AN EYE ON THE TIGER
Talk'OH! Tuesday's Press Play Series Review
Written by Glenn Javier
Fame... it's the greatest ambition that goes hand-in-hand with success and fortune. In other words, many people aspire to have it. However, it has its drawbacks. You get to be criticized easily and everything about you should be relayed to the public - the triumphs, the failures, the scandals, and the secrets. In the all-or-nothing world of professional sports, Phenoms like Tiger Woods are used to this life. Most people feel that these people are open books. But do we really know everything about them? Well, Everything is not what it seems
What was it like to be a young Tiger? Any unresolved family issues? What about his use of drugs? We're here to provide a plotline, a review, and tell you what other critics think about "TIGER", a two-part series presented by Jigsaw Productions and HBO Sports that debuted last Sunday (January 10, 2021) on HBO and HBO Max. Directed by Matthew Heineman and Matthew Hamachek, it's a documentary that unravels the erratic career of the famed professional golfer.
Tiger Woods at the PGA Las Vegas Invitational on Oct. 5, 1996; Source: NBC News | Photo from J.D. Cuban
First of all, we can hear little bits and pieces of his voice but after watching it and with the added confirmation of NBC News' cultural critic, Tiger himself was not even part of the project, nor was he even interviewed for a single statement about his life within and beyond the golf course. The producers probably had their reasons. Personally, I think it was a good move because it sparks more interest as we remove any biases and get a more critical view from people who have known him better.
Throughout the episodes, we get to see a lot of old interviews, home videos that date back to his childhood, and flashbacks of his triumphs on the golf course, as well as depictions of the not-so-great moments, like his arrest a few years back for DUI and how he kept cheating on his then-wife Elin Nordegren.
Like documentaries of other known athletes, there is always this underlying, dark reality where we see how desperation for success, gossips, tainted reputations, capitalism, racism, misogyny, and other forms of discrimination have engulfed American culture, particularly in sports, which led to Tiger, and other well-known athletes' downfalls. The directors definitely went on a more psychological route, discussing the reasons why those events unfolded, taking us back to his early years. It starts with Earl Woods, his father.
“The world will be a better place to live in by virtue of his existence and his presence.”
said Earl. "This is my treasure. Please accept it and use it wisely.”, he added.
Tiger, formally known as Eldrick Tont Woods, had a rough upbringing. Vulture even summarized the series as "a Portrait of a Phenom Who Was Never Allowed to Be a Kid". Backed up by interviews from Pete McDaniel (a family friend) and his kindergarten teacher, it is revealed that Tiger had serious daddy issues.
Imagine having a dominant (and adamant) father who already packaged and sealed you to be his ideal, perfect product, obsessed with your potential for greatness. In Earl's case, it's for his son to be the first successful young, black golfer. Yes, Tiger became the superstar athlete as planned... but at what price?
Unfortunately, when you're a child, you'd always want to please your parents. It felt like every other opportunity and/or people that can steer Tiger away from golf were counted as major threats. This pressure-filled and overbearing environment never allowed him to discover a more authentic identity or to even enjoy his youth.
I think we've seen more the cons of poor parenting as the years went by and why Tiger always had a complicated relationship with his dad. This leads us to the time jump in 2017 where Tiger is seen in handcuffs, stumbling into a police station in Florida, which further ignites the argument that his life was under his father's master plan.
From magazine writers to fellow professional golfers, numerous interview sources appeared on TIGER but the eye-opening ones were with his past lovers, who knew a different, more carefree side of Tiger, one that was not known to the rest of the world (at the time) - a side he was afraid of doing elsewhere (especially in front of his parents). Speaking of hidden truths, his affair with Rachel Uchitel back in 2009 destroyed his marriage and left a huge stain on his once-perfect reputation.
Though we do not condone any form of cheating, the positive side about this, as per Rachel herself, was that Tiger “allow himself to be a kid,” whenever they're together. According to Vulture, TIGER implies that its primary subject suffers from some sort of Peter Pan Syndrome.
But as we have all known, the affairs with multiple women continued. It was probably a bandage solution to what he's been put through all his life - a form of escapism if I may add. The scandal further tarnished Tiger's image resulting in issues of racism particularly during a press conference when he was criticized by Billy Payne, chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, the home of the Masters tournament.
However, this was not a full-on career plummet as he was able to rise back up with his win at the 2019 Masters. Though not physically present, ex-wife Elin's thoughts about this issue were also shared through People magazine correspondent Sandra Westfall.
“In reality, at that point in time, being Tiger Woods had taken its toll on Tiger Woods."
said Steve Williams, his caddie.
Starting off in a melancholic tone, the remainder of the series starts off with Tiger visits with the U.S. Navy SEALs after the death of his father. It then dwells on his physical injuries (specifically his back) as a result of his golf career and the training he experienced with the SEALs. It even reached a point where he had knee fractures yet he still continued to play golf according to Rocco Mediate.
We see the ups and downs and ups of Tiger including footage of his career's pinnacle moment during the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. The declines include the numerous cheating scandals where his affair with Uchitel was shown in more detail the backlash he got from these affairs which appeared on many newspaper headlines and a focus on his 2017 arrest, replaying the raw police footage.
The last portion sheds a light on his comeback from surgery, his road to sobriety, and his victory at the 2019 Masters as mentioned earlier, which ended the story in a much brighter mood.
Well, like every other living human being, Tiger still has a long way to go, to fully discover himself. Will he live his own life on his own terms this time or will he still continue to be the prized possession of his late father?
Parts 1 and 2 of TIGER are now available for streaming on HBO and HBO Max. Watch the trailer below:
Sources:
- NBC News
- Vulture
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