I remember back in 2006 watching Michael Vick on the Atlanta Falcons and thinking how he seemed like a jerk and was overrated as a Quarterback. Then, a year later, we all heard about the dogfighting ring. Then, my opinion of him was that he was evil and pretty much deserved to die by being thrown into a pack of hungry Pit bulls.
Around the same time, I recall being enamored by Tiger Woods and watching any Golf tournament he was in. He was not only electrifying on the course, but he also displayed an infectious charm. Pretty much everyone was in love with Tiger Woods.
Then, both men personally self-destructed. Vick was convicted of the dogfighting and sent to jail and Tiger was exposed as a serial cheater and isolated himself in his Orlando house. Two superstars crashed and burned.
Fast forward to 2010, both men are out there again trying to carry on and play their respective sports.
Surprisingly, I’ve found myself rooting for Michael Vick to do well, and rooting against Tiger Woods. This is a complete 180 degree change from just a few years ago. It got me thinking about how this could’ve happened and why I felt this way.
It all comes down to humility. I still don’t believe Tiger has been humbled. First, he never really owned up to it, but rather blamed the media for everything. Second, he didn’t take any real time off to rehabilitate. He played in the Masters only a few short months after he was caught by his wife sleeping with everyone from porn stars to the neighbor’s daughter.
Now granted, he didn’t kill anyone, but what he did was so compulsive and slimy that I felt he could have taken more time, especially considering the incalculable damage to his wife and children. After all, not only did he have sex with every woman except his wife, he was did it with a waitress in a parked car while his wife went into labor with their first child. Ouch.
If he had taken a year off from golf to be with his wife and children and work on himself the way he works on his swing, there is no doubt he would have held the marriage together.
But instead he went on chasing glory and the thrill of the win. He’s addicted to that rush. So, for him, sinking a putt and hearing the cheers is like a hit off a crack pipe.
At tournament press conferences, he’s so defensive and gives the evil stare to anyone who would sink so low as to ask him about his affairs. He acts like they have no class. Tiger reminds me of a dried drunk in that he’s off the sauce, but not really recovering or working a program.
He also did that insane Nike commercial with his dead Dad’s voice asking “What have you learned?” It’s unthinkable that he would exploit his dead dad and his wife’s pain for the sake of his sports image. His ego has taken over him like a cancer. There is no more Eldrick (his birth name), it’s only Tiger.
This was all clear to me at the 2010 Chevron World Challenge. He was tied with Graeme McDowell going into the final hole. Tiger hit an amazing approach shot that landed three feet from the pin. The crowd erupted and Tiger did a double fist pump as usual. But his fist pump was no longer natural- it now seems contaminated with anger and venom.
Graeme, on the other hand, seemed pure and humble in comparison. Graeme sunk an amazing putt to beat Tiger. Afterwards, instead or praising Graeme’s spectacular play he simply said he didn’t do enough to win. He comes off pissy.
We all have feelings and emotion when we watch sports, so it’s no wonder we are tuned in to the athlete as a person. And the composite feeling I have for Tiger is bad. He’s like the protagonist in a movie who hasn’t gone through a full Second Act. It’s like Tiger needs the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future to break him down.
On the other hand, I always thought Vick was an evil creep. But for some reason, over the course of this NFL season, I found myself really pulling for Vick to escape tacklers and lead his team to victory. And, I’m not even a big Eagles fan.
The thing is Michael Vick has been through the Valley of Death. You can see the shame in his eyes. He is just happy to be out of jail and given a second chance. He’s humble.
Jail may have been the best thing that ever happened to Vick. Think about how awful he must have felt to be in the prison yard wearing State-issued clothes playing all-time QB with the inmates. He had a lot of time to reflect on how he had everything and threw it away. And I’m certain he is still haunted by what he did to those dogs.
Unlike Woods, Vick has become dedicated to helping others avoid his mistakes by speaking at schools to kids about not making the mistake he made. He has no denial at all, it’s all out in the open and he has taken responsibility. Believe it or not, he’s a great model for young people.
Vick also has become a Christian. He always points up after a score or thanks God before a press conference. I’m not saying this is necessary for humility, but if you have God in your life, then there’s no way you can actually be God. It puts thing in perspective and creates a mind-set in which humility can flourish.
Finally, Vick has become open-minded and willing to listen to coaches and elders. He has great mentors in both Tony Dungy and Andy Reid. Tony has helped him become a better human being and Andy has helped him become a better football player. Who knew we’d ever see Vick turn into one of the Leagues’s premier pocket Quarterbacks?
Another thing that helped turn me into a Vick fan was that he was totally happy being Kevin Kolb’s backup. After playing amazingly in the game in Detroit when Kolb was hurt, he said “This is Kevin’s team, I’m just doing what I can till he’s healthy.” To say that knowing how much talent he was sitting on takes class and respect.
I’m not the only one who likes to watch Vick now. Just about every Eagles game gets the highest TV ratings for the NFL, which is why many games in the second half of the season were moved to prime time. Even Obama seems to be a fan.
Time will tell if Vick can keep it up. Time will also tell if Tiger can overcome his own ego and allow humility into his heart. Then, we can all cheer carefree when he does some amazing Tiger shot.
For the time being however, I’ll be cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles and pretty much any European golfer.
