RSS feed

The Media Trying to Tame the Tiger

Why do we care about Tiger Woods? Well, it’s all about brand recognition. Sure, we all know how spectacular Tiger Woods is on the golf course. Few golfers have been able to stare the man down on Sundays, when he has victory in his grasp, and pull out a win over one of the most dominant athletes of this generation. Yet today, one associates Tiger Woods with golf as much as he or she associates him with the swoosh symbol on his chest. People see him sinking a birdie putt in a tournament as often as they see him driving a Buick or palling it up with Roger Federer in Gillette commercials. The Tiger Woods cheating scandal has severely damaged the Tiger Woods brand. Just as a corporation like Toyota has to issue statement after statement and scramble to reclaim consumers’ trust and loyalty following its recent vehicle recalls, Tiger Woods had to repair his image to fix his brand. He took the first step towards said reparation last Friday, in a closed press conference where he addressed his recent struggles. No members of the media were allowed to ask any questions, the statement was for Tiger to restore consumer confidence in the Tiger brand and speak to all those he felt he had wronged.

Tiger Woods’ mechanical apology to the world last Friday was a reminder that even the most transcendent public figures have to answer to someone, at some point, in their lives. In his address, Woods was surprisingly candid with his admission to having extramarital affairs. He said he was “deeply sorry” for his “irresponsible and selfish” behavior. He apologized to everyone, from his wife Elin, to his sponsors, to his fans.  Tiger even stated that he was undergoing therapy to better himself and that his desire to “become a better person” and a “better man” trump his desires to play the game he’s dominated for the last ten or so years. And yet, for some, Tiger’s apology wasn’t enough. Media members from across all genres and platforms have denigrated Tiger’s statement, saying it wasn’t “remorseful” or that it was too “cold” and “rehearsed”. Others complained that Tiger didn’t take any questions from the media, citing that his statement was another example of Tiger’s insatiable desire to control anyone and anything around him.

To all these criticisms, I say that Tiger’s personal life, specifically in reference to his genuine emotions, is none of our business. In reality, there’s no way any of us truly know what is going on inside of Tiger Woods’ heart. He’s never been one to publically display his personal emotions to the media, so it’s difficult to gauge his sincerity without a baseline. There’s no magical elixir to make Tiger Woods tell the truth, nor is there any magical instrument to tell if tiger is actually sorry about cheating on his wife. Even if such a device existed, should it really matter to the general public whether or not Tiger feels true remorse for his actions? Going back to the Toyota analogy, are consumers today more concerned about whether or not the corporation is genuinely sorry for producing faulty cars, or more concerned with the brand’s plans to insure that cars in the future will be safe and functional?

It definitely was necessary for Tiger to speak after the media firestorm detailing his actions. He needed to clear the air on a variety of issues because of his status as one of the world’s largest, most influential figures. His endorsements with brands like Nike and Gatorade as well as his supposed status as a role model made it necessary to prepare his image with some type of statement. But much of the anger related to the nature of Tiger’s apology is misguided. With his apology, Tiger said that:

1. He is sorry; he let down his sponsors and fans, and wants to be forgiven.
2. He believes that he deserves to be criticized for his ridiculously selfish and privileged behavior.
3. He wants to become a better person in the future for his family, and is undergoing therapy to help him through the process.
4. He wishes that his family be left alone as they work things out.
5. He doesn’t know when he will return to golf because getting his life in order is more important.

What more can anyone want from Tiger Woods after an apology where he outlined all the vices that have plagued him, says he is trying to get better, and asks for some time and forgiveness for his actions? The delivery or motivations behind his apology shouldn’t matter to the average person.

It’s OK not to like Tiger Woods. Given the media exposure of Tiger Woods’ personal life, it’s understandable that some are repulsed and insulted by his actions. Some people didn’t like Tiger before his scandal and will continue to dislike him. Others looked up to Tigers Woods with admiration before his recent struggles. They will choose to either support him as he tries to mentally recover and repair his image or take offense to his recent actions and abandon the Tiger brand altogether. Regardless of how someone feels about Tiger, no one has the right the judge the sincerity of his actions or expect certain level of real emotion as he speaks. Whether or not Tiger is truly sorry for his actions should only be his wife and family’s concern. They are the ones who are truly invested in Tiger Woods’ life. They are the individuals who have been most affected by his actions. They are the group that has to look in him eye everyday and trust that he has changed for the better.  They are the people who Tiger Woods desperately needs to appease–not some low-level member of the media who doesn’t know Tiger Woods and is somehow outraged that he can’t ask him questions at a press conference.

Tiger ended his address by saying that he hopes those that who have been offended, disgusted, or disappointed by his actions will find room in their hearts to “one day believe” in him again. The consumers, the general public, will believe in him again through their wallets and increased viewership of tournaments at which he plays. Let’s hope for Tiger’s sake that he can find a way to make his wife and family believe in Tiger Woods, the man. Unlike media or the general public, Tiger’s family probably could care less about the growth of his brand and more about his personal development and signs of true change.