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Atlantic bloggers Chris Good and Derek Thompson presented us with five reasons they're rooting for Tiger Woods in the Master's this weekend, despite his infidelity to his wife. Here, Eleanor Barkhorn and Heather Horn offer a point-by-point rebuttal explaining why the reasons don't work, and why they're cheering for ABT—anyone but Tiger.
1. You say: "Tiger was boring before; now he's interesting." We say: Doesn't take much for you two, does it? It's possible to be a fan of good drama and still not think Tiger makes the cut. If he was a machine before, he's a machine now—just a machine who cheated on his wife with every hotel hanger-on he could find. There's something disturbing about calling this a "personal struggle" and saying Tiger's infidelity "humanized" him. What makes dramatic heroes so compelling is the humanity they show through hints of noble character and through vulnerability. Tiger has shown neither.
Macbeth is made compelling by his hesitation to do evil, and—at the last—by his complete loneliness, the desertion of all supporters, and, ultimately his demise—the price for his evil. Woods, on the other hand (whom you two want—contrary to Shakespeare's narrative—to succeed, not fail), has a whole team of consultants, coaches, and may well be screwing someone this second. He is being asked to perform well at what he's best at--a game requiring not teamwork but rather complete devotion to personal success. When has this man not demonstrated exceptional facility at taking care of himself? This isn't a personal struggle. This is a PR campaign. And in it, he has the support of those guys worldwide who think cheering for Woods makes them more like him than those who are jealous of him.