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On Monday, President Trump will give Tiger Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom. They have long been friendly. They played golf together and Woods designed a course for a Trump property in Dubai.
Yet Woods is rare among black-blooded athletes to associate with Trump, whom many African-Americans have criticized for his sympathetic remarks about white nationalists and the condemnation of football players who have knelt for protest racism and police brutality.
We asked readers what they thought of Woods as a result of his spectacular return to the Masters golf tournament and his relationship with Trump.
Here is a sample of slightly modified answers in terms of length, clarity and spelling. We noted the race of the person if and how it was included:
Sue Shapcott, Madison, Wis. (Former tour player, now PGA coach)
I loved watching Tiger Woods win the Masters. But I wish we separated Tiger's game from his moral return. It is possible to have one without the other. He may have become a better person after his fall, and I hope he did it. It's convenient to loop them together, but life is more complicated than that.
He has the power to change golfers' sense of belonging and he does not use it.
Robby Benson, 63 years old, North Carolina (White)
In the current environment of cruelty and division, Tiger united the "United States", if only for a moment. We need heroes now. We must seek hope, joy and a misplaced sense of justice: an elderly man in the middle of a return against all odds. In a pop culture, Tiger was the manifestation of the American dream. Once again, if even for a moment, Tiger brought joy on both sides of the aisle.
Bonda Lee-Cunningham, 74 years old, New York (Afro-American)
I was deeply disappointed by the actions of life that precipitated the fall of Tiger because, despite his "separation" from his Blackness, I was always impressed by the work he had done to perfect his game and proud of achievements. The personal things that brought him down are the result of his lack of contact with his own feelings for the people of his life. It was a golfing machine and he did not seem able to understand himself on the human level. I've been watching his efforts to regain his place in the golf world and give him a lot of credit for his recent achievements, but I hope that the time out has humanized him further.
Betty Bamonte, Minneapolis
I am delighted with his strong return thanks to his hard work and perseverance. However, deeply disappointed that he dismisses the fact that Trump does not respect blacks. It's unfortunate that he does not see how hurtful it is and only gives Trump more ammunition to pretend hypocritically that he's really not a white supremacist.
Deborah, 66 years old, Atlanta (Afro-American)
Perhaps if he presented himself as a model for the black community and used his platform to speak on behalf of the black community, he would get more respect from the black community.
Rahsaan Abdul-Wahid, 49 years old, North Carolina (African American, retired military)
I see his return positively on a human plane that has nothing to do with color. He has made major mistakes in his personal life. And now, instead of walking, he is actually starting to swim to a safe place. At least that is what appears to the naked eye.
Brigitte McKinney, 64 years old, New York (Afro-American)
He has talent and probably works hard to achieve his goals and deserves to be recognized for it. It is a great disappointment to me that President Trump has chosen to honor the achievements of Mr. Woods, when most of his words and actions are a great dishonor to people of color in general.
Katrina Bowman, 61 years old, California (SME boss)
Resilience matters. Sometimes the bad guys win. It's a pity that Woods missed an opportunity to defend racial equality and basic human rights, such as the right to kneel in the face of oppression. I am unfortunately not surprised. There will be a judgment.
Dean Campbell, 52 years old, New York (Black, official)
I am happy that Tiger has overcome physical and personal challenges, especially at his age. It is a source of human and personal inspiration, where, as a Black, I feel besieged all the time.
Michael, 65 years old, Maryland (Afro-American)
As an African-American, I celebrate the achievements of all those who resemble me and whose achievements go against conventional or negative perceptions of what we are capable of. Moreover, apart from race and political tendencies, its record deserves to be celebrated alone.
Edmund Thomas Jr., 30 years old, New York (African American, dentist)
The return of Tiger is ideal for golf and sports in general, as it is an incredible story of redemption and perseverance. For me, this highlights the internal conflict that I have with the support of an athlete I 've grown up admiring. I'm 30 now, but I felt like I was watching him because he was the only golfer I saw on television and who looked like me. In elementary school, I wrote my first book review on Tiger Woods. Today as an adult and African American living in America today, I do not serve other minorities than to support a person who does not use it. not its celebrity and its huge platform to recognize, let alone help improve the issues facing the minority community (see LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Nipsey Hussle, etc.).
Cornelia DeLee, 71 years old, Arkansas (White, ordained minister and artist)
Many Americans have addiction or addiction issues, or are living in a family with a loved one with this problem. It affects too many people, so if Tiger suffers and overcomes it, there is hope for others. My daughter died of an overdose, my extended family has an alcohol addiction dating back to the American Civil War era and I hope the next generation will learn the lessons from this story.
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