A Tiger’s Dilemma: He Represents Our Better Selves and Our Lower Demons

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: April 8, 2010

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Tiger is us and we are him. This is true of any athlete or performer we are focused on. Try this experiment. When you watch Tiger settle over a ball on the green, sizing up a line for a hole winning putt, in your mind, this is you. If we are alone at home, some of us will even stand up and go through the motions along with Tiger.

As the ball is banged by the putter face and heads toward the awaiting cup, you may even recoil, pull your legs in, and hold your breath. You also watch in confidence as the sphere rolls toward the target.

It is you putting the ball ever bit as much as Tiger Woods. And who among us hasn't also fist pumped with emotion when the ball slips into the cup. If you are watching with a buddy, fist bumps and high fives ensue.

Here's another experiment. How do you react when watching an NFL game or a heated basketball game and a player gets smashed by an unexpected pick in basketball or an eagerly swift safety's tackle in a football game?

What do you do or exclaim when the player gets hit? Usually there is an outward groan of "ooooooooooOOOOOOOhhhhhh" or "OOOOOOUUUUUCCCCCHHHHHH" or a choice expletive. We feel the hit. In our minds, we also are slow in getting up from the turf.

The joy of watching an athlete the caliber of Tiger Woods is he is us and we are him. It's the same reason that we see ourselves as the hero or heroine in a movie. We become that person.

We feel, we taste, we experience what the main character experiences. We identify with Tiger Woods. In some mystical way, we project ourselves into his skin. When Tiger putts, we putt. When Tiger walks the fairway, we are walking along fist bumping Steve Williams, the caddie, as well.

Tiger's wins are our wins. Tiger's lifting of a trophy is our lifting of that same trophy. We want and even some, probably need, Tiger to win. We have projected that deeply, and to an extreme extent, onto our golf avatar. When he w...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

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