By Drew Sellers
As a missionary in Santiago, Chile, one of my responsibilities was to take homeward-bound missionaries to the airport. I served in the post-Sept. 11, which often made traveling internationally complicated. I''ll never forget the day that one of our elders used that forbidden travel word: 'bomb.'
I was helping missionaries check their bags. One of the flight clerks asked if the elder had anything dangerous in his bag. He replied, 'You mean like a bomb?' I looked at him, bewildered and with the greatest amount of care and compassion that my missionary soul could muster. I said, 'You, Elder, are an idiot.'
Hours later, after every square nanometer of his luggage had been checked and he had answered countless questions, he boarded a plane and returned to the United States. He was lucky.
Some words you just don''t use in certain situations. You do not say bomb, terrorist or weapon of mass destruction while at an airport. When referring to anyone, especially an African-American athlete and especially the greatest African-American athlete in his sport, you do not use the word 'lynch.'
Two weeks ago at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, Golf Channel commentators Nick Faldo and Kelly Tilghman were discussing strategies on how young golfers can try to overcome Tiger Woods'' dominance.
'Maybe they should just gang up on him for a while,' Faldo said.
'Lynch him in a back alley,' Tilghman quickly added with a laugh.
Just like saying bomb in an airport.
The reaction was immediate. Tilghman was suspended by the Golf Channel. She also issued an apology to Tiger stating that it was a case of 'poorly chosen words,' that she and Tiger had been friends for more than 12 years and that she wouldn''t intentionally offend him.
That was the open door. Tiger could have basically done two things. One, he could have done the predictable and said, 'Kelly and I have been friends for 12 years and regardless of her word choice I am sure there was no harm intended with that comment. This story is a non-issue in our eyes. Case closed.'
That would be the typical Tiger Woods thing to do. Play it off, avoid a media frenzy and proceed to dominate the world of golf like nothing had happened. Or, he could have come out and made a statement that would have made a profound impact.
Tiger should have held news conference, something he does not do near enough, and said something like this:
'Can we please start thinking about what we say before we say it? Before you open your mouths and force your opinions on others, think about the implications. Think about their background, race, history and culture before you speak. What Kelly said about me was inappropriate, and I excuse that. What we should not excuse are the countless ignorant and offensive comments made about people of a different race on a regular basis. Let''s begin respecting each other no matter where we are from or what color we are. I am Tiger Woods. I am not perfect and I''ve said inconsiderate things before, but now is the time to stop. Let''s respect one another and let''s start treating one another with a new found respect. Now is the time to change.'
Think of the power in a statement like that. Why would it work? Because Tiger Woods is the most respected athlete of our generation.
For example, in July 2007 ESPN created a virtual tournament to select the ultimate sports star. Fans and experts voted for the athlete most dominant in both on-field success and off-field buzz. Tiger Woods beat the likes of Peyton Manning, Lebron James, LaDainian Tomlinson and Derek Jeter. This is just an example of his influence on the world of sports. The fans have spoken.
At least for now, Tiger has chosen option one, no press conference. His representatives have issued a quick simple statement downplaying the seriousness of the comment. We may never know what kind of impact option No. 2 would have. And at least for now we won''t know if Tiger will fulfill his father''s prophecy of doing 'more than any man in history to change the course of humanity.'
As a follow-up note, and newsworthy enough for a whole other story, the editor of Golfweek magazine was fired after putting a picture of a swinging noose on the cover of an upcoming issue.
Just like shouting 'BOMB!' at the top of his lungs.