Tiger deserves this comeback, but hardly the medal of freedom.

When I think about the sports heroes who have won the presidential medal of freedom, I think of another golfer, Charlie Sifford, who was the first African-American to play on the PGA Tour and grace the once-bigoted grounds of Augusta National.

I also think of Ernie Banks, who died two years after earning it alongside Dean Smith — who both represented it signifies a lifetime of achievement. Banks was a great baseball player, but also became a community voice in Chicago following his retirement.

I think of other truly deserving athletes like Ted Williams — who gave up five seasons of his prime in baseball to fly fighter jets in World War II and the Korean War. And, of course, Jackie Robinson — the man who broke the color barrier in professional sports. Muhammad Ali is on this list of legends, too.

Not a 43-year-old golfer who came back from serious injuries and more serious personal indiscretions and just happens to be a business partner of the President. Woods is almost as well known for his refusal to speak up on social injustice as he is for winning major golf championships.

The presentation in the Rose Garden elicited either straight reporting by the media or harsh commentary. Rick Reilly, the noted sports writer and golf journalist, said it “sullies everybody . . . and puts a big stain on Tiger” and added that he had so many years left to truly proved he deserved it.

Another national journalist and editor of Golf Week said, “It seems like Tiger Woods’s whole body of work is at halftime right now. It’s a lifetime achievement award. It seems like giving Justin Bieber the lifetime Grammy.”

Woods’ influence on the game is unmistakable, and while his First Tee program for inner city kids hasn’t worked because there aren’t many places to play or practice in the inner city, his rise to fame increased participation in the game across the board. But isn’t that because everyone loves a winner?

People sniffed at Obama awarding the same honor to Oprah Winfrey, because she was a fellow Chicagoan, but hasn’t she fought for humanity while becoming the first woman billionaire?

Not the Prez’s golf buddy, who makes millions off his name.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Bailing Out
Roy Williams probably had reasons for the soft statements. Carolina fans reacted strongly to the video of a team party after the win over Duke. Only Armando Bacot and Day’Ron Sharpe were in the video, but a statement from players and managers said it was supposed to be a closed event that other students and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Please, Go In!
UNC men's basketball faces what is an early season must-win at Georgia Tech. Art Chansky says a look at the statistics is painful, but not terminal.
Chansky's Notebook: Leaky Steps Up
Dean Smith used to say he’ll be happy with a one-point win. The legendary UNC basketball coach struggled spiritually between playing well according to his teachings, regardless of outcome, and winning no matter how poorly you play. Since his job was to win and he was so competitive, he chose the latter. If he was […]
Chansky's Notebook: Rock(et) Star
Ben Kiernan was UNC’s MVP of the Notre Dame game. When Mack Brown went over the 31-17 loss, he gave mixed reviews to the two main branches of his Tar Heels’ play. He said the offense was good in the first half and then “went dead” in a scoreless second half. He praised the Tar […]
Chansky's Notebook: Goals and Ambitions
Garrison Brooks has both opportunity and pressure. On paper, the ACC looks as weak as it has been in some time due to widespread losses to graduation and early departures to the NBA, and no sure-shot superstars in the incoming recruiting classes. A beneficiary of this development is Brooks, the Carolina senior who was second-team All-ACC last year and earned the league’s […]
Chansky's Notebook: A COVID Debate
Clemson was livid that Florida State wouldn’t play the game. Let’s be lawyers, and make a case for each of the teams that did not play its scheduled game over the weekend. Clemson had traveled to Florida State when it learned a player with mild symptoms who had practiced with the team all week tested […]
Chansky's Notebook: Draft Dodgers
Carolina and Duke players have lost ground in the NBA draft. Like everything else with sports in the COVID era, the NBA draft goes off tonight after being postponed for five months. And if you look at the various mock draft boards, certain things jump off your screen. First of all, about half the names […]
Chansky's Notebook: A Two-Thirds Bet?
What if Phil Mickelson and Mack Brown amended their bet? With the Masters being moved back to this weekend due to COVID, perhaps the three-time champion should revisit the fun bet he made with Carolina’s football coach back in 2003. The famed lefthander was still seeking his first Green Jacket when he partnered with the Texas football coach at the […]
Chansky's Notebook: Kudos To Carolina
UNC teams did a commendable job beating the odds. Who among us thought the ACC would be playing football and other fall sports last summer? With the pandemic upon us and the medical experts still learning, the seasons looked like a long shot. While other conferences pumped the breaks and/or called off football, the ACC […]
Chansky's Notebook: Extra Motivation
Carolina’s schedule could be working to its advantage. When the COVID-revised list of games came out, it looked troublesome for the Tar Heels with Virginia Tech and Florida State basically bookending Notre Dame and Miami with four rivalry games in a row right in the middle. Coaches usually don’t like that because it takes a […]
›