The entire sports world is focused on golf legend Tiger Woods today after he was hospitalized and required surgery for leg injuries following a rollover car crash. It's extremely early in the post-accident process, and facts undoubtedly will change.
But there's also no denying that it's a major news event — if only because we've been in the midst of the continuing rehabilitation of Tiger Woods the man, following the cataclysmic downfall of the world's best golfer in late 2009. There was the car crash in which Woods was behind the wheel while under the influence. (He eventually pleaded to reckless driving and received probation, was fined $250, and had to perform community service.)
Thus today's circus.
It's more than a little unseemly to gawk at an injured person once, let alone twice. But absolutely worth mentioning right now that the long, hard road to Tiger's recent resurgence also was just documented in an HBO documentary simply called Tiger. The doc was produced by Oscar-winner Alex Gibney along with Sam Pollard, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Armen Keteyian, and Jeff Benedict. Here's how HBO describes it:
TIGER is driven by never-before-seen footage and revealing interviews with those who know the golfer best, including his former caddy and close friend, Steve Williams; golf legend and six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo; Earl Woods’ friend and biographer, Pete McDaniel; Tiger’s first true love, Dina Parr; as well as Rachel Uchitel, the woman at the center of the sex scandal that forever altered Tiger’s world, breaking her silence with her first-ever sit-down interview about their relationship.
It's a strong documentary. It's not a pretty documentary. Real life rarely is, and Woods is a complex, flawed human being.. But it's definitely worth watching if only to remember just how strong, complex and, yes, flawed person we're talking about here.
We wish nothing but the best for Tiger Woods. If anyone can come back from this, it's him. And let's hope that's exactly what happens.
