Readers Respond: Does it matter that Tiger Woods and President Trump Seem Tight?

On Monday, President Trump Tiger Woods must give the presidential medal of freedom. They have been friendly for a long time. They play golf together and Woods designs a course for a Trump accommodation in Dubai.

Yet Woods is rare among black line athletes to associate with Trump, who has criticized many African-Americans for sympathetic remarks about white nationalists and convictions of footballers kneeling in protest of racism and police violence.

We asked readers how they felt about Woods in light of his wonderful comeback to win the Masters golf tournament and about his relationship with Trump.

Here is a sample of answers that are slightly adjusted for length, clarity, and spelling. We noted the race of the person as and how it was included:

Sue Shapcott, Madison, Wis. (Former tour player, now a PGA coach)

I loved watching Tiger Woods win the Masters. But I wish we would separate Tiger's game from his moral comeback. 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 is handy to pack them together, but life is more complicated than that.

He has the power to change how many people feel they belong to golf, and he doesn't use it.

Robby Benson, 63, North Carolina (White)

In the current environment of cruelty and division, Tiger united the & # 39; United States & # 39; even if only for a moment. We need heroes now. We must take root for hope, joy and a misguided sense of justice: an older man in the middle of a comeback against all odds. In a pop culture way, Tiger was the manifestation of the American dream. Again, as even just a moment, Tiger brought joy to both sides of the aisle.

Bonda Lee-Cunningham, 74, New York (African-American)

I was deeply disappointed in the actions in life that caused the fall of Tiger, because despite his "separation" from his blackness, I was still impressed by the work he did in perfecting his game and proud of his achievements. The personal things that brought him down are the result of the fact that he was not in touch with his own feelings for the people in his life. He was a golf machine and seemed unable to relate to human level just as well. I have watched his struggles to regain his place in the golf world and give him much appreciation for his recent achievements, but I hope that the downtime has made him more humanized.

Betty Bamonte, Minneapolis

I am delighted that he has made a comeback through hard work and perseverance. Very disappointed, however, that he rejects the fact that Trump does not respect the black people. It is a pity that he does not see how hurtful this is and it only gives Trump more ammunition to claim that he really is not a white supremacist.

Deborah, 66, Atlanta (African-American)

Perhaps if he would project himself as a role model for the black community and use his platform to speak out on behalf of the black community, gain more respect from the black community

Rahsaan Abdul-Wahid, 49, North Carolina (African-American retired soldiers)

I see his comeback in a positive way on a human level that has nothing to do with color. He made major mistakes in his private life. And now, instead of stepping, he starts swimming to a safe place. At least this is what appears to the naked eye.

Brigitte McKinney, 64, New York (African-American)

He is talented and probably works very hard to achieve his goals and deserves to be recognized for it . I feel very disappointed that President Trump chooses to improve Mr. To honor Woods, while most of his words and actions generally embarrass people in color.

Katrina Bowman, 61, California (Small Business Owner)

Resilience is important. Sometimes bad guys win. It is a shame that Woods has wasted an opportunity to stand up for racial equality and fundamental human rights such as the right to take control of oppression. Unfortunately I am not surprised. There will be a settlement.

Dean Campbell, 52, New York (Black; Officer)

I am happy that Tiger overcame physical and personal challenges to come back, especially at his age. It is inspiring on a human level and also on a personal level, where I am constantly under attack as a black man.

Michael, 65, Maryland (African-American)

As an African-American, I celebrate the achievements of everyone who looks like me and whose achievements are in the face of conventional or negative perceptions fly over what we are capable of. Furthermore, aside from race and political affiliation, his record deserves to be celebrated only

Edmund Thomas Jr., 30, New York (African-American; dentist)

The Tiger comeback is great for golf and sports in general because it is an amazing story of salvation and perseverance. For me it points to admire the internal conflict that I have with supporting an athlete I grew up with. I am now 30, but as a child I looked up to him because he was the only golfer I would see on TV that looked like me. In primary school I did my first book report about Tiger Woods. Now, as an adult and as an African-American man who lives in America today, I am doing myself and other minorities a poor service in supporting a person who does not use his celebrity and his huge platform to identify problems to help improve. the minority community (see LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Nipsey Hussle, etc.).

Cornelia DeLee, 71, Arkansas (White, ordained pastor and artist)

Many Americans have problems with drug abuse or addiction or living in a family with a loved one with this issue. It affects too many people, so when Tiger suffers and conquers, there is hope for others. My daughter died of drug overdose, my extended family has an alcohol addiction dating back to the civil war era, and my hope is that the next generation will learn from this history.