Did Tiger pave the way for Obama?

Watching the US Open over the weekend, I had a funny thought. Over the past decade or so Tiger Woods, a multi-racial young male has enjoyed unprecedented success in a traditionally white arena of professional golf. He has been accepted - if not idolized - by countless folk for his talent, poise, and good looks. Like they used to say about Arnie, men want to be him, and women want to be with him.

It struck me that Tiger’s success over the past several years might have prepared America to be more accepting of a talented, poised, attractive young black man as a candidate for national office. Whaddya think? Does Tiger get an assist here?

Bonus question, will Tiger vote his race or his pocketbook?

On the other hand, some people might find it refreshing that Obama is apparently not that much of an athlete.

As far as bowling goes, anyway. Too bad we never got to see the big Obama-Hillary gutter ball roll-off to determine who got the MI/FL delegates. :slight_smile:

Supposedly he’s got serious game on the court - but the campaign has decided to go without that imagery.

He’s actually pretty good at basketball, from what I’ve heard.

Something he will probably play down, for obvious reasons.

Huh.

That would explain why his campaign offered McCain the chance to skip televised debate and decide the election based on some one-on-one.

McCain has reportedly countered that he’d be willing to just play HORSE, best two out of three rounds. Apparently his crossover dribble’s not what it used to be but he can still shoot pretty good.

Probably not. He hasn’t even paved the way for more Black golfers (see here, here, and here ).

Tiger Woods has elevated golf, not race. That is the main problem regarding the way we look at race today. Exceptional Black people are looked at as the exception to the rule, rather than a reason to reevaluate the rules of Black inferiority. That’s not to say all, or most, people harbor such beliefs, but it is prevalent enough to have devastating consequences for everyone. It’s damn near impossible for any famous Black person to advocate Black issues without being attacked and given the Al Sharpton treatment. It’s career suicide no matter how you slice it. Race is now the topic that affects everyone, yet no one can really talk about in a constructive way.

The three articles also mention some things that apply to politics as well. The barrier of entry is extremely high, and scrutiny is too withering. Being a successful politician generally requires an extensive education at an elite university, family wealth, and history free of black marks and shady associates or family members. The reality is that few Black people with have a “resume” like that. Not to mention that a Black politician would have to be have worry about being “too Black” in terms of culture, demeanor, and appearance. Barack Obama probably wouldn’t be where he is now had he grown up in a Black neighborhood in Chicago, spoke like Michael Eric Dyson, or looked like Wesley Snipes. Just look at the the scrutiny his church has received as compared to the churches of McCain surrogates (or Bill Clinton surrogates).

Most importantly, while Tiger has millions of White people who love to cheer for him, he did very little to contribute to the multi-cultural upbringing Obama had, his acceptance to Columbia University and Harvard Law School, his presidency of the Harvard Law Review, his Illinois State Senator tenure, etc. All these things were done before anybody heard of Tiger Woods, and they all played an integral part in molding the person he is, and his chances of being elected President. To give Tiger Woods credit for all that would be unfair.

Are those supposed to be opposites or something?

Yeah, let’s see how well he shoots without Pfizer backing him up…

I doubt McCain can shoot very well – he can’t raise his arms over his head.

Don’t be silly.

Tila Tequila did.

Americans have long since learned to accept black people in athletics or entertainment. Learning to accept them as political leaders is a more recent development.

Did anyone hear the very odd remark by one of the commentators on Sunday about how Rocco Mediate looked like Tiger Woods’ pool guy? How strange that was, that someone would say that the 45-year-old white guy looked like the 30-year-old black guy’s pool boy. I guess it shows a bit of how far we’ve come, but it was still such a strange comment that I don’t know what to make of it.

Not just today:

That’s after Huck’s “epiphany”, and reveals that all he has done is redefine Jim as exceptional. It seems to be a pretty deeply seated human impulse: we hate to change our preconceptions, and prefer to assume reality gets it wrong once in a while.

He’s got a mean granny shot.

Indeed. I’d say Colin Powell is of more relevance to Obama.

Depends on how you look at it. It’s kinda a culmination of all these things. It’s not like Tiger was the first successful black guy to dominate a traditionally white sport.

see: Micheal Jordan, Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, etc.

It’s not just relegated to sports of course, there were quite a few black mayors/representatives/congresscitters before he had to break into politics. They each helped chip away at the wall of racism.

His way was paved by many african americans before him. They were laying the groundwork so he could achieve what he has today.

I’d say about as much as Arthur Ashe and Jackie Robinson…

Well after winning a victory for gay marriage it was next logical step in her quest for civil rights infamy.

In all seriousness though, I would be more willing to believe that black actors playing president had more of an impact on Obama’s success than Tiger and I don’t really buy that one either. Obama has a resume that would read future presidential contender no matter what race he happens to be.

Okay, I guess it’s just me! :smiley:

I don’t know why, but this came to me on Sunday while watching the tourney. I still think it has some merit.

Tiger is enjoying unprecedented success at a traditionally white sport. Yes, I know Jackie Robinson etc, but the PGA prohibited black members into the 60s, and racism at private country clubs is still an issue. There have been many successful blacks in the past, but other than Oprah, I’m not sure who would have been more successful/popular over the past decade.

I have never heard anyone object to the fact that Tiger is married to a white woman, something that many portions of our society disfavored for a long time. I think Tiger helped our society make progress beyond necessarily defining an individual as being a particular race.

ISTM that Michael Jordan was the first mega-endorser. It also STM that Tiger took what MJ did to another level.

No, I did not mean to suggest that Tiger was in any way responsible for Obama’s considerable achievements. But with respect to being named a major party nominee for president, I still think that Tiger’s tremendous recent popularity played some role in warming portions of America up to the idea that a young black male might be non-threatening.

Perhaps that commentator had just been over to a barbecue at Tiger’s house. Maybe Tiger’s pool guy is a middle aged white guy who actually does look like Rocco Mediate.