Tiger's Been Spotted Clippings, Vol. 4
Gene Yasuda and Bradley S. Klein look at different elements of the Woods marketing empire, including the prospects for his design projects. Namely, The Cliffs in North Carolina.
In a promotional spot videotaped that day, he says: “With a wife and two kids, your perspective on life changes. I want to have my kids experience something like this. I want to be able to bring them up here and feel safe, feel secure and enjoy running the trails and being a part of nature like this. Because your priorities start changing and evolving once you have family, and I want to be able to come up here as often as I can.”
The words ring empty now. So, too, does his development.
Even before Woods’ life unraveled with an admission of infidelity, the battered economy made sales at High Carolina negligible: As of September, 29 lots had been sold for $29.2 million.
High Carolina officials didn’t respond to repeated interview requests from Golfweek, but all indications are that the project has stalled. Executives at The Cliffs Communities, which owns the development, haven’t announced how, or if, they’ll change their marketing strategy. But any route they take could be challenging, considering what has been an almost singular reliance on Woods.
Jason Sobel makes the not-unreasonable point that Tiger really didn't enjoy playing golf anymore.
From temper tantrums after sprayed tee shots to profanity-laced tirades based on shifting wind directions, from faraway stares as awestruck fans chanted his name to a general look of utter disdain while playing the game, the No. 1-ranked player helped formulate my idea from inside the ropes. Finally, I understood what was eating at the man, why he looked so miserable while he so often dominated.
Tiger Woods no longer enjoys playing golf.
This theory is more relevant now than ever before, because it serves as an explanation for why his current self-imposed exile has continued into what would have been his first appearance of the PGA Tour season at Torrey Pines, and might extend longer than most of us realize.
The reader comments are worth reading...if you'd like to see just how insane some folks are.
The SI Confidential this week kicked around the Tiger-public relations effort and the gang draws the conclusion that Tiger's calling the shots and his desire for secrecy has made the situation far worse than it would have been had this been handled better.
Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: If Tiger and his team had dreamed up a worst-possible scenario for most every step of this mess, it wouldn't have been as bad as what's unfolded. If Tiger had issued a one-sentence "I'm going into rehab" statement, the rehab would've ended up as a non-event. Instead, the hoodie images get beamed around the world. As Farrell said way back, it's not the transgression that kills you, it's the cover up.
Shipnuck: Rick is correct is that this obsession with secrecy keeps hurting Tiger. He's always been a control freak and this story became uncontrollable a long time ago.
Van Sickle: Heads should roll at IMG, which continues to show that it has little interest in or understanding of the world's media. In their defense, the best spin doctor in the world couldn't diffuse this mess. It would be like trying to hold back Lake Michigan with a spork.
Lipsey: I disagree. A terrific adviser could have steered the TW ship differently and this whole thing would've been over, or on the relative backburner.
Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I think Tiger's "strategy" of saying nothing will prove to be brilliant for him. He's rejecting all convention. In his silence he is saying what we've long suspected: I'm not doing any of this for you. Now it's confirmed. His attitude has always been take no prisoners. When he comes back, I'm guessing we'll see even more of that.
On a lighter note, Stephanie Wei couldn't help but notice that a PGA Tour rookie's Facebook photo looked eerily similar to a now infamous shot.
And finally, Mel Gibson continues to talk about Tiger...
Monday, January 25, 2010 at 07:44 PM
Reader Comments (17)
As for this discussion between Lipout, Knuckhead, Van Suckel and Bonehead, how could they be more clueless?!?!?
I've long felt Tiger may be burned out and might have a hard time getting back that edge.
Which is why I think he is not a lock at all to get to 19 majors.
1. They should have had Tiger out there as soon as possible, telling the truth.
Reality: He needed to keep his mouth shut while his lawyers negotiated quietly with the police and State Attorney to ensure that he and his wife would not face criminal prosecution.
2. After the authorities decided that they wouldn't press charges, Tiger should have gotten in front of the microphones and told the truth to the public.
Reality: This guy was still in the throes of dealing with a woman who had physically assaulted him, a woman who knew only a fraction of his dalliances on the road. As Ricky Riccardo might have said, he had a lot of "splainin" to do and he had to do it to his wife, not his formerly adoring public.
3.The P.R. team should have had a slow roll-out of appearances on television shows like Oprah or Dr. Phil, followed by appearances on the Golf Channel, to sooth the simmering hatred of the golfing and general public.
Reality: This guy is dealing with a shameful sort of an addiction, the kind of thing that is hard enough to talk about with strangers in treatment, not to mention in front of a national television audience.
4. Whatever the circumstance, whenever the appearance, Tiger needed to have done some significant personal damage control in order to hang onto his sponsors.
Reality: Isn't that REALLY his own business? Doesn't he get to decide if he wants to come crawling to Accenture, AT&T, Gillette or any of the other sponsors who fled his image so swiftly? Does anybody really believe that they would have hung in there with him if he had done some public mea culpa? I don't think so.
To all of the armchair PR mavens, I would suggest this: Tiger is a private guy who was doing some bad semi-private things that got very public. He's trying to get his arms around this situation and trying to get help and trying to salvage his personal pride and his marriage. That is best done in private. He'll say something when he's ready. If his silence costs him a shit-ton of money, we shouldn't worry about it. He doesn't need any more.
What he does need (family, self-respect and regrounding) is best done in private.
I love the last sentence especially.
that is some serious sunday morning quarterbacking...............
That's true of many people. I wouldn't say that's just Tiger.
Indeed it is, but I'm Monday morning quarterbacking the Monday morning quarterbacks which ain't half bad...
My advice to Tiger is do not play golf in 2010. Spend the time with family and rediscover your passion for the game without the media.
I also think that TW was tired and fed up of the Media, tired of answering the same inane questions week after week; being the focus of the golf world. Let some other golfer be the focus for 2010
This is a good lesson in either a.) sticking to your guns, letting the chaos swirl around you and sitting tight riding out the storm or b.) doing what all the PR flacks have suggested be done.
I think tlav has it right in this instance....TW should hunker down and face the inevitable clamour once he returns to competitive golf.
I for one will be interested in how this all turns out after the sturm and drang has passed.