I am usually first in line to defend celebrities and their need for privacy. When an 22-year-old Julia Roberts starred in Steel Magnolias, I don't believe she understood what that would mean for her private life. I don't think a 15-year-old Britney Spears knew what she was giving up. I'm not sure anyone could.
However, I feel almost no sympathy for Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods didn't want to just keep his head down and play golf. Tiger Woods methodically built an image for himself, a image that has built him a fortune in endorsement deals. He portrayed himself as this perfect specimen who made few if any mistakes in his life - both on and off the course. This model of self-control and drive was the Tiger Woods brand. A brand that has made him a billionaire. I've never seen a golf tournament in my life but I knew exactly what Tiger Woods was selling.
Clearly, Tiger Woods wasn't as self-controlled as we all thought. How he could channel such talent and will in his public life and not find a way to NOT cheat on his wife is beyond me. More astonishing is that he was so blinded to the obvious repercussions if it should become public and the historical reality that it almost always does.
Tiger Woods isn't a starlet swept into the rising tide of fame. Tiger Woods held himself out to the public - ALL of himself. (After all, I'm not sure what part of his golf game is involved in selling watches or SUVs.) He sold himself as the model of control and then he got sloppy.
He has no one to blame but himself.
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