By Carol Cain
I began Masters’ Sunday morning in Starkville, Mississippi returning from watching some close friends’ son play in Mississippi State University’s annual spring football game.
As I sat at the airport, deep in the middle of bright red state Trump country, another shade of red was on display and generating palatable excitement for African Americans, Caucasians, young people, old people, males and, females. It was Sunday at the Masters and, donned in his typical Sunday red, Tiger Woods was on the range and, preparing for the hunt.
When our short commuter flight landed in a slightly lighter shade of red state, Georgia (where new Democratic rising star, Stacey Abrams almost won the race for Governor and, is strongly being pushed to run for Senate) for an over 2 hour layover, the final round had started early due to the inclement weather driving across Georgia. Every bar, restaurant and coffee shop in Atlanta Hartsfield Airport was tuned in and packed with people watching the coverage. Didn’t matter what your politics were or, your social or economic status. Woods was on the prowl and, it was must see TV.
On the plane home, literally every entertainment screen attached to the backs of seats was on the tournament and, as the holes played out, it felt like you weren’t on a plane but rather in the stands at Augusta. No movies for yours truly on this day. By the time we landed, Woods was up 2 strokes with 2 holes to play. The vibe in restaurants and bars at the McNamara Terminal was identical to what I experienced in Mississippi and Georgia, as everyone gathered to watch him close out major championship win number 15.
Tiger Woods is the most compelling story in sports and, one of the more intriguing figures in recent history. At times both a professional success and, a personal mess, Woods has been through it all; divorce, public scorn, 8 surgeries, as well as rehab (both physical and mental). Yet, I personally observed last Sunday, in 3 different states, all of which possess drastically different demographics, scores of Americans of all ages, ethnicities, and both genders rooting for his every shot.
From a business perspective, some companies couldn’t withstand the heat of Woods troubles. Gillette, Accenture, AT&T, and yes, our own General Motors Buick Division, either cancelled their sponsorship agreements or failed to renew them when their terms ended.
But, companies like Nike never wavered and Japanese based Bridgestone doubled down, signing Woods in 2016 to an agreement where he now plays with their golf balls. Undoubtedly, both will now reap the financial reward of their loyalty – and, as expected, Nike had an ad on the air touting Woods’ achievement almost before he and his entourage left the Augusta National grounds.
The lesson of that special Sunday for me was the power and euphoria of sports. No matter what your views are on lots of things that currently divide our nation, one man, for a few hours, brought us all together with his incredible mastery of a game many of us don’t even play. It was one of those moments you will remember forever where you were when it happened.
Carol Cain is a long-time columnist at the Detroit Free Press (where the majority of this opinion piece first published) and she is also senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters, which airs at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday on CBS 62 in Detroit.
