# Tiger Woods arrested for DUI **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 29, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657 "2017-05-29T17:37:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/41 "2017-05-30T21:47:57Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Tiger’s swing just wasn’t a swing you could use for a lifetime. It’s one thing for a 25-year-old to swing like that, but over and over, year after year into your 30s and it’s going to ruin your back. What differed his swing from other pro golfers? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/42 "2017-05-30T22:36:35Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > He’s still _filthy_ rich. He’ll be just fine. If I had a dollar for every filthy rich person I know who is fucking miserable, I’d never be as rich as them but at least I’m happier. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/43 "2017-05-30T22:44:28Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > What differed his swing from other pro golfers? The power of it. He swung harder than anyone. Took a toll on his back. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/44 "2017-05-30T22:48:27Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > The power of it. He swung harder than anyone. Took a toll on his back. But isn’t that just because of his strength? It was made to sound like Tiger’s swing had some mechanical component that had slowly ruined his body. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/45 "2017-05-30T22:54:19Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > But isn’t that just because of his strength? It was made to sound like Tiger’s swing had some mechanical component that had slowly ruined his body. That’s what I thought. I guess I was trying to determine if this is common with pro golfers but I don’t think health issues related to the swing is as common as say, pitching and arms/shoulders in baseball. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/46 "2017-05-31T00:21:13Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ecks](#): > > Article about his decline from espn: > > [How Tiger Woods' life unraveled in the years after father Earl Woods' death](http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/15278522/how-tiger-woods-life-unraveled-years-father-earl-woods-death) > > Short version: Tiger became unmoored after his fathers death (a career military man), questioned his worth, and began doing intense military training with various military and paramilitary groups. His body couldn’t take the stress and he ruined his knees and back. > > Add the increasing womanizing and drinking, and you have the trainwreck we all witnessed. I just skimmed it for now, but from there; > [@](#): > > That reaction has colored Tiger’s relationships his entire life: People who meet him for 30 seconds love him, and people who spend several hours with him think he’s aloof and weird, while people who hang around long enough to know him end up both loving him and being oddly protective. His truest self is shy, awkward and basically well-intentioned, as unsuited for life in public as he is suited for hitting a ball. > > “Frankly, the real Tiger Woods isn’t that marketable,” a friend says. “There isn’t a lot of money to be made off a guy who just wants to be left alone to read a book. Or left alone to play fetch with his dog. Or left alone to play with his kids. Or left alone to lift weights. Or left alone to play a video game. Do you see a trend? Tiger was a natural introvert, and the financial interest for him to be extroverted really drove a wedge in his personality. Being a celebrity changed him and he struggled with that – and he struggled with the fact that he struggled with that.” I have no idea how accurate that description is, but I can relate. I’m really grateful that I lack the talent to be famous, I could see me act just as poorly, if not worse. Thanks the gods for mediocrity, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/47 "2017-05-31T00:24:29Z")
…Or left alone to bang every chick in sight… The guy is famous and fabulously wealthy. Cry me a frickin’ river, man! ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/48 "2017-05-31T00:25:07Z")
All the hate and jokes being dumped on Tiger but I’m on his side with this one. I just came off back surgery. Early Sunday morning I got up to use the bathroom and started to fall. My lady friend broke the fall and got me a pillow. I slept for while. She called my doctor who told her to immediately call 911 and get me to the ER. I tried to talk but couldn’t enunciate words although I knew in my mind what I wanted to say. Everything was garbled and unintelligible. Ambulance ride, MRI, CT scan, X-rays and numerous blood tests. Nothing. I gradually got better although pain persisted due to the surgery. The doctors could not determine anything definitive as to what caused the incident. No signs of a stroke. It might have been a drug interaction. Cut the guy some slack. I’m thinking I walked in his shoes. After all, he blew a 0.00 for alcohol. Celebrities are easy marks but it could have been you or me. Actually, it was me. It would be much appreciated if you would cut the crap. