Tiger Woods Sacrifice

Words: 1054
Pages: 5

In the articles, "The Secret Life of Tiger Woods" by Write Thompson and "Are parents ruining youth sports? Fewer kids play amid pressure" by Michael S. Rosenwald, describe a famous golfer's life other than doing golf, and how fewer kids are playing sports because of pressure. However, is it really worth the sacrifices one gives to become that 'elite' athlete? I do not think so. I do not believe that becoming an elite athlete is worth all of the sacrifices one gives to become it, because there is so much that would be lost within becoming that "star" and one might not even become that. Some waste thousands of dollars on expensive sports equipment, and misuse so much time on something that someone might not even be happy with doing. Both articles …show more content…
It shows that after Woods lost something great to him, his father, he could not play golf anymore because his father was too closely connected to the sport. It also showed how his life went downhill after the death, and the many sacrifices Woods had to make in order to keep his life serene. One of the sacrifices is when he is forced to do something he does not want to for the sake of keeping rumors at bay. This can be illustrated in the text when it states, "Negotiations allegedly began that would kill the tabloid story if Tiger agreed to sit for an interview and cover shoot with Men's Fitness, owned by the same parent company as the Enquire. He did"(Thompson 24). Woods did not want to do the photo shoot or the interview, however he did not want anyone to think he was cheating on his wife, when he really was. It was a sacrifice to keep everyone happy. One could also say that Woods did not really like the life of fame, and was trying to get away from it. He not enjoy everything and everyone he had to give up, such as peace, love, time, alone time, and many women whom he would have liked to settle down with. It can be proven that Woods does not really enjoy fame when the text provides the idea that, "It was very normal and traditional in a sense. He was trying to push that whole image and lifestyle away just to have something real. Even if it's just for a night" (Thompson 20). He just wanted to have something special, something that did not involve his fame or money. He even lived quietly and privately, and kept to himself most of the time to avoid the attention. After Woods' father died, he was never the same and his career as a golf celebrity went downhill. He sacrificed many things to help himself or help others, and in the end it really was not worth being an 'elite' athlete to give up