SubscribeIt has been very interesting to read the many articles written about Tiger Woods and his knee problems. The tone that appears to ring throughout these articles is how brave and “gutsy” Tiger was to have played in the Open. Not only did he have a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee but a double stress fracture of his left tibia that he sustained during rehabilitation from his prior surgery.
Also lamented was the fact that Woods’ absence on the PGA will no longer drive tour television ratings, ad revenues and sponsorship support, as well as the interests of many fans who don’t watch golf if Woods is not a participant. According To some tour players, “Tiger is our tour, and when you lose your star player, it definitely hurts”.
There is no questioning the fact that the loss of Tiger Woods for the rest of the season makes for a very sad occasion. He will be sorely missed, especially the way he could pull off some shots and come back strong against what appeared to be insurmountable odds. He is not only a great player he is a phenomenal player!
His loss would not be felt so much if some positive press were given to some of the other golfers more often. From the play of Mediate, it was possible to see how he rose to the occasion and demonstrated that on any given day he or any other tour player, could equal and sometimes beat Tiger. The missing ingredient was to see a player play well on a consistent basis similar to what Tiger did.
But because all the other players were played down in the press, and we only read about Tiger, we now lament the fact that there are no other celebrities to drive the tour. As I have written previously, why must we always have a hero or a celebrity on a consistant unrelenting basis? Why must there always be such a discrepancy between the number one and number two or three player? Thus I do not cry for those who created the situation.
But I digress. My main point in this article was to be about the knee problem that Tiger Woods is experiencing and what he now faces. The surgery on the left knee will be quite serious. Not only can it lead to arthritis in the next five to 10 years but there is no guarantee that he will come back from the surgery and still be able to play as well. They say he will, after a lengthy rehabilitation period. But they also said this after his previous operation.
The fact that Tiger knew about the torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) but still decided to play was, in my estimation, not very smart. Even worse was that when the stress fractures which occurred during his rehabilitation were discovered two weeks before the U.S.Open, he still decided to play. In essence, the reports state that whenTiger was given the bad news he looked the doctor in the eye and said, “I’m playing in the U.S. Open and I’m going to win.” He then put on his shoes and went to practice.
This rings of the mentality commonly seen in many sports. The athlete must be brave and “suck it up” and continue playing regardless of the pain. This is considered being a “man”, real macho. I say it is one of the most stupid practices ever perpetuated on the athletic community.
Is it really worth putting your career on the line for the sake of winning one game or tournament? Coaches, fans and players will not remember the player who did this a year or two after he is out of commission. Getting accolades in the press will not give the athlete back his ability to play and to play well.
This is why in my work with athletes whenever they experience the least little bit of pain in a particular joint or muscle etc. we stop training immediately and determine what the problem is. When caught very early, the problem is usually taken care of in a few days to a week and the athlete once again resumes his training. There is very little loss of time.
But if the athlete persists in working through the pain, when the problem finally takes him down, he is out for weeks or months, in some cases even longer. Is this bravery a sign of intelligence? It is perhaps one of the most stupid things that we continue to perpetuate — all in the name of being brave and gutsy.
Tiger is receiving rave reviews on how brave and tough he was to play the Open with a torn ACL and a double stress fracture. I’ve yet to see anyone ask how much greater is his injury now in comparison to before playing (and practicing) in the tournament?
I’ve seen many many injuries in my career and I have yet to see an injury not get worse through additional playing. Thus I would say that Tiger is now looking at a more serious operation, one that may knock him out for good. I sincerely hope that this never comes to be, but I have severe reservations.
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