<p>“So if you were a world-caliber athlete you would play for free”
It doesn’t matter what I would do. I just don’t understand the value that is placed on professional athletes. I remember times when pro football players sold insurance or had car dealerships to run in the off-season. Seems appropriate to me.
I just don’t think what they do is all that worth it</p>
<p>I have no problem that Tiger Woods earns a lot of money.</p>
<p>I find it incredulous that razorsharp is stating that Elin did nothing to earn Tiger’s money! What, for example, should she have done to EARN his money? She was his WIFE. Do you believe a wife should not receive money in a divorce when she had planned on staying married and was living a life, or maybe even may have given up a job to raise the children (speaking generally now)? Their money is joint. What exactly do wives have to do to “earn” it as you state? </p>
<p>Besides that, I imagine Tiger wants her to have money. He supposedly wanted to remain married after this incident. I am sure there was also a pre-nup. On top of that, he may have to pay more for her to agree to not divulge private matters in their relationship, since he is a public figure. By being silent, she is additionally “earning” money as that is to his benefit. </p>
<p>You also mention that Elin will not HAVE to work (though I think she wants to become a counselor). So what? She did not HAVE to work while married to Tiger and he did things to break up the marriage that she expected to lead for her life. Tiger may not want her to have to work and want her to be able to be there for the kids. That was the life they were leading with a stay at home mom and he may have wanted that for the kids now too.</p>
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<p>I guess because the public is willing to pay for it. The same question could be asked of any pro athlete or any celebrity.</p>
<p>Rule of the marketplace is that something is worth exactly what others are willing to pay for it. If Nike didn’t think they were coming out ahead in paying Tiger millions to wear their logo, they wouldn’t do it.</p>
<p>Razor,</p>
<p>So the fact that she was his wife and support system means squat, while he fooled around the world behind her back? </p>
<p>Do you agree he broke his marital vows, and she did not? </p>
<p>If so, then the statement you want to play than you will pay should apply.</p>
<p>This is not about him being the bread winner, he accepted that role the minute he put the ring on her finger and took the vows. To say she did nothing to bolster his career regarding his earnings has nothing to do with how much she got. He broke the marriage, and like anything else in this world, you break it, you pay for it.</p>
<p>Additionally, I do disagree about her not helping his career. She did not help his game, but she sure as heck helped his image. Tiger before the marriage was a player that got bad press, (remember the Payne Stewart funeral?) and people either loved him or hated him, after the marriage, because of her, they saw a more human side of him. This helped him hawk his Nike products because of how the press was viewing him. He was no longer the pompous arse, now he was a loving husband and doting father, with the dog to complete the image.</p>
<p>bullteandpima…I agree with ALL you wrote. </p>
<p>She also helped him by being a support behind the scenes as a wife and mother. Is that not worth anything? And yes, he did accept that she was a stay at home mom during their marriage. </p>
<p>Her role was not to bolster his career. Her role was to be his wife and the mother of his children. </p>
<p>I still REALLY want to know what you think she should have done, razorsharp, to EARN it? You said she did nothing to earn it. What should a wife do to earn getting money if they divorce (the amount of money is commensurate with the wealth of the spouse).</p>
<p>On top of that, why should Elin not live the quality of life she was accustomed to as Tiger’s wife, when she was not the one who caused the break up and had intended to be by his side for years to come? He did some damage. He had a choice.</p>
<p>Putting the question of “earning” aside, between the two of them, I am perfectly happy with her getting as much of the money as possible. I think it’s nice when bad people have to give money to good people.</p>
<p>Also, it was reported (before the divorce) that she was going to be paid a large amount if she agreed to stay married at least seven more years. That implies she was worth something to him as he wanted to pay her to STAY.</p>
<p>She could have taken her $20,000,000 and gone, she may have gotton $100,000,000. We will never know for sure. No matter what the settlement, Tiger Woods certainly isn’t going to be poor, or middle class for that matter after this. </p>
<p>I have been married 22 years and I am happy, but if my H cheated on me or otherwise broke our marriage vows, I’m not going to lie he would find it very exspensive!</p>
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<p>Apparently it is, or we would not be having this debate as she would have been sent home with the pittance you think she deserves.</p>
