[Goose]

I don’t think it is inherently harder to be kind to others, and there are plenty of elite athletes who are kind, genuine people.

I think one can respect everything that Tiger has accomplished on the golf course, and still lament that he was a bit of a jerk.  I’m glad that age has mellowed him out.

BC

While I mostly agree with what you say here, I have one caveat that I think merits consideration. While life experiences and reflection may genuinely change a person's approach to his peers, my observation (of people I actually know well enough to evaluate with some confidence) is that often what actually changes is their political skills. The "inner jerk" is still very much there, but they have learned to hide it better in casual situations. When it comes to what they actually do, not how they appear, they haven't changed. Hard to know about Tiger unless you are in his circle, which I am certainly not :-).

[Goose]

I don’t think it is inherently harder to be kind to others, and there are plenty of elite athletes who are kind, genuine people.

I think one can respect everything that Tiger has accomplished on the golf course, and still lament that he was a bit of a jerk.  I’m glad that age has mellowed him out.

BC

While I mostly agree with what you say here, I have one caveat that I think merits consideration. While life experiences and reflection may genuinely change a person's approach to his peers, my observation (of people I actually know well enough to evaluate with some confidence) is that often what actually changes is their political skills. The "inner jerk" is still very much there, but they have learned to hide it better in casual situations. When it comes to what they actually do, not how they appear, they haven't changed. Hard to know about Tiger unless you are in his circle, which I am certainly not :-).