It is not new that athletes share the perks of the limelight brought upon by their fans and outstanding records. But, the horrors of the spotlight follow the athletes as well. The public eye constantly sees the athletes just like any other celebrities - may it be their public or private affairs.
This is just one of the struggles faced by Tiger Woods throughout his career as a world-renowned golfer. The entire world saw his downfall in his career and marriage, which the 2020 documentary "Tiger" captured.
This HBO Max documentary focused on the life of Tiger Woods, including his rise to fame, downfall due to numerous reasons, and how he got back on his feet. Check out below on who Tiger Woods is based on the documentary and how Tiger Woods reacted to the series.
- Tiger Woods, The World’s Famous Golfer
- Tiger (2021) Mini-Series
- The Fall Of Tiger Woods
- Response On Tiger (2021) Mini-Series
Tiger Woods, The World’s Famous Golfer
For an athlete to be featured in a documentary, he/she must accomplish something great on his field. It is common to see documentaries about the lives of athletes and their journey on how they reached fame and glory, which serves as an inspiration to many.
So, who is Tiger Woods? It is rare to find people who do not know who he is and the sport he is playing. For starters, Eldrick Tont "Tiger'' Woods is a famous American professional golfer who holds numerous records in the sport, which led him to be part of the prestigious World Golf Hall of Fame.
His name is a household name in the sport as he won several major championships and one of the GOAT "Greatest of All Time" golfers in history. This Cypress, California native started his professional career in 1996 when he was just 20 years old.
Woods has an incredible run in his professional career because, in just one year, he climbed to the rankings as the top golfer in the world by winning three PGA Tour events and the 1997 Masters. He remained one of the top-ranked golfers until 2010, making him one of the most famous athletes.
Rise To Fame Of Tiger Woods
It is always interesting for sports fans to see athletes break records, and this is how Tiger Woods catapulted into fame. He is the youngest golf player to win a major title when he was 21 years old. He has 14 major wins, which places him second as the player with the most major titles in the sport.
On top of it all, he proved his dominance in the sport when he was the world's number 1 golfer for 683 weeks. Woods is constantly included in the list of the world's most famous athletes proving that he is not only a household name in the sport.
Due to his fame and skills in the sport, he became the first billionaire athlete because of his win streak on major tournaments, sponsorships, and even endorsements. It is safe to say that Tiger Woods became a celebrity because sports media and showbiz media followed him.
Tiger (2021) Mini-Series
The documentary is a biographical series about the famous golfer Tiger Woods. The series is based on Woods' biography published in 2018. The two-part miniseries aired on January 10 and January 17, 2021, on HBO. The broadcasting company also co-produced this documentary.
The mini-series looked into Woods' life's different aspects that led him to fame, fall, and eventually rise again. It focused on the relationship of Tiger Woods with his father, Earl, his several scandals and issues that led him to leave the golf course for a while.
Co-director Matthew Hamachek mentioned that the production wanted to paint Wood's life story in a different light. Interestingly, the documentary runs only on interviews of relatively close people to Tiger Woods, but he and his family are omitted.
The life of Tiger Woods' was narrated from the perspective of these people: Steve Williams, Woods' former girlfriend, Nick Faldo, Bryant Gumbel, and Rachel Uchitel. The production team tried to mesh the narratives and stories of these people to complete the life of Woods, which gained a mixed reaction from the public.
The Humble Beginnings Of Tiger Woods
One of the focal points of the Tiger series is that it showed clips of Tiger Woods childhood memories recalling his beginning in the sport. This start significantly involves his father, Earl Woods, who became a staple figure in his career.
The series highlighted the complex relationship of young Woods to his father as Earl Woods taught Tiger how to swing the club at a very young age, which shows the aspiration he envisioned for his child. Earl shaped Tiger in his early years to become a great athlete.
However, the documentary also focused on how the father put so much pressure on the child to succeed, but he remains supportive and proud of the achievements of the young Woods. In a speech, Earl Woods mentioned that the world would become a better place because of the existence of Tiger.
The Fall Of Tiger Woods
They say that life is a series of rising and fall, which is apparent in Tiger Woods' story in the series. It showed the different struggles, issues, and scandals that the famous golfer faced throughout his career. This fall involves his career and personal life.
Tiger Woods experienced discrimination early because of his color whenever he walked into a golf club. So, unlike the famous story, Tiger Woods struggles to improve his skills and techniques in golf and has to endure the fact that he is one of the first professional golfers of color.
Many people treated Tiger Woods as a celebrity, and just like any celebrity, his private life was made into a public spectacle. There was a time that Woods involved himself in several infidelity issues, which dragged his then-wife into the mess. This issue eventually led to his divorce.
When people thought Tiger Woods already hit rock bottom, they were surprised with a sudden arrest of the athlete in 2017. The series showed some parts of the body cam during the arrest as he was apprehended due to driving under the influence, which he pleaded guilty to in the court.
The Great Comeback Of Tiger Woods
Some people say that the issues surrounding Tiger Woods have significantly affected his performance in the games. It was apparent that there was a decline in the quality of his plays. Another possible reason for this is that injuries plagued Woods.
Like any hero in a story, there is a redemption arc for Tiger Woods. After going through challenging roads in his career and life, he worked hard to go back to what he does best - play golf.
The series covered his triumph at the 2019 Masters, which completed the full circle of the life and career of Tiger Woods.
Response On Tiger (2021) Mini-Series
As mentioned, the public has a mixed reaction to the series as the documentary uses outsiders' perspective to tell the life story of one of the famous athletes in the world. There are commendations and criticism, which involves the general public and sports-related individuals and fans.
Without a doubt, even the most private affairs were broadcasted in public, which made people interested in his life story, especially the series answered some of the most intriguing questions and wonders in Woods' life.
For example, the documentary tried to enlighten everyone on several infidelity scandals of Tiger Woods since the production team interviewed Rachel Uchitel. Co-director Hamachek noted that they wanted to know Uchitle's side of the story, as she was treated as a caricature when the scandal arose.
Moreover, the general public is pleased with how the documentary became an inspiration to many aspiring golfers or other athletes. Tiger (2021) highlighted the struggles of Woods in his early days and how he joined the sport. Lastly, the documentary showcased Woods' come back to the golf course after his fall due to scandals and injury.
Criticism On Tiger (2021) Series
One of the major backlashes that the series received is the response of the side of Tiger Woods on the series. It is rare for the subject of any documentary not to be involved in the production of the series itself. The production team disclosed that they approached Tiger Woods for an interview for the series, but the athlete declined.
Woods' agent Mark Steinberg released a statement regarding their stand on the documentary, and they are not pleased with the series. He mentioned that the series is sensual and incompletely portrayed Tiger Woods' personal life and career as an athlete.
Some of the athlete's fans are also not happy with the series as they believed that the book it was based on is not as truthful and complex as the reality of Woods' life story. They think that it will be better if the series is narrated from the first-person perspective of Woods himself.
Conclusion
Tiger Woods is indeed one of the most famous athletes globally, and that is why a documentary was produced featuring his life story. The documentary is a two-episode series broadcasted on HBO in January 2021.
The mini-series highlighted the beginnings of Tiger Woods, his rise to fame, his eventual fall due to scandals and issues, and a dramatic comeback win.
