I know many other people feel this way, and like me, feel guilty about or at least confused by the emotion:
How is that I find myself rooting for Tiger Woods down the stretch of major championships when as an American sports fan I should be pulling for the underdog and as a journalist I should be pulling for the better story?
How can you not root for Rocco Mediate, a good-natured, nearly-as-old-as-me, grew-up-down-the-road-from-Arnold-Palmer, barely-made-the-field qualifier over a cyborg with a Swedish model wife - a guy known for robotic interviews and for throwing clubs and cursing without being criticized for it by TV announcers?
It's weird.
There's only one explanation: We are in awe, and are cheering not for the most amiable among us but for the most amazing.
Comments (2)
I root for Tiger Woods because several years ago Mike Lupica said Woods would not break Jack Nicklaus' record for major wins. Woods will shatter it the way Michael Schumacher smashed Alain Prost's win record.
As one former Yankee said "Americans like an underdog but they love a winner". I=
I root for Tiger because it is fun to watch him toy with his opposition. He really is a Tiger in that way playing with his prey before he chews them up. I had no doubt in my mind last night that when the 18th hole was done, he'd have either won outright or tied for the lead. I knew he wasn't going to be second and a loser.