The Tampon Seen ‘Round The World

It was the tampon seen ‘round the world. You heard me right. Even if you don't follow anything related to sports, you’ve no doubt heard about the Tiger Woods incident and his American Pie-level humor earlier this month involving a cardboard applicator. (No offense, AP franchise lovers, it was just a time and place.) Just in case, here’s what happened:

On February 16th Tiger Woods slipped a tampon into fellow-golfer Justin Thomas’ hand as a “prank”, presumably to imply that he “hit like a girl” on the ninth hole during the first round of the Genesis Invitational. In the days that followed, Tiger responded to an outcry around the incident and apologized for any offense, saying that it was a just a prank between two friends.

I understand and appreciate a good joke, and I know that humor is subjective.  And some people’s humor can be in pretty poor taste to others. Yet this incident and Tiger’s somewhat blasé reaction has hit a real nerve with me. I'm bothered. Like really bothered. 

You see, this so-called prank was carried out by someone with a massive public persona in a public forum with the world watching. It wasn’t just a private joke between two friends. Nor did it take place in a locker room away from prying lenses and eyes. It happened in the middle of a fairway with thousands of iPhones and cameras perched on the two players.

Further, Tiger seems relatively oblivious that the prank publicly endorses a culture of sexism, misogyny, and toxic masculinity that is already a problematic cliché in the sports world and the world at large.

I think my reaction boils down to a simple question for Tiger: Are we still doing this? As the father of a 15-year-old daughter and an international sports star, you have the opportunity and platform to set a better example and create a more empowering world. 

It's about damn time (thanks Lizzo) we evolved beyond these outdated and franky idiotic ideas of gendered weakness and sexist humor, and you, Tiger, have the opportunity to be part of the solution and set an example. 

So next time you want to bring your (bad) locker room humor into the public arena for global consumption, please be more thoughtful about the millions of people watching. The young boys and young girls. Your daughter's mother, her friends and maybe even future partners. You might find it harmless, but your actions signal something much more problematic. They continue to reinforce dangerous misogyny and gender biases towards women.

Respectfully,
Lilliana