Alpha Tiger Tom Smith

I had been planning to write something about the Tiger scandal and his apparent marital issues, but that was before the rumor/news that the fracas has led to a renegotiation of his pre-nup that reportedly involves his lovely wife getting an additional $50 million not to divorce him within the next two years (if I'm understanding the story correctly, which may not be true anyway).  This led me to realize that I was out of my league anyway, since I don't really understand what sort of relationship this might be.  It clearly bears little relationship to the average marriage, even one between fairly wealthy people.  This is something more like a standstill agreement that might bring temporary peace to a contested corporate takeover transaction.  This is big business, with some sex and children thrown into the deal.  Very strange.

The strangeness of the arrangement, though granted maybe not that unusual in the rarified world of super-rich superstars, makes the usual judgments about our golfing hero's behavior harder to make.  Were Tiger and Elin even really married beyond the legal sense?  I read as part of the deal not to walk out right now, she gets a payment of $5 million.  I mean, did Tiger cheat on her, or just violate his non-compete agreement?  I was prepared to think very poorly of him, and I still think he has hardly covered himself in glory, but how weird it must be to be married within the terms of such an elaborately negotiated arrangement.  Chill bonds indeed.  And the payment of a blood-price for his crime makes the whole thing seem at once remote, commercial and alien.  Downright Nordic.  Yet Elin's club weilding reaction (there being no war ax on hand) to her husband's infidelity (if that's what happened) suggests she did indeed have some skin in the game.  But then, nothing's more personal than business.  Was it love Tiger betrayed or just her legitimate contractual expectations?  Or maybe there's really no separating the two.

Elin's being kept on, it seems, as a valuable part of Tiger, Inc.  She deserves to be well paid for it.  I can't imagine Tiger will be finding a lot of intimate warmth at home in the next few years, though I suppose that could be written into the settlement. You would have to come up with some measure of performance.

It's probably wrong, not to mention politically incorrect, to feel sorry for Tiger -- a billionaire with babes to burn, what's to feel sorry for?  True, but it seems he has not found that thing many of us cherish and value above everything else, a happy marriage, nor does it seem he is likely to find it.  Still, if the Teddy Kennedy pot can eventually find its lid, I guess anything can happen.  I hope it doesn't affect his game.

Comments

[jimbino]

I find it amazing that rich folks, who have so much to lose, even begin to contemplate marriage. Marriage makes financial sense for a breadwinner who brings in some $150,000 per year, because it cuts his taxes way down. But a rich breadwinner stands to gain not much more than the difference in tax on the last $75,000 or so that amounts to about $30,000. For that $30,000 savings he sets himself up for so much grief. And if the non-breadwinner has earnings of $75,000 too, there is hardly any savings (and there used to be a hefty marriage penalty).

Love, friendship, sex, cohabitation, breeding and marriage are six completely independent things nowadays--all except the first, and maybe the second, are pretty easy to obtain, and it seems to me the first three are more often than not ruined by marriage. Especially among celebrities.

I can think of only one really good reason to marry: to help a beloved friend gain immigration rights and a green card.

[Jonathan]

Who's negotiating on behalf of the kids?

[dgm]

Funny, I kinda hope it does affect his game.

What's in the best interest of the kids here? Either way they will be provided for financially, so the question is how will their parents screw them up the least. If Elin stays but Tiger doesn't change his ways and then she walks in two years with a buttload of money, is that any better for the kids than if she just walks out now while the kids are too young to understand what's going on? Can we really say, in the end, that a guy who would impose these circumstances on his family is a "good father," because he is otherwise loving and attentive and devoted to his kids?

[Larry]

Elin is beautiful, but there are many beautiful women around. There are far fewer guys who are 1) billionaires, 2) celebrities, and 3) young. Tiger was certainly going to have lots of opportunities to fool around. The evolutionary psychologists believe that this urge to seek out new and attractive women is hard-wired into guys. This seems to be correct.

You may argue that he shouldn't have fooled around anyway. And you may be right, although we don't really know what their marriage was like. But people shouldn't be surprised when an uber-alpha guy like this takes advantage of his many opportunities.

If Elin wanted to continue to be the monopoly provider of intimate services in this market, she should have made it more expensive for Tiger to have strayed. This is apparently what Michael Douglass's young, hot wife did.

[buy viagra]

tigers are animals that share a number of natural behaviors and instincts too stop to those in humans in which pairs show great family union and its award-clear memory is that among other things that are so revered and loved in asia

[generic cialis]

I am currently conducting an investigation regarding this issue. The information presented in your blog is really interesting so I want to thank and also congratulate the great work. thanks again.

[arizona estate sales]

You got my attention here. This is such a substantial blog to read.