The Lynching of Tiger Woods

The recent comments made by Golf Channel commentator Kelly Tilghman were disturbing on several levels. First and foremost, her words have once again placed a stain on serious sports commentators who continue to seek respect for their work, and not for their looks. There is no doubt she was trying to entertain the audience and come up with some catchy phrase that would make her seem intimate with Woods, and she failed miserably. Howard Cosell, for whom this blog is named, once termed it the "jockocracy" in sports where former athletes are employed and fawned upon by the networks. Many of them have made the transition to being in front of the camera or microphone, though quite a few remain shills for their peers and sport. But too often, as in this case, a commentator is selected for a reason other than simply broadcast ability or talent. Her 2 week suspension is deserved. However, here's the second issue that should be addressed. If this was a more widely watched network, and if it was a white man commenting and saying something such as this about an African-American athlete, one can only imagine the public outcry. There is a double standard from those who claim to be working in the best interests of insuring we rid ourselves of prejudice, and that is perhaps more dangerous than the spoken words themselves.