I must admit that despite being a self-proclaimed music/CD junkie, my soundtrack of choice when I go through my morning ritual is sports talk radio.
Earlier this week, in between riveting discussions of Terrell Owens’ latest stunt, I heard a commercial that caught my attention. The topic was pretty run-of-the-mill for this station- laser eye surgery. The female announcer had a pleasant enough voice, but it’s what she said that caught my attention. She talked about the types of folks who get this type of surgery, including, and I quote:
"the world’s greatest golfer, Tiger Woods"
What really got me is that this is immediately followed by testimony by Mr. Woods himself.
The thing that gets me here is the use of the term "world’s greatest". Is Tiger great? You bet. One of the greatest? Sure, I’d classify him there as well. But the world’s greatest? Not so fast, eye surgery lady.
He is truly a master of the sport- he has a couple of green jackets to prove it. THE greatest? I’m not sure any athlete deserves to hold that title in his sport. You can always make an argument for another who has accomplished similar feats. That aside, what really gets me here is not the use of the term "the world’s greatest golfer" in this commercial.
It’s the fact that Tiger himself appears in this commercial. I’m assuming that he- or the people he hired to work for him- listened to this commercial before it was cleared for air, due to the fact his voice is used. That he approved to be referred to as the greatest is what gets me. Let other people call you the best, shrug it off with a little humility- Michael Jordan manages pretty well with this. Or if that’s your game- claiming to be the best- play it up big time and over the top, Muhammad Ali style. But to have a commercial you appear in introduce you as the greatest, that seems a bit out of line.
As a father for about a year now, I suppose I am now eligible for the title of "World’s Greatest Dad." If awarded this title in either T-shirt or coffee mug form, I will accept it proudly. But don’t expect me to change the title of my blog to "Confessions of the World’s Greatest Dad." I will wear the title (and T-shirt) with the good sense and fortitude that allowed me to achieve such acclaim in the first place.
So, Tiger, this I say to you: let people call you what they will, but be careful what you refer to yourself as. We don’t like our athletes to have big egos- unless, of course, that’s their schtick. You made it clear early in your career that it wasn’t- if you want to switch, fine, but do it the way we Americans expect it. Wear a lot of jewelry. Hang out with P. Diddy. Wear magenta suits where the jacket comes down to your knees. But don’t proclaim your greatness in a laser eye surgery commercial. I’m hard pressed to find a wimpier outlet in which to proclaim one’s greatness.
And another thing, Mr. Woods, while I have your attention in my imagination- you better hope Vijay Singh isn’t signing up for eye surgery any time soon…