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/49 "2017-05-31T00:43:38Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The guy is famous and fabulously wealthy. Cry me a frickin’ river, man! So you believe money is everything? I personally think I would love to be wealthy. But how many celebrity suicides and self destruction do there need to be to convince people its possible to be rich, famous, and miserable? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/50 "2017-05-31T02:24:42Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > But isn’t that just because of his strength? It was made to sound like Tiger’s swing had some mechanical component that had slowly ruined his body. He strength trained more than most golfers ever did, and the power of his swing was a mechanical force that put excess strain on his back. How much he was born with and how much he amplified through training, I don’t know. But his tecnique and his power caused damage to his back, is my understanding. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/51 "2017-05-31T02:35:17Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > So you believe money is everything? No. And I can’t imagine why you would generalize that from something that was specifically aimed at Tiger Woods and the details of his “struggle”. > [@](#): > > I personally think I would love to be wealthy. But how many celebrity suicides and self destruction do there need to be to convince people its possible to be rich, famous, and miserable? The gist of that story is that he really just likes to be spend time alone. If his wealth doesn’t allow him to spend enough time alone, then he’s just not trying hard enough. There are millions of people who can’t spend time alone because of financial issues or other reasons. So yes, cry me a river. He can spend as much time alone as he likes. Or maybe the person who wrote that didn’t know what he was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/52 "2017-05-31T03:15:13Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > No. And I can’t imagine why you would generalize that from something that was specifically aimed at Tiger Woods and the details of his “struggle”. You didn’t indicate that. You indicated that Woods deserves no sympathy because he’s rich and famous. > [@](#): > > The gist of that story is that he really just likes to be spend time alone. If his wealth doesn’t allow him to spend enough time alone, then he’s just not trying hard enough. There are millions of people who can’t spend time alone because of financial issues or other reasons. So yes, cry me a river. He can spend as much time alone as he likes. Sorry, this is just silly. He could do that only if he were willing to abandon his career. He’s likely required to do public events by his endorsement deals. Now you may think he’s rich enough that he should simply retire, but as long as he wants to continue his career he’ll have to remain in the public eye. > [@](#): > > Or maybe the person who wrote that didn’t know what he was talking about. But you apparently chose to believe it entirely and condemn Woods because of it. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/53 "2017-05-31T03:55:08Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The guy is famous and fabulously wealthy. Cry me a frickin’ river, man! I suppose that you would handle that particular combination without any problems at all, but there are just too many athletes, singers and stars who get into trouble. It’s obvious that fame can be unhealthy for some people. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/54 "2017-05-31T05:18:32Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > I suppose that you would handle that particular combination without any problems at all, but there are just too many athletes, singers and stars who get into trouble. It’s obvious that fame can be unhealthy for some people. Eh. I can’t say for sure, but most famous golfers don’t have those kinds of troubles, so yeah, I think the odds would be on my side. Do you have some data that would say otherwise? But that’s not even what my comment was about. According to that article, Tiger just really wants to spend a bunch of time doing homey kind of things. If his money prevents him from doing that and really does make him unhappy, then yeah, he should give it all away and do something else that will take him out of the limelight. Or, if he doesn’t know how to leverage his immense wealth to give him the alone time he needs, then I have no sympathy for him. I’ll save my sympathy for folks with more intractable problems. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/55 "2017-05-31T09:54:50Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > … as long as he wants to continue his career he’ll have to remain in the public eye. Which, if you think about it, means “as long as he wants to make money by appearing in public, he’ll have to appear in public.” ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/56 "2017-05-31T10:18:58Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Eh. I can’t say for sure, but most famous golfers don’t have those kinds of troubles, so yeah, I think the odds would be on my side. Do you have some data that would say otherwise? Comparing Tiger to “most famous golfers” is ridiculous. He’s probably the only golfer that more than half the people in America, let alone the world, would recognize, and that understates the case, because he’s probably in the top ten of the most famous people in the world, period, even today. I’d bet my house that if you dressed them both in a business suit, more people would recognize Tiger than the Pope. I haven’t read the rest of this thread, because this has been done to death since 2009. All I can say is it’s a shame that he wasn’t able to handle it, but anybody who thinks he could do better is speaking from ignorance, because they’ve never had major corporations throwing money at them, or women throwing themselves at them, or millions of people applauding them for playing a game. Now if Mariota can just keep from fucking up. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/57 "2017-05-31T13:21:47Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Comparing Tiger to “most famous golfers” is ridiculous. He’s probably the only golfer that more than half the people in America, let alone the world, would recognize, and that understates the case, because he’s probably in the top ten of the most famous people in the world, period, even today. I’d bet my house that if you dressed them both in a business suit, more people would recognize Tiger than the Pope. > > I haven’t read the rest of this thread, because this has been done to death since 2009. All I can say is it’s a shame that he wasn’t able to handle it, but anybody who thinks he could do better is speaking from ignorance, because they’ve never had major corporations throwing money at them, or women throwing themselves at them, or millions of people applauding them for playing a game. > > Now if Mariota can just keep from fucking up. Emphasis added. You’d probably lose that bet, so don’t tell me about speaking from ignorance. There are a lot of Catholics outside the US who have never seen a PGA game or who care not one bit about the players. Like I said, if you have better data, show it. Most extremely famous people don’t fall from grace the way Tiger did, whether they are Soccer players, baseball players or actors. I never said I was certain I would do better than he did-- I said the odds are good that I wouldn’t. If that felt like I kicked your puppy, I sincerely apologize. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/58 "2017-05-31T13:33:26Z")
Missed the edit window… BTW, if you think I was attempting a serious answer to that question, think again. My answer was meant to show how ridiculous the question was. Everyone on earth has problems. Some people don’t have the means to solve those problems, and those people get my sympathy. Tiger isn’t in that category. If I did something similar to him, I hope I wouldn’t expect sympathy from anyone, either. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/59 "2017-05-31T13:47:18Z")
Tiger Woods was raised by his father to be a golfer. Now that he can’t be a good golfer, he’s lost. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657/60 "2017-05-31T14:18:13Z")
I agree that Tiger had a spotlight on him unlike just about any other athlete. Maybe someone like Michael Jordan - which is one reason I understood the 2 of them were close. Of course, MJ was also a womanizer, gambler, etc. But at least MJ smiled occasionally! 😉 As was said above, Tiger was always an asshole. A lot of athletes are, but as with his fame and skill, he took it to an extremely high level. Many folk gave him a pass because of his athletic prowess. I didn’t. While it is always “carwreck fascinating” to see a fall from celebrity, it is especially enjoyable when the celeb was a jerk. Of course, from what I could tell, his dad was quite the asshole himself. (Let’s start with bigamy!) Given the golf community, I always found it impressive how popular Tiger was. Golfers are not - IME - the most enlightened group. But Tiger’s excellence was undeniable. Does not surprise me if folk were especially eager to enjoy his fall. But I suspect folk would be happy to support - and pay - him in any capacity. Even if he just wanted to go into retirement. But instead, because of his personality, he is setting himself up as a tragic figure, unable to acknowledge his limitations, and rest on his past achievements. As far as Tiger’s swing, I’m FAR from an expert. But golfers as a whole are prone to back, wrist, and elbow injuries. The golf swing, and millions of reps, puts tremendous strain on the joints. I’ve heard many commentators comment on the extreme amount of stress caused by Tiger’s swing. Many golfers - such as Freddie Couples, swing smoothly (tho he has a long history of back probs.) Others, like Tiger, take a more aggressive, very athletic swing at the ball. Like I said, I’m not an expert, and I don’t pay much attention to such analysis. But I’ve heard/read MANY commentators observing as to the especial strain inherent in Tiger’s swing, and changes to that swing over the years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-arrested-for-dui/787657.md?page=4)