Sports

Tiger’s Shadow

findingr Sports 4 Comments

I think this is a genius ad. Obviously, this is not really going to inspire to folks to run out and buy Nike products but I’m not sure that was the purpose of the ad. It serves as a sort of palette cleanser and a profound one at that. Often times when we assess a fallen figure, the conventional impulse is to run away and shun them as if we are incapable of comprehending how they could do such a thing. But in reality what we are really running away from is our own shadow, a recognition that whatever is inside Tiger that drove him to act out is also in us. This is why these kinds of stories are so interesting to us. We love nothing more to deny our own shadow while projecting it onto others who got caught. While I’m not applauding Nike for their altruistic faithfulness to Tiger, who’s been dropped by all of his other corporate partnerships. Obviously they have something to lose in dropping him. But this ad signals to me that they understand this very aspect of what I’m talking about.

I’m rooting for Tiger but I’m rooting for him as a man and not a golfer. The reality is is that often times our greatest quality as a human being inevitably comes with this shadow side. Our greatest strengths clear the way for our greatest weaknesses. For Tiger, his mental focus, his ability to shut the world out and employ laser-like concentration has been something to behold. But in the shadow that it casts is found a predisposition for compartmentalization which, in turn, can give way to living a deeply divided life. I would presume that Tiger is wrestling with this very tension in his therapy and as he learns to take down some of these walls that have divided up his life, he also may lose some of his capacity to focus on the golf course as well as he has in the past. It’s very possible that the more successful Tiger is in dealing with this shadow element, the more his golf game could suffer. It’s not that he can’t be a fantastic golfer and a fantastic husband and father. But if he seeks balance then his golf game will inevitably take a bit of a hit.

While not all of us have made the kinds of mistakes Tiger has made, we all deal with this very tension. Living a life of balance is an extremely difficult, and it’s even more difficult for those who are blessed (or cursed) with possessing extraordinary talent.

What a Game

findingr Arizona Life, Sports 1 Comment

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What a game. I was lucky enough to be one of the fans to get through to ticketmaster is the six minutes it took for the game to sell out. Unbelievable……that’s all I can say. It was, without a doubt, the best experience as a sports fan in my entire life. In a way, if the Cards win the Super Bowl, it won’t beat what happened yesterday. I know that sounds weird, but I for those who were fortunate enough to be at that game, they’d probably agree. Wow.

You can see a collection of the stunning images from yesterdays game right here.

Beyond Delicious

findingr Arizona Life, Sports 3 Comments

This 33-13 victory over the Panthers went beyond delicious. It was like eliminating the Spurs, sweeping the Dodgers and learning the Cowboys were bankrupt. It was the karmic reward for all those terrible afternoons spent on the wrong end of the scoreboard.

For the better part of two decades, Arizonans were bonded by the ineptitude of the Cardinals. They were our civic scourge, our punching bag, something we could all agree on. They were our lowest common denominator.

Now, we are united in triumph. Our first love – the Suns – has been temporarily displaced. A football town in waiting is showing its new colors, and waiting no more.

— Dan Bickley, The Arizona Republic