Ain’t No Sunshine When He’s Gone…

Ain’t no sunshine when he’s gone, it’s not warm when he’s away, ain’t no sunshine when he’s gone, and he’s always gone too long anytime he goes away….Bill Withers sang this classic about a woman that left him or somebody…I’m citing it because Tiger Woods has left us, again! Tiger, who has never missed a US Open had missed this year’s tournament. Tiger, is also about to miss his own tournament, The AT&T National due to knee and Achilles injuries and has folks questioning whether or not he’ll even be ready for The British Open which is around the corner, is still struggling emotionally and physically. But Tiger hasn’t been Tiger since November 2009 when his personal issues hit the media. So everyone wants to talk about this young kid, Rory Mcllroy that won The US Open. Golf is not an easy sport. It’s more of the chess compared to the checkers of sports but give me a break folks; let this kid make his own mark- his own name. I really don’t care for the comparisons- there’s only one Michael Jordan, one Muhammad Ali (I never saw Sugar Ray Robinson), one Joe Montana, one Babe Ruth (old footage), one Roger Federer, and only ONE Tiger Woods!!

I did try and watch the 2011 US Open but for me, a Tiger fan, it was bland and seemed more like a US Closed. People look to see what Tiger is doing on the links, they look forward to those amazing swings, good or bad, and it’s just no fun to watch without him. So if I felt that way, how many others out there felt the same? It’s a trickling effect because without Tiger the ratings drop and the advertisers can’t reach their max consumer potential. Tiger can make or break a tournament, even now. So Tiger is very much needed in the game for fan viewership and revenue potential.

Say what you want, but Tiger Woods is a brand and even with all his baggage, bad games and injuries, he is still the highest grossing athlete in sports worldwide, grossing an estimated $75 million between May 2010 and May 2011 and I know why…everyone wants to be Tiger Woods! Grown men imitate him, kids try to be him and women have been introduced to the game because of him. It’s because of Tiger that I started watching and “attempting” to play golf. I have always been a fan of the Nike brand but I probably wouldn’t own a TW hat; a Frank, his driver cover (I call mine Frankie) and a Nike golf rain suit that I will probably never wear in my life because I just can’t see myself golfing in the rain if it weren’t for Tiger Woods, and not to mention my Tiger Wii game that I do play regularly. Tiger SELLS! Tiger has marketability and Tiger is taking it to the bank. Even if Tiger is retired, his name is so well branded, that he will continue to go to the bank with no problems.

But what about my “Tigger”?? The man I enjoy watching make those complicated swings look too easy until I attempt them, lol? Where has he gone? Is he ever coming back in full force??? Or have his sexcapades drained his game? Personally I want Tiger to get his old game back. Go get a bunch of broads and get his swing back, literally! Am I wrong? No! I can care less about his personal life, that’s HIS business. I just want to see him play again at his full potential and I will continue to keep my hopes up that that Tiger Woods eventually returns to quiet all this mad chatter at least so I can catch him once up close and in person to witness the game of the man that has made me a fan of the game of Golf.

~A2