On Monday, President Trump is to bestow on Tiger Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom. They have long been friendly. They have golfed together and Woods is designing a course for a Trump property in Dubai.
Yet Woods is rare among athletes of black lineage to associate with Trump, who many African-Americans have criticized for sympathetic remarks about white nationalists and condemnations of football players who have knelt in protest of racism and police brutality.
We asked readers how they have felt about Woods in light of his stunning comeback to win the Masters golf tournament and about his relationship with Trump.
Here is a sampling of responses, which have been lightly edited for length, clarity and spelling. We have noted the person’s race if and how it was included:
Sue Shapcott, Madison, Wis. (Former tour player; now a PGA coach)
I loved watching Tiger Woods win the Masters. But I wish we would separate Tiger’s playing come back from his moral comeback. It is possible to have one without the other. He may have become a better person after his downfall, and I hope he has. It’s convenient to wrap them up together, but life is more complicated than that.
He has the power to change how much people feel they belong in golf, and he doesn’t use it.
Robby Benson, 63, North Carolina (White)
In today’s environment of cruelty and division, Tiger actually united the “United States” even if it were only for a moment. We need heroes, now. We need to root for hope, joy and a misplaced sense of justice: an older man in the midst of an against-all-odds comeback. In a pop culture way, Tiger was the manifestation of the American dream. Again, if even for a moment, Tiger brought joy to both sides of the aisle.
Bonda Lee-Cunningham, 74, New York (African-American)
I was deeply disappointed in the life actions that precipitated Tiger’s downfall because despite his “separateness” from his Blackness, I was still impressed with the work he put into perfecting his game and proud of his accomplishments. The personal things that brought him down are the result of his not being in touch with his own feelings for the people in his life. He was a golf machine and didn’t seem able to just relate well on a human level. I have watched his struggles to regain his place in the golf world and give him a lot of credit for his recent accomplishments, but hope that the down time has humanized him more.
Betty Bamonte, Minneapolis
I am thrilled that through hard work and perseverance he has made a comeback. However, deeply disappointed that he dismisses the fact that Trump does not respect the black people. It’s regrettable that he does not see how hurtful this is and it only gives Trump more ammunition to hypocritically claim how he really is not a white supremacist.
Deborah, 66, Atlanta (African-American)
Maybe if he projected himself as a role model for the black community and used his platform to speak out on behalf of the black community he would get more respect from the black community.
Rahsaan Abdul-Wahid, 49, North Carolina (African-American; retired military)
I see his comeback in a positive way on a human level that doesn’t have anything to do with color. He made major mistakes in his personal life. And now, instead of treading he is actually starting to swim to a safe place. At least this is what appears to the naked eye.
Brigitte McKinney, 64, New York (African-American)
He is talented and probably works real hard to achieve his goals and deserves to be recognized for that. It makes me feel very disappointed that President Trump chooses to honor Mr. Woods’s achievements while most of his words and actions greatly dishonor people of color in general.
Katrina Bowman, 61, California (Small business owner)
Resilience matters. Sometimes the bad guys win. Too bad Woods squandered an opportunity to stand up for racial equality and basic human rights like the right to take a knee in the face of oppression. I’m sadly not surprised. There will be a reckoning.
Dean Campbell, 52, New York (Black; Civil servant)
I am glad that Tiger overcame physical and personal challenges to come back, especially at his age. It’s inspiring on a human level and also on a personal level where, as a black man, I feel under siege all the time.
Michael, 65, Maryland (African-American)
As an African-American, I celebrate the achievements of anyone who looks like me and whose accomplishments fly in the face of conventional or negative perceptions about what we are capable of. Further, putting aside race and political leanings, his record deserves to be celebrated on its own.
Edmund Thomas Jr., 30, New York (African-American; dentist)
Tiger’s comeback is great for golf and sports in general because it is an amazing story of redemption and perseverance. To me it highlights the internal conflict I have with supporting an athlete who I grew up admiring. I’m 30 now, but as I child I looked up to him because he was the only golfer I’d see on TV who looked like me. In elementary school, I did my first book report on Tiger Woods. Now as an adult and as an African-American man living in today’s America, I am doing myself and other minorities a disservice to support a person who doesn’t use his celebrity and his enormous platform to acknowledge, let alone help improve, issues facing the minority community (see LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Nipsey Hussle, etc.).
Cornelia DeLee, 71, Arkansas (White; ordained minister and artist)
Many Americans have problems with substance abuse or addiction, or live in a family with a loved one with this problem. It touches too many people, so if Tiger suffers and overcomes it, there’s hope for others. My daughter died of a drug overdose, my extended family has alcohol addiction going back to the Civil War era, and my hope is the next generation learns from this history.
Source : NYtimes
