Tiger Woods praises Barack Obama
Tiger Woods, who has mostly deflected questions about this year’s presidential election publicly, finally shared his thoughts on Barack Obama after Obama became the first African-American to win a U.S. presidential election last week.
Woods, who is arguably the world’s most famous African-American athlete, told reporters at his course-design project in North Carolina that he was pleased with Obama’s victory and wished his father, Earl, could have lived to see it, according to USA Today.
For more than a decade Woods, as perhaps the world's most popular athlete, has been one of most influential African-Americans.
Although he does not have a personal relationship with Obama, he said, "It will be one of the great days in America to see a man of color in the White House."
Woods said Obama's victory pleased him and it would have pleased his father, the late Earl Woods, who was a retired Army officer.
"My father hoped he would see a man of color elected president in his lifetime," Woods said. "He didn't see it, but I hoped that I would see it."
Woods caught some grief from news outlets when his post-election newsletter didn’t mention Obama’s victory. (Sample headline: "Woods snubs Obama in monthly newsletter," which was unfair considering the newsletter was concerned with things like who appeared at a recent Tiger Woods Block Party.) However, Woods had spoken well of Obama earlier in the year at Dubai, as Chris Lewis recounts in his blog.
Q. Just to totally change tack, could I ask you a Barack Obama question?
TIGER WOODS: Oh, God, here we go.
Q. Just your thoughts on the way he has inspired a generation of Americans who clearly weren't interested in politics before.
TIGER WOODS: Well, I've seen him speak. He's extremely articulate, very thoughtful. I'm just impressed at how well, basically all politicians really do, how well they think on their feet. Especially those debates, it's pretty phenomenal to see them get their point across. But I just think that he's really inspired a bunch of people in our country, and you know, we'll see what happens down the road.
That’s high praise from the reticent Woods, who appears to have taken his good pal Michael Jordan’s advice when it comes to politics. Once asked to support a challenger to hard-line GOP Sen. Jesse Helms in his home state of North Carolina, Jordan reportedly declined, saying, “Republicans buy sneakers too.”
Posted by: Steve | Jan 16, 2009 4:33:48 PM
For those of you who disregard the importance of race in our elected officials, and who claim to see only the policies and the principles they stand for -- REJOICE that a person of integrity has been elected, one who embraces transparency over secrecy, inclusion over privilege, and conversation over ignorant disregard of the most broadly and deeply informed.
Posted by: Steve | Jan 16, 2009 4:28:58 PM
For those who think that race is a non-issue now that a black man has been elected president -- you're deluded. On the one hand you don't want him elected and on the other it serves you as an excuse from admitting the profound prejudice that affects most of us.
Posted by: MRS | Nov 19, 2008 10:31:05 AM
You all really need to get a life!
Posted by: al | Nov 18, 2008 12:08:46 PM
Can't we all just be Americans?
Posted by: REV | Nov 18, 2008 3:51:20 AM
I never knew that white people are really this jealous of blacks, its sad but its also funny. Be happy Live longer.
Posted by: Zekethewonderdog | Nov 17, 2008 11:37:08 PM
The voters have voted and vote they did for the big O and I don't mean the Ophelia. Why is it that when 97% of the blacks who voted, voted for O and that is not racist? Yet as soon as anyone of non-color (read white)criticizes the PE, he is immediately labeled a racist? So in a roundabout way, who cares what TW thinks of O as our president in waiting. Maybe T will give O a few lessons. And then he show him how to golf too.
Posted by: Shelia Davis | Nov 14, 2008 12:24:24 AM
ALL ARE YOU THAT ARE HATERS ARE JUST JACKASSESS
Posted by: Edward Long | Nov 13, 2008 3:52:34 PM
Blacks show their racism when they rejoice over a black being elected to office so much that they care little for what he represents. I guess they would have voted for Hitler if he had been black. While I have no concern for the color of a man's skin, I do care about what he stands for. I am sorry this man was elected and I fear where America is headed. This man is a socialist and does not advoctae the freedoms America stands for regardless of what color he is.
Posted by: Edwin | Nov 12, 2008 9:03:35 AM
When did Tiger's mother get the Arab blood. Asian: Thai / Chinese but i don't think Arab as mentioned above.
Posted by: Noleftwingers | Nov 11, 2008 10:00:54 PM
Like this is news, you poor people pine for anything this man says and now you rejoice in the fact he supports Obama, did you really think he wouldn't? He would have had his card pulled had he not, come on wake up!
Posted by: DJ | Nov 11, 2008 7:04:27 PM
Does Tiger even know how much his taxes are going to get raised with liberals in charge? Does he even care?
Posted by: Beth | Nov 11, 2008 2:18:31 PM
First off, the fact that people who view this site are still using the term "Negro" shows how far this country, and particularly the golf world, still has to go. The only two terms that are current are "Black" and "African-American"; the term "Negro" has not been in use for decades. Second, black people in or from the USA have had people defining them and even owning them for many years, so it seems to me appropriate to let them define and name themselves, and since a large portion call themselves "African-American" it seems fair to use that term (or "Black"). Finally, focusing on the golf world, I think it is significant that despite Tiger's world dominance, we have yet to see a single other significant black golfer to emerge from either the US or from places where there is a majority black population like South Africa. So, while I recognize the significance of both Obama and Tiger for the present and future of race relations in the US and abroad, we ought not count our eggs before they are hatched.
Posted by: notsurprised | Nov 11, 2008 12:07:58 PM
Of course not, they fired most of them...
Posted by: MichaelS in Dubai | Nov 11, 2008 12:22:26 AM
Golf belongs to everybody. The best golfer in the world belongs to everybody too. Why should a politically rejoicing Tiger (come ON - most sane people are dance-happy that Barack has been elected) alienate anyone in golf by taking sides publicly? He likes to keep certain things in his private realm and will do so until he's good & ready to get out there and wave his own flags. And then, watch out, because Tiger could be VERY influential on the world political stage one day. With Barack's election, America has declared itself finally non-racist. Bam. Done. So maybe all this color-stuff is slowly going to fade from the national hubris. I personally wish you all the very best in this endeavour.
Posted by: Hunter | Nov 11, 2008 12:00:50 AM
First off, Obama is 50% Caucasian and 43.75% Arabic on his mother's side, and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. So he's actually a mix of things and really represents everyone. Second, why must Tiger make any kind of comment at all? He's a pro golfer and one of hundreds of superstar black athletes in the U.S. Let him stick to golf and stop bothering him with politics.
Posted by: Charlie B | Nov 10, 2008 10:00:45 PM
As much as I admire Tiger Woods, I was ready to drop him like a hot potato until I heard his Obama comments. It had come to a point where some of us thought he did not get the importance of Barack Obama's election as President of the United States.
Posted by: Dirk Digler | Nov 10, 2008 9:38:58 PM
Just let me play one round with Tiger before I die!
Posted by: David Lee Finley, United States | Nov 10, 2008 8:23:22 PM
Doesn't the Press have better things than 'COLOR' to report on?
HERE'S AN `IDEA, if they get stuck again:
let them write an original poem!
Float along on lead ballons
Sing the songs, all different tunes.
Draw the line to take a stand,
Doubting yourself, beforehand.
Lost and tossed about by change,
All day feeling pretty strange.
One wrong step, before they fall,
Funny, thought I'd seen it all.
Stranger turns that wasn't you,
Breath all gone, like wind that blew.
PLEASE MAKE OF THIS WHAT YOU WILL.
David
Posted by: Dale | Nov 10, 2008 1:11:25 PM
Suprisingly,we don't see any women on your writers list!!!