Just when you thought it was safe to watch ESPN for non-Tiger Woods coverage, Tiger Woods released a statement today that he will be returning to the game of golf for the upcoming Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in April.
This will be Woods first golf tournament since the November car crash that brought out about 19 paramores, Elin wielding a golf club, and enough late night jokes to shake a stick at.
However, the one negative that comes from this is the media/blogosphere/newspaper opinion pieces will be out in full force till that day occurs which means you should get ready for "Tiger Woods Returns!" coverage for the next 26 days or so.
As much as the media has beaten this story to death, Tiger Woods has become one of the most polarizing figures in the last couple of months. I understand that people are going to be interest in his return but after awhile I just want to smash my television with a hammer during Sportscenter.
Here is a quick recap of some stories from this morning's live SportsCenter:
-> Tiger Woods Returns
-> How Will Fans React?
-> What do the PGA players think?
-> What does PGA Comissioner Tim Finchem think?
-> How Tiger's life turned upside down
-> Can Tiger Bounce Back?
-> Nuggets-Rockets Highlight
I'm not going to chastise ESPN for making it "TigerCenter" this morning since today was an off-day in the world of sports but when does it become too much coverage?
When do we have to say as a society that we have to take the foot off the acceleration of a story? I know that the intrigue is there for many people and how story has become more of a TMZ'd/Us Weekly interest more than Tiger's return to dominate golf interest.
Tiger's return is arguably the most controversial in sports history and it is tough to compare it to others of it's kind. Kobe Bryant had to deal with a rape trial but he had teammates to fall back on. Brett Favre returned to the game of football after a premature retirement but he had no controversial transgressions to deal with.
Tiger's road back to the PGA tour is going to be the hardest and have the most flashbulbs associated with it. As a plea to the media, all I ask is that I don't need to hear about it everyday for the next 26 days.
The Tiger Woods Media Machine is Back, For Better or Worse
