I carry only three photos in my wallet, and one is of me and my hero, just in case nobody believes my story. And my hero came through again this week - not on the golf course, where he is master of the game, but in the game of life, where he also excels. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that professional golfer Casey Martin could get an exemption from pro-golf etiquette and ride a motorized cart during tournament play, the predictable moans and groans were uttered from other competitors on the pro circuit. But not from Woods. Woods endorsed the court decision, suggesting that it would be wrong to discriminate against Martin by excluding him from tournaments because of a rare disease that makes it painful for him to walk.
Tiger knows something about discrimination.
Unlike many of pro golf's elite, Tiger didn't grow up on the manicured lawns of private country clubs. His father taught him how to play at public courses and military bases when Tiger was a small boy and his dad was in the service. They couldn't afford a private-club membership, but they wouldn't have been welcome if they had the cash anyway. Even in Tiger Woods' short life, discrimination has been active and thriving. He experienced the bigotry of racial discrimination not only as a child but as a young adult.