the local lodge. They chose him to be her husbandbecause they were the same age and he use to come to the lodge and ask for peanuts. At the age of 12 they were in the same school together and two months later in the same house together. She didnt mind living in a house so poorly conditioned that the entire bathroom floor was on the ground, toliet, tub, sink and all because at least she felt like she belonged. The only thing she didnt like was being the only female in the house and waking up with boys on top of her in the middle of the night so she chose one to keep her only to find out he was already chosen for her. It is no wonder he use to dream of walking her around the horse shoe at Washington, the school were they met because thats were their leaders nailed them. This young lady was white her husband black.
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AnonymousJul 28, 2010 02:33 PM
The Apostle Paul said that he counts not himself to have apprehended but one thing he does is put the past behind him and reach forward to the Mark of the high calling which is in Christ. One of my respected leaders over in the West says he calls Marcus Garvey Mark. This is a remnant of his past whose remarks inspired his future. This reminds me of my ultimate leader whom I love and respect fully and completely, sincerely in the purity of the riches of translucent desire. He possesses every quality it takes to be a prudent man but hes conditioned in a place blazen by fire. Some wise cracks call his uncompromising, hard to reach disposition brazewood. Such a brazen act of institution is the Apostles place. I went out and talked to the grand master myself and told him to loose him. Only heaven knows the price I had to pay but Im expecting release. I am expecting the same release of Timothy II 4:11 when only Luke was warm with him. Timothy said take Mark with me for he is profitable for the future. That means something to me because even though Marcus Garvey inspired the back to Africa trip that caused contemptment against his race and his fellow man a same man of his opposing race saw his deed was good and built a canal. That canal took many back to the main land in Libera but it never would have worked with out the two, both white and black. God bless you
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AnonymousMar 4, 2011 09:26 PM
What do you think happens to Pro Football players after their careers. I know their are a few that stay in the main stream media after their time is up but what about those that you never really see again? I think that most of them have to serve time, hard time for society once they're out of the spot light. For some reason I just don't think the Goverment, I.R.S. or other strongly abased institutions let them make all that money without waiting for their term to pass to give something back. I don't think society will let them have so many advancements, publicity, the spot light of Glory without later saying, You owe us. I think they use the strength of their young years advancing their strengths as pro athletes so that they will preform with exceeding expectations. Once the spot light disappears the real game begins and the Three D glasses in red white and blue go up in the underground theater. I think I would rather earn my weight in a proffession that requires something of me during the course of training and time working on my career a little at a time. I think it would be so much harder to be young and grow into a profession that shows me that the world is glorious and all things are good for me if I can pass the ball to later find out that the Lord that gave me also takes away. I would be strong, vital healthy and plenty full at the end of my term and in perfect condition for true living to come. All things handed to me so easily for the vitality of the game would slowly filter backwards causing me to loose all those that were all on board for the good life and the fame. Let's face it, those that are adjusted to the good life will only condemn you after you can't give them the spot light. I am sorry for Tiger Woods but this is a example of what commonly happens to athletes AFTER their careers but I quees there's a healthy age limit on golf so in their opinion they was just taking it while its Hot. No offence, I'm doing my best to avoid any politically motivating thinking but it feels true.
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AnonymousDec 24, 2011 04:09 PM
It's tuff pouring the coal but somebody has to do it! I heard a preacher preach the other day with so much judgement and I can remember feeling that way. I thought we all make our own choices and sleeping with white women or any other woman doesn't have to be one of them. I guess that depends on how low we're willing to go to keep our family's. It's hell to have to work but it's also hell to put in the work. Deciding how the work should be issued is the hardest thing. That takes strength, diligence, wisdom and tuff decision making. I'm sorry for the one that had to make those tuff calls for me but I'm grateful that he has another man on the playing feild willing to help him with the outcome of everything. Tiger Woods was swinging more than a golf club, He was a Tiger in the Woods, a real cat daddy!
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