Tiger Woods regains the No. 1 spot in world golf rankings with a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Monday, March 25. Here, he plays a shot at the tournament in Orlando on Sunday, March 24. Check out what Woods has been up to since the last time he was the top-ranked golfer nearly 2½ years ago:
Editor's note: Roxanne Jones is a founding editor of ESPN The Magazine and a former vice president at ESPN. She is a national lecturer on sports, entertainment and women's topics and a recipient of the 2010 Woman of the Year award from Women in Sports and Events. She is the co-author of "Say It Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete," (Random House) and CEO of Push Media Strategies.
(CNN) -- I'm not mad at Tiger Woods, or Nike.
Those people who are up-in-arms that Woods has climbed back to his standing as the world's No. 1 golfer and that he is no longer asking for our forgiveness are hypocrites.
"Winning Takes Care of Everything," proclaims his most recent Nike ad, as a focused Tiger crouches in the background. When I first saw the ad, I thought: Wow, bold move by Nike. It's an in-your-face, unapologetic statement.
Back in 2009, when Woods took his public plunge into disgrace by cheating on his wife with a long list of silicone-enhanced beauties, we criticized him for being a fake. We said he'd lied not only to his wife but also to his adoring public, who apparently thought he was a near-God. We said he was the role model for our kids.
But I never thought it was Tiger's job to teach my son how to be a responsible, loving husband or father. That's a job for parents. Of course, I'm not excusing his behavior, but I am not his judge. His wife and family -- and Tiger himself -- really were the only ones hurt by his actions.
Well, now Tiger is being real. He's being honest with the public. We should be happy. He's finally speaking his mind so there can be no question of what type of man he is today. And I say, good for him.
Does winning really take care of everything in Woods' life?
Winning solves everything for Tiger?
Tiger, Palmer, Trevino fight thieves
And good for Nike for standing by him through what was in the end just a personal flaw. It's not like he's Lance Armstrong, who used enhancement drugs throughout his career and sabotaged an entire sport for years. Woods did not have to give back his championships because he cheated his sport, his fans or his sponsors.
Don't be mad at Tiger. It was never him we were disappointed in anyway. It was the cheating boyfriend or spouse who broke our hearts and split up our families. Be mad at the problems in your own personal life. Or, be mad at yourself. I know when I've screwed up, if I'm honest, the first person to be upset with is myself. Tiger has nothing to do with my life or relationships.
The Nike ad may be offensive to those who don't quite understand sports culture, or work in extremely competitive environments such as sales, or Wall Street, and even politics. But in those worlds, nothing could be truer than "winning takes care of everything." In those worlds you are only as good as your last big win.
Photos: Redemption through sports
How many times have we said to ourselves at work: "I can turn my career around with one success on my next project?" Or, "One win will make my bosses happy and all will be forgotten?" How many of us say to our kids who play sports: "Hang in there. All you need is one game-winning goal and that will change everything. Everyone will forget you haven't scored all season."
Winning does change things. Just think of Super Bowl Champion Ray Lewis, who the NFL calls one of the best men to ever play the game. Or former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, who was a king for a decade, surviving numerous scandals until he was forced to resign amid NCAA rules sanctions. Tressel then went on to work for the NFL. Why? Because he knows how to win.
Does anyone think Joe Paterno would have lasted so long at Penn State among the allegations of child sex abuse if the football program was down-and-out? No, sadly, it was the winning and the big money that kept Paterno and others safe. Heck, even Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton reclaimed their status as kingmakers after personal disgraces.
We are a forgiving nation. For me, nothing is better than someone who can get back up and succeed after a bloody knockout. Tiger got back up. And I hope this time around he can relax, be himself and enjoy the game.
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roxanne Jones.
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Woods appears dejected after losing to Lee Westwood and Luke Donald in the 2010 Ryder Cup competition in Wales in October 2010. That month, he lost his No. 1 ranking to Westwood, a position he had held for 281 consecutive weeks. He had taken a break from golf earlier that year after reports of marital infidelities emerged in late 2009.
Woods misses a putt at the Frys.com Open in October 2011. That month, he dropped out of golf's Top 50 players list for the first time in almost 15 years. Woods reportedly lost millions in endorsements after sponsors ended their ties with him in the wake of a sex scandal.
Woods misses the U.S. Open in July 2011, 
Woods plays at the 2011 Emirates Australian Open in Sydney in November 2011. That year, he remained the highest-paid American athlete on 
Woods drops his caddy of 12 years, Steve Williams, in July 2011. "I want to express my deepest gratitude to Stevie for all his help, but I think it's time for a change," 
After a nearly three-month break, Woods returns to golf at the Bridgestone Invitational in August 2011.
Woods hits out of the bunker on the ninth hole during the first round of the PGA Championship in August 2011. 
Woods plays his tee shot on the 18th hole at the Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia, in November 2011. The previous month, 
Woods lines up his putt at the Honda Classic at PGA National in March 2012. 
Woods earns his first win since November 2009 at the 
Woods signs autographs at the
Woods drops the ball on the 15th fairway during the final round of the AT&T National in July 2012. 
Woods hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January 2013. 
Woods hits the ball on the 18th hole during the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston. He became the first PGA Tour participant to earn $100 million when he finished third and won more than $500,000 at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Woods and champion skier Lindsey Vonn announced 
Woods tosses his ball to his caddie at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January 2013. He started the new year in fine form by winning his 75th PGA Tour title in the Farmers Insurance Open.
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