The Media’s Influence On The Career Of An Athlete

Perception is the most underrated dimension in any professional’s life whatever the occupation may be. While most individuals can build the skills set necessary to create a path towards success, managing personal perception to your advantage is a prowess difficult to attain. Some may be very talented in their respective occupation, but others need only to be masters in the art of managing personal perception to be able to be successful. That being said, sometimes perception is enforced upon us beyond our control.

In the world of sports, the main orchestrator is the media. In many episodes, we have seen many athletes succeed or fail based on the synthesis the media narrates. Careers have been brought to life by hype from the media, and careers have been doomed because of the mounting pressure created by the media.

Tiger woods and his career are the best example to display the influence the media possess. Being a very talented golfer from an early age, Tiger Woods was the epitome of the rising star narrative. Not only were his accomplishments as a golfer unmatched, but his professional etiquette and sportsmanship were idolized. The media willingly catered towards turning him into a role model. His glorified image was short lived, suddenly, Tiger woods was not polishing his statute but picking up the remaining pieces from the floor.

At the first opportunity, the same media that endorsed and supported him throughout his career, was the major culprit in altering his perception, dethroning him of his legacy and turning him into a public enemy.  The infidelity scandals that faced Tiger woods were the perfect headline story for the media. His demise was now more beneficial than his glory. Clearly, if his scandals as illustrated on the news were true, then many of us will disagree with his value system, especially as he was characterized as a role model.

That being said, this is not the first case of infidelity and neither will it be the last case for many famous people. Evidently, there were no more headlines, stories, movies and documentaries about him being the best golfer, but there will be headlines of “the best golfer that became the sex addict with issues.” This pressure defeated Tiger Woods and he was forced to not participate in tournaments and even when he did, he was a mere shadow of the golfer he used to be.

Today, the story is different.  The media momentum is in favor of Tiger Woods again because now the media, who groomed and destroyed him, has found an even better chronicle, the resurrection of Tiger Woods. That’s the kind of narrative that we all like. News and reports are now talking about his return, describing his performances as reminiscent of his best days as a golfer. The media created the story of redemption, and what better tale is there than ‘the comeback’.

In reality, experts in the golf arena laughed at such claims, dismissing reports that Tiger is close to being the golfer he used to be. It is to be seen whether Tiger Woods actually finds his glory days again, but it will be not surprising if he gains confidence by using the media claims to his advantage to re-brand his image. What matters at the end of the day, is the last perception you walk away with.