The story of 4 idiots
Written By
Gautam Sheth
| Updated:
Woods, Serena, Phelps and Agassi — what binds the venerable tetra pack? One doped, the others got tied up in scandals’ long rope. Gautam Sheth does a recap...
It’s not something that would keep the stars and stripes of Barack Obama’s country fly high. What Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi and Michael Phelps and Serena Williams did is beyond anyone’s imagination. The most celebrated sports stars of the world have left one and all stunned. And some ashamed. But the question is have they, anyway, become lesser mortals following their shenanigans.
Tiger Woods, the first ‘Billion Dollar Man’ in any sport, would not have imagined that a car crash would open up a can of worms of his life. Before the beans could be spilled any further, he confessed to infidelity, thinking it would all sober down. But in a space of two weeks, almost everyday a woman came out to get a slice out of Tiger’s flesh. Like in a full golf course, the world No.1 golfer’s name has been linked to 18 women. Till date. No wonder, his wife Elin Nordegren has expressed a wish for divorce. Assessing the damage, Woods now has taken an indefinite break from the sport in search of the missing marital bliss.
Everyone from broadcasters, PGA tour officials and ad-spenders, would be keeping an eye on Tiger – when can he successfully launch his quest to break Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 Majors.
Michael Phelps was caught on camera smoking cannabis earlier this year. The Olympic superstar still managed to be voted as World and American Swimmer of the Year 2009.
He was worshipped for all his exploits in Beijing but he showed that after all he was a human. A young achiever who fell to the lure of temptation not knowing he was a public figure.
The tabloid moment led to a spare of pullouts by the sponsors. It also earned him a three-month ban from USA Swimming. He apologised for his conduct, promising his fans “it will never happen again” but the damage was already done.
Meanwhile, Andre Agassi became the tennis story of the year, making a mockery of Roger Federer’s record 15 Grand Slam wins. Agassi confessed to taking crystal meth drug during a low point of his career in 1997 and then lying to ATP officials to escape a doping ban, saying he had accidentally taken a drink spiked by a former assistant.
While the eight-time Grand Slam winner must have made a serious effort to take the monkey off his back, it could easily be a part of the strategy to spike the sales of his book. Make your guess.
Serena Williams screamed her way out of the US Open. TV viewers around the world saw her launch a profanity-laced tirade at a female line judge after being called for a foot fault. “If I could, I would take this ****** ball and shove it down your ***** throat,” she said. The diminutive lineswoman reported her words to the umpire, who called in the tournament referee at Flushing Meadows. With the crowd booing, Miss Williams could be heard on the court microphone pleading with the lineswoman, saying: ‘I didn’t say I would kill you. Are you serious? I didn’t say that.’
Tiger Woods, the first ‘Billion Dollar Man’ in any sport, would not have imagined that a car crash would open up a can of worms of his life. Before the beans could be spilled any further, he confessed to infidelity, thinking it would all sober down. But in a space of two weeks, almost everyday a woman came out to get a slice out of Tiger’s flesh. Like in a full golf course, the world No.1 golfer’s name has been linked to 18 women. Till date. No wonder, his wife Elin Nordegren has expressed a wish for divorce. Assessing the damage, Woods now has taken an indefinite break from the sport in search of the missing marital bliss.
Everyone from broadcasters, PGA tour officials and ad-spenders, would be keeping an eye on Tiger – when can he successfully launch his quest to break Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 Majors.
Michael Phelps was caught on camera smoking cannabis earlier this year. The Olympic superstar still managed to be voted as World and American Swimmer of the Year 2009.
He was worshipped for all his exploits in Beijing but he showed that after all he was a human. A young achiever who fell to the lure of temptation not knowing he was a public figure.
The tabloid moment led to a spare of pullouts by the sponsors. It also earned him a three-month ban from USA Swimming. He apologised for his conduct, promising his fans “it will never happen again” but the damage was already done.
Meanwhile, Andre Agassi became the tennis story of the year, making a mockery of Roger Federer’s record 15 Grand Slam wins. Agassi confessed to taking crystal meth drug during a low point of his career in 1997 and then lying to ATP officials to escape a doping ban, saying he had accidentally taken a drink spiked by a former assistant.
While the eight-time Grand Slam winner must have made a serious effort to take the monkey off his back, it could easily be a part of the strategy to spike the sales of his book. Make your guess.
Serena Williams screamed her way out of the US Open. TV viewers around the world saw her launch a profanity-laced tirade at a female line judge after being called for a foot fault. “If I could, I would take this ****** ball and shove it down your ***** throat,” she said. The diminutive lineswoman reported her words to the umpire, who called in the tournament referee at Flushing Meadows. With the crowd booing, Miss Williams could be heard on the court microphone pleading with the lineswoman, saying: ‘I didn’t say I would kill you. Are you serious? I didn’t say that.’