Can Tiger Woods say the N-word? Many would think so, considering he is of Black descent. But not Shannon Sharpe. When faced with this question, the former NFL tight end found himself uncomfortable with the prospect of the golfing legend dropping the N-bomb. But why?
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Woods is what many have taken to describe as “Cablinasian,” a mix of Caucasian, Black, American Indian, and Asian. That’s a term he came up with himself. When asked if it bothered him being termed “African-American”. “It does,” he said. “Growing up, I came up with this name: I’m a ‘Cablinasian’.”
His father, Earl, was of African-American, Chinese, and Native American descent while his mother, Kultida, was of Thai, Chinese, and Dutch descent. He once told Oprah that when he was asked to fill out forms in school, he would tick African-American and Asian.
Since he’s not very comfortable with being labeled “African-American,” then, maybe Sharpe is right in asserting that the 18-time World Golf Champion probably shouldn’t use the N-word.
When Andrew Schulz asked Sharpe how he would feel if Woods “just nailed a putt and said it,” the former TE got visibly uncomfortable and said, “No, I don’t feel comfortable. He’s Comblinasian.” There was no scenario where he could imagine being comfortable with either Woods saying the word, or Sharpe addressing him as such either. When Woods burst onto the golf scene in the late 1990s, he was not just a prodigious talent; he was also a trailblazer in a sport historically dominated by white athletes. As a teenager, Woods faced a golf world that was predominantly older and white, with a history marred by racial exclusion.
The PGA had only recently abolished its “Caucasians-only” clause in 1961, and it wasn’t until 1975 that Lee Elder became the first African American to compete in the Masters Tournament. Woods himself once admitted that “There are still courses in the United States that I am not allowed to play on because of the colour of my skin.”
His victories, including his historic win at the Masters in 1997, not only broke records but also challenged the sport’s racial status quo. So, many who were championing his racial identity and rooting for him, found themselves dumbfounded on his insistence on “shedding” his African American roots after becoming the first black golfer to win the Masters. However, it was not a shed he was trying to do, but an inclusion of his mother’s Asian heritage. So, what do you think? Does Woods get the N-word pass?
