According to multiple reports, Tiger Woods’ cabal of advisors want him to go on Oprah. Apparently, they want to see how much worse things could get.
Don Imus would receive a warmer reception at the Million Man March than Tiger would on Oprah. No one would hug him. There would be no applause. There would be no explanation that millions of women – women watching TV in the middle of the afternoon, mind you — want to hear, let alone consider.
Tiger’s Q rating notwithstanding, this isn’t an Oprah story. Tiger’s Thanksgiving night sounds Springer-ish. His lifestyle was on a collision course with an envelope on Maury. There’s a reason folks go on those shows to fix their problems — because Oprah isn’t going for their nonsense. And in the last two weeks, Tiger has become, in public, one of those people.
Oprah would not provide what Woods is seeking – redemption. It would be Tiger, fidgeting in the footprints Tom Cruise left on the couch, a studio audience and a host with two decades of history to indicate that she isn’t trying to hear it, either.
After weeks of refusing to speak publicly about his troubles, Tiger’s best move is to stay that course. If his wife forgives him, the world will. After all, we’re not the ones that have to live with him.
But good luck convincing other people’s wives. Not even Oprah could make that happen, and there’s no reason to think she wants to.