brsmith
Very true. Nor did I anticipate his blowup on the 12th hole that essentially offed his title defense. I was shocked to see it unfold as quickly and painfully as it did.
The silver lining, however, is that people don't mind seeing humbleness. They don't mind seeing the great ones stumble from time to time, because it is at those very moments when some of us try to figure out just how great they are... not just how they accept what happened, or how they learned from the disappointment, but how they rebound and overcome that disappointment. And the fact that not everyone deals with disappointment the same way is part of what makes sports in general so fascinating sometimes.
Some people don't remember this, but prior to Norman's collapse in '96 - he wasn't looked at very favorably by everybody. He had a side to him that was often perceived to be very arrogant and condescending, he was very opinionated about the direction the Tour was headed and he felt he had all the answers. Nevertheless, his misfortune that Sunday at the Masters back in 1996 was captured and televised all over the world, as people watched this proud, arrogant hot-shot golfer become utterly exposed and humiliated, hole after hole, in shocking, humiliating fashion. He went from being a figure that few people could relate to, that few people liked, to suddenly becoming someone that everyone could relate to and feel pity for.
And Norman, for a brief period in time, seemed to embrace that. Of course - 20 years later he's once again perceived as this arrogant, opinionated figure in the sport who traded in his golf clubs for three-piece suits and clothing and winery businesses. He can't say however that there wasn't an opportunity for him to win over some of his most staunch of critics. He had that opportunity for a brief period in his playing career, but eventually his personality and ego refused to change, so the original perception didn't waste much time returning to the chicken coop to roost.
The same could be said of Tiger, probably the greatest modern day example. His personality and on-course behavior put a lot of people off despite his greatness, but then came the scandal... and there was his huge opportunity, to show a human side, to play the role of a humbled figure that the average person could relate to on some level. But as was the deal with Norman, so too it was with Woods. Too much defiance, too much ego, too much pride, to embrace that opportunity to win over those fans he never had, or those fans he lost because of his careless lifestyle decisions.
Jordan is young, got lots of life lessons yet to learn, hasn't even scratched the surface of what is hopefully a long career left of great wins and frustrating losses. But he has, like Woods and Norman had (albeit of an entirely different nature) an opportunity to win over some folks who've yet to find anything to become attached to.
It's not that we don't find some means of morbid enjoyment watching certain celebrities fall flat on their faces. But on that same token - most of us are complete suckers for storylines involving perseverance and overcoming. If he can somehow get back to work, put this behind him and prevail in the US Open - it'll be a remarkable story that will undoubtedly be the highlight of the season.