Tiger's Indefinite Leave Clippings, Vol. 5
As Elin Woods was highly visible Tuesday and movers were seen at the Woods home, Tiger remains in seclusion somewhere, even cutting off cell phone contact with buddies Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan. Depending on how you view those two, this could be the smartest thing Tiger has done.
"You should reach out to your celebrity friends when things go bad," Barkley told the Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday. "They're the only people who understand what it's like."
Oh do tell us more Charles. And this from Spike Lee:
"He's insulated," Lee said during the taping for the show. "If Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan can't get to him, and those are his boys, then other people are making bad moves."
Barkley said Tuesday he has not spoken to Woods since the Nov. 27 accident, which unleashed a series of events that resulted in him admitting to marital infidelity.
"I've been trying to get to him and can't get to him," he said. "It's very frustrating."
Barkley said he just wants to tell Woods, "Hey, man, we love you. If you need anything, pick up the phone."
Understandably, Tiger's disappearance continues to fuel speculation and the story. Mark Kriegel of FoxSports.com and author of two highly regarded biographies, writes this about Tiger's lack of visibility:
Think about it: every piece of property this guy owns, and many he does not, are being staked out around the clock. But there's been no Tiger sighting. Strange, right?
Perhaps the events of early Nov. 27 left him with a dental profile like that of Leon Spinks. But everything I know about the economics of stardom and the craft of damage control leads me to believe he's in rehab. Not for sex, of course. That would do irreparable harm to his cause in commerce. No, I'd bet he's in for Ambien and Vicodin, which, for all I know, he might have begun abusing when his knee came apart.
Maybe it's true. Or maybe it's a device to salvage the remnants of a heroic narrative.
John Feinstein called this "Day 18 of the Tiger Woods Hostage Crisis" and writes:
In the end, though, it comes down to this: Woods is one of the 10 or 12 most important athletes in history. You can sit around and argue about the list for days and Woods is going to be on it somewhere. And no matter who are the other names on your list, none ever went through anything close to this. Some died very young, others suffered injuries and a few were involved in personal scandals or embarrassments.
But none fell off a cliff like this one -- pushed only by themselves. Whether you sympathize with Woods for putting himself in this position, whether you blame the media, whether you think he's a horrible person who deserves all the schadenfreude one can muster, there is no arguing with this: Tiger Woods is falling right now from one of the highest pedestals ever created. No one can possibly know where he will land and how he will land. And it may be a good long while before we even have any clues.
AP's Dave Skretta analyzes the prices for a photo of the reclusive Tiger and quotes Frank Griffin of the Bauer-Griffin Agency, among others:
A picture of Elin without a ring like the ones circulating on the Web might only fetch $20,000, according to people familiar with the industry, while current pictures of Tiger and Elin together could demand six figures. A photograph that shows Tiger with one of his alleged mistresses has the potential to bring hundreds of thousands.
“It would have to be some clever marketing, and it would have to be worldwide,” said Griffin, whose firm is considered one of the more established in the business. “A picture of Tiger Woods with a tooth missing being chased by 12 blonde females wielding golf clubs, name your price.
“Tiger Woods is a sad story,” Griffin added. “It makes people unhappy to see that. The purpose of tabloid journalism has always been to cheer people.”
Doug Ferguson on one of the last people to play golf with Tiger at the Australian Masters:
In Tiger Woods' last tournament before his world was rocked with an infidelity scandal, the Australian golfer who played with him said Woods mentioned how he could stay in touch with his family when he was on the road.
"I remember him talking about how good Skype was for his kids and his wife," Cameron Percy said in a telephone interview during the Australian PGA Championship last week. "It's unreal that no one close to him knew about it. No one knew, I suppose. Up until then, he was the perfect role model for anyone."
Tom English noted this about the New York Times story on Tiger's ties to Dr. Galea:
Something that probably would not have been written a few weeks ago when Woods was deemed all-conquering and squeaky clean, but which appeared in the New York Times and then got flashed right across the world in one form or another.
The New York Daily News reports that it's the Buffalo office of the FBI investigating Dr. Galea.
Amina Khan of the LA Times sheds just a bit more light on Actovegin, the mystery drug tied to Galea.
Eric Carpenter of the Orange County Register notes that Tiger has posted a comment on his foundation page announcing his sabbatical.
Brian Keough tips us off to Tiger's disappearance from a press release promoting a previous commitment prior to the Open Championship.
Steve Elling and Ron Green Jr. debate elements of the Woods saga, starting with the PGA Tour's reaction, what happens to Team Tiger upon his return and the future of golf coverage. Elling:
In essence, the Ponte Vedra crew has seemed paralyzed by the fear that it might antagonize Woods further. Look, it's no stretch to say that scads of folks at the tour are upset with Woods' antics and the position he has put them in. It would do wonders for what credibility the tour has in the marketplace to stand up and say so. Issuing statements supporting him and his family and urging that they be left alone is a move that's as naïve as it is myopic. The tour employees surely are disappointed. They surely are upset. There's nothing wrong with saying it. This might be the first and only time anybody can say it, but Woods might need the tour worse than it needs him at the moment.
