Tiger Woods Cheats: And Mainstream Media as We Know it Collapses

As the Tiger Woods scandal continues to dominate the headlines "Who Is the Next Tiger Woods Mistress?", "Listen to the Tiger Woods Voicemail Here!" and on down the list, I can't help but think back to one specific moment in time.

This is the moment I commonly cite as the spark that rapidly tore apart the world of sports coverage as we know it. The relationship between Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb erupted in the midst of the NFL season, and for the next month ESPN became a 24/7 Owens vs. McNabb soap drama. I wasn't sure if I was watching the news or being goaded into buying a pay-per-view boxing match between heated rivals.

Since then, almost exactly four years ago, things have gotten much worse. In the world of TMZ, Twitter and the ever shrinking sphere of privacy which all celebrities have to face, the line between what is and is not news is no longer blurred, it's entirely disregarded.

With the web thriving as the true flash point for breaking news, scandals and rumors and in the process taking away from the ratings and readership of more traditional media, these sources long ago took the dive into these murky waters as well. Interested in the troop push into Afghanistan? The continuing health care battle? Great! Now hang out for a few minutes because we have to talk about the Tiger Woods scandal for a few minutes at the top of the hour, that's what the world wants to know!

If Woods was an elected official or perhaps an outspoken religious leader, the whirlwind of news coverage would be more understandable, and perhaps even appropriate... to a degree. If Woods was driving drunk and violently wrecked his vehicle, public outrage and scrutiny would certainly be more deserved. If Woods was accused of any crime in his "transgressions" - whether sexual abuse or otherwise - the race would be on between police and media sources to honorably uncover important facts. If his career was over or in serious jeopardy, the need to dig deeper into the truth of the accident would be felt by all.

But none of these ifs apply. I know - celebrities "willingly" relinquish their privacy when they arrive to the big stage. It's a tradeoff that just has to be dealt with, and if you don't like it, you can ply your trade with the rest of the 9 to 5ers. Fine, but keep the gossip to the gossip pages. Draw a line somewhere, anywhere, which just should not be crossed. Imagine yourself being plastered over the news for weeks at a time for the last mistake you made in private, a mistake which had no bearing whatsoever on anyone else outside of your family and friends.

Of course, in a world where Ray Lewis quickly went from murder trials to video game covers, where Kobe Bryant returned to the top of the NBA jersey sales chart, where Ron Artest is viewed as quirky, where Alex Rodriguez won over the Yankees Stadium faithful, there will be light at the end of the tunnel. His sponsors won't leave him, he'll win more majors and hopefully he'll find a way to make his amends in private.

Tiger Woods cheated on his wife, apparently with multiple women over a sustained period of time. It's wrong, it's not to be commended or even overlooked. But the Tiger Woods scandal is a sad affair from top to bottom, most notably because a family is crumbling. The only thing worse is that we're all clamoring to see the pieces fall right before our eyes instead of leaving them - and any celebrity in a similar situation - to deal with the issue on their own.