<p>If Florida is not a community property state and her prenup guaranteed her far less than she actually received, we must come to the conclusion that on some level Tiger agreed with the settlement. Seems he would be fighting it if he didn’t. So basically, it is a private agreement between two rational adults who have no need to “justify it” to anyone else. If Tiger didn’t feel it was “justified,” he would be fighting it tooth and nail, as he undoubtedly has access to the best lawyers on the planet. The fact that he isn’t is clear evidence that he believes firmly that she has a right to the money and has indeed “earned” it.</p>
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<p>Actually, yes, she did. She beat Tiger under extreme pressure.</p>
<p>Nrd…great points. I agree. I believe Tiger agreed to this settlement and thus feels Elin “earned” it. He may feel badly she was hurt. He may not want her to have to work and continue raising the kids in the manner they had planned if married. He may want to ensure she keeps quiet about their relationship. He has the money. He was willing to give her $75 million to stay married seven more years. Why does anyone here care if Elin “earned” it…because as you say, Tiger felt she was owed it and agreed to it. I feel that “earning” it is just a weird way to look at it. What does a wife have to do to EARN receiving a portion of the spouse’s income in a divorce anyway?</p>
<p>You wonder how much relief this has for Tiger. He signs the divorce papers and then goes out today and shoots the best round of golf in a year. He shoots a 65 or six under to take the early lead at the Barclay’s championship. Coincidence?</p>
<p>Oh my, is that true? He played terribly this past weekend…</p>
<p>"What does a wife have to do to EARN receiving a portion of the spouse’s income in a divorce anyway? "</p>
<p>Raise the children. I think this kind of settlement is pretty silly when there are no children involved, but if you have one partner making the money and the other taking care of the kids, it makes perfect sense to me that the money earned belongs equally to both of them.</p>
<p>Hanna, that’s right. When a couple mutually agrees that one spouse will stay at home and do child rearing full time and all that goes with it, and the other spouse earns enough for that to be feasible, and the spouse who stays home conceivably has lost years in building up a career, that is indeed worth something. The one who stays home with the kids doesn’t owe the other spouse, and may be at a big disadvantage in getting a job as a single parent having given up years of a career, not to mention the kids would be giving up the type of living situation that the couple had originally planned as their lifestyle (mom at home, etc.).</p>
<p>I also believe when a couple mutually decides that only one will be the wage earner while the other is a stay at home parent, then the money earned is joint money to be shared equally. It is not longer just HIS money (the wager earner, sorry to assign a sex).</p>
<p>I imagine that, for Elin, the huge settlement is a booby prize. Can you imagine the shock and pain of learning that your husband had been leading a secret life with multiple mistresses. She’d thought she had a stable marriage in which to raise their children. She’s had to come to terms with shocking revelations, the loss of a marriage, and the loss to her children of an intact family. There is nothing she can do to change these realities.</p>
<p>I think it is very deserving that Tiger has to fork over one million dollars. I agree, she didn’t win the golf tournaments, but she had his two children and if Tiger had been able to keep his pants zipped up he would still have a wife and that one million dollars.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to hear an interview with Tiger 30 or 40 years from now. I wonder if he will regret being such an idiot in his younger years. I also hope Elin continues to look and act classy while he withers up. Oh, and maybe the Viagra won’t work for him when he needs it. :)</p>
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<p>You’ve left out a few zeroes. :)</p>
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<p>That’s the bottom line.</p>
<p>She deserves every one of those millions, and more! Btw, now I know Razorsharp is a man…:rolleyes:</p>
<p>Elin said that she has been through hell, and boy do I believe it! Can you imagine having a line of skanky Ho’s parading through your marriage, boasting that they slept with your husband—all while the entire world watched?! I wouldn’t doubt the first thing Elin did was make a beeline to the Dr.'s to get tested for STD’s, trembling with fear the entire time. Who knows what he might have brought home to her, after having jumped in some many other beds? And I suspect there are other “mistresses” who have never come forward. As Gail King observed, “she’s a classy lady.”</p>
<p>Having said that, I hope Tiger Woods can get his act together and rebuild his life and career. I hope he’s learned from his mistakes, and can overcome his demons. I suspect he knows he had a good thing in Elin, and the family they’d built together. Certainly, he knows the onus is his entirely. As my sister said, perhaps he needs an extended period of “humility” before he can come out on the other side of this. I’d like to see resume playing golf at his former levels of greatness.</p>