Here’s a snapshot in time: Two people who are in the best in the world at what they do. One is Shaun White, the toast of the town. The other is Tigers Woods, trying to work his way out of disgrace.
And two days after White awed the world with his halfpipe gold medal and his personality, Woods was making the world roll its collective eyes with his scripted apology.
It makes you wonder what White will do with his fame. I hope he has a good coach, and not just a snowboarding coach. He needs a coach who will help steer him through the spotlight.
As for Woods, you wonder what kind of coaching he’s had. With enough money to hire all the support he could ever want, Woods has nevertheless created a public relations nightmare for himself.
He could have — like Alex Rodriguez — submitted to one press conference, and then he could have gone back to golf able to say, “I’ve answered all the questions.”
Instead, his televised statement made him come off like a robot. He’ll never be the same in the public eye, or in the verdict of history.
So there they are: Shaun White and Tiger Woods, the best in the world at what they do. Now let’s see how White handles it.