Ahmed Yahaya – Joe
I wish Tiger Woods a speedy recovery. He was recently involved in a single-car accident sustaining significant orthopedic injuries.
Tiger Woods whose real name is Eldrick Tont Woods never describes himself as Black. Rather he refers to himself as “Cablinasian” which is a syllabic abbreviation he coined from being Caucasian, Black, American Indian, and Asian – whatever that means.
One thing is however obvious in America – “If it is not Panadol it is not Panadol” Simply put as far as Oyibo people are concerned …… is Black albeit as Malcom X would say a “House N…..”
Whatever identity crisis Mr. Woods has, one that cannot be denied is that he is such a superb athlete who is considered one of the best golfers of all-time.
Success has however come for Mr. Woods with a high prize. He had to take more than a decade sabbatical from the game.
Racism is embedded in the DNA of America. It is the oxygen of capitalism and their own version of ethnicity. Even Covid-19 is racist as the infection rate for blacks is 62 per 10,000, compared with 23 per 10,000 for whites. Meanwhile, 1 out of every 1000 Black Americans have died from Covid-19 so far. For Whites the average is 1 out of every 2,150 that have died from complications arising from the novel Coronavirus.
America is the land of opportunity. It however has socioeconomic stratification. And boundaries. For instance, Black people neither watch nor play Ice hockey.
Golf is a historically an exclusive game. As a metaphor for life many are called but few are chosen.
Golf is an easy game. It’s just hard to play;
“Golf is supposed to be an accountable sport. You hit a bad shot, that’s on you. You break a rule, you call it on yourself. Stop making excuses or guessing someone’s intention”
From my personal involvement golf is about keeping your head down and your eye on the ball as you take a swing. Your state of mind reflects in your game.
Golfers agree that it can best be defined as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle.
Play. Fail. Learn. Win.
Are you calm, cool and collected? It will show. Are you blindsided by anxiety, fear, doubt and apprehension? A round of golf alone is the best medicine for you to look inwards and reinvent yourself.
As John Updike would say; “Golf appeals to the idiot in us”
There are two kinds of golfers; opportunists and those that play for the metaphor of life. You can always tell the difference at first swing.
As Tiger Woods exemplifies the dilemma of a Black man in a White game, all golfers are also involved in class struggle.
Happy New month my friends!
