Sadly, the drama unfolding around golfer Tiger Woods has become too familiar throughout the culture of professional sports -- a married superstar athlete engages in an extramarital liaison. Tiger’s case is somewhat unique because not only is the golf world not accustomed to this kind of scandal, but most people wanted to believe that Tiger Woods was above this kind of transgression. Once again, we learn the lesson that all of us are subject to failures and personal sins, and no one person should be placed on a pedestal or considered superhuman. We are also reminded that it doesn’t matter what your station is in life, you are still vulnerable to the wiles and temptations that are common to humanity. Certainly his corporate sponsors never imagined that a client of his caliber would get caught in such an ugly web. While the media and sports journalists try to figure out whether Tiger’s sponsorships, earnings, and popularity will be impaired by his infidelity, we know the real pain is being felt inside the Woods family. The media frenzy surrounding these events is a reminder that you get very little privacy when you are as big a celebrity as Mr. Woods. Even though most of us wish that he and his family could be given the space and time to work through these matters privately, we pretty much know that the appetite of the media world will drive them to divulge and promote as much detail about these happenings as they can discover or buy. Whether it be Tiger Woods, an average citizen, a public official, or celebrity, we can only hope that somehow our society progresses to a level that values privacy limits when it comes to people’s personal lives and their family members.

One can’t help but wonder how difficult it will be for so many parents to communicate and explain to their young Tiger fans about his personal indiscretions and what lessons can be learned. While Tiger’s actions may have a negative effect on the hearts and minds of young athletes and everyday people worldwide, this is also a great opportunity to reach out more to the younger generation through his existing foundation work and charity events. These are real life teachable moments for one of our greatest sports heroes to help young people begin to learn what it means to manage your daily decisions and actions, to take personal responsibility when you make mistakes, and to deal with the pain that your careless actions can cause for the people you care about the most in life. We certainly wish him and his family well and truly hope that he commits to getting the help that he needs to make better decisions and restore his family’s trust and confidence in him as a husband and father. As far as the public is concerned, Tiger’s heroics on the golf course will bring most people back to their place of admiration and awe for his unusual golf skills and acumen. Because he is blessed with golfing abilities like we’ve never seen before, once he starts playing tournaments again, we will be reminded of why we watch him so closely. When he emerges, perhaps we will see a man who has been chastened by life’s temptations and one who has matured and repaired his marriage and family relationships. This nation has always been marked by its forgiving spirit – Tiger will certainly be granted nothing less than this.