Internet Question: Can you get yourself to forgive Tiger Woods?

The Tiger Woods scandal is one of the most sensational controversies involving sports stars in recent times.

Scandals involving celebrities, however, are nothing new.

David Beckham, Michael Phelps, Shane Warne, Mohammad Azharuddin, Hansie Cronje, Michael Jackson – all have been part of it. They’ve been embarrassed by it. They’ve managed to recover from it. And most of them have got back to business.

But the Tiger Woods case, is probably the first time where a highly ranked athlete has been the topic of such mockery and ridicule. His sponsors put on a brave show in the beginning, but soon, they fell like nine pins as new revelations surfaced.

Tiger Woods has apologised. “I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children,” he wrote on his website. “I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try.”

PR specialists say it’s the right thing to do. Remember the Coke, Pepsi pesticide revelations? And the clean-up act that followed? Time healed and consumers got back to uncorking the bubbly.

But compare the Tiger Woods scandal to other celeb scandals and one finds it difficult to forgive. A lot of it has to do with his super-clean image as a celebrity, outstanding as that of a sports star, most devoted as a son. In short, his merits were too good to be true. Much different from say, a Shane Warne or a Sreesanth, whom we accept with their grey shades.

So will his apology work? Will you miss him on the golf course? Will you cheer for him when he’s back?

Can you get yourself to forgive Tiger Woods?

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