The Independent's Dom Jolly says it's not all bad for golf.
I'm just loving how the whole Tigergate affair is giving golf a rebranding. Most people tend to see the game as something that keeps retired businessmen out of the house until they pass on to the great boardroom in the sky. The ludicrous golf garb that people wear is the equivalent of dull people wearing "crazy" socks or ties. It's just not that convincing.
Golf.com posts a Getty Image of The Cliff's Tiger billboard. Another slogan that's not aging well.
Tiger has Ron Artest's support (whew, that's a relief!). And Upper Deck is staying with him.
In writing about the latest (and by far oldest) Tiger mistress to come forward, Deadspin wins the headline of the day contest, if there was one: Tiger Played The Senior Tour, Too.
And finally, the great Chelsea Handler's opening monologue from Monday's show:
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 08:05 PM
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Reader Comments (19)
Seems inevitable at some point
Hey Chuck- you might want to read about Falstaff- cause that's going to be you .
The dark side of me thinks Tiger should start his own newsletter fuelled by the results of private investigators looking into the 'private lives' of some other tour players... of course if those results come up empty Tiger is even more screwed
Not that I'm saying it would be ok if other top players or past greats were also cheating but I think it would maybe soften some of the vitriol being sent Woods' way (or maybe spread it around)..
Though as I type this... I'm not sure that would be good for anyone (except Tiger I guess)
I think I'll go flip on some NHL games and get ready for the NFL playoffs. Go Chargers!
The only difference between them is Charles got breathalyzed.
This story will get very interesting again when the larger economic consequences start to play out. How his own sponsors deal with him seems relatively minor compared to the larger fall out that can happen. I'm waiting to see what, if any, reverberations hit at the level of tournament sponsorships and television packages.
Are the big boys who write the biggest checks in a holding pattern, waiting for a sign from Tiger on how to proceed? Perhaps even a puff of smoke from a Windermere chimney?
My theory is that he is absolutely at the epicenter of the economics of the professional game (and that it is very bad for the game that one player could enjoy so much power), and that if he doesn't announce a plan about his future appearances sometime soon that is more definite than simply indefinite, some seriously bloodletting might commence.
Surely, that has to be worth a lot more than a grainy photo of Tiger and his wife?
Blader, you're correct that Tiger is at the epicenter of PGA Tour economics, televised professional golf, including majors and their TV ratings. But there's an even wider net on economic fallout/aftershocks that will befall the "golf business."
I actually think this is where the silver lining is. What's bad for Tiger-Nike, is neutral to neutral-net positive for TMAG, Callaway, Titleist, Puma (!!!) and anybody else in the golf business, including, foremost among them, UnderArmour. (That's if they're smart enough not to appear ghoulish, etc.)
For years, while Tiger pumped up the balloon, all big players benefitted. But in a down-flat economy, it's a market share game. So the only way to pick up dollars on the sell side is if the buyer doesn't spend as much with another supplier. Furthermore, when everyone has a good product and value proposition, as a buyer, you have to look for excuses NOT to do business with them.
Tiger just handed all the buyers -- at Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Golfsmith, Edwin Watts and every sporting goods store AND thousands of tiny pro shops -- a giant excuse to to cut their orders by, say, 50 percent if not more. All the buyer has to do is shake his head and say, "Gee, we really are concerned and are going to wait and see where the dust settles." In the meantime, they take all those Nike displays and move them from front and center to middle of the store, or maybe even retail Siberia. And they're probably going to have to cut Nike-product prices as they go.
Those Phil Knight quotes about "a blip on the screen" should be filed under "stiff upper lip."
I was in Dick's the other day looking to replace some well-worn Nike work-out shorts...with a Nike product. I mean, I liked the product, got a lot of mileage out of it, like the swoosh, why not get the same thing?
Then I sensed a bit of devilishness in me, and wandered over to the racks of other brands. I ended up buying some Reebok shorts instead.
More an inconsequential act of defiance than anything else. But if repeated over and again..........
Arguably Tiger significantly increased the size of the pie. If TMAG (to pick one) increases market share of a smaller pie, hypothetically overall sales could be down.
I can buy the case that buyers would cut back on Nike orders, but I also think their total spend on golf will be cut significantly (mostly economy driven, partially Tiger driven). The bottom line is that golf is just a tiny contributor to the overall at Nike and I don't think any Wall St. analyst will change earnings estimates for Nike because of Tiger's troubles. Just a thought.