Elsewhere: Waiting for Woods
Have to admit, part of me would rather be at PGA headquarters today for the Tiger Woods announcement. Can't wait to hear what he has to say, though I can't really imagine what he can add other than another apology for his tawdry extramarital behavior and an announcement of his plans to play in the Masters. I've always thought that's where this was going, but we'll find out later today.
I've heard a lot of talk about his decision to handpick the media and not take any questions, which casts some doubt about the sincere nature of whatever he has to say, but I don't' know if there's a right way to do something like this.
If I am handling the guy, I'm not going to put him at a podium with 500 media in the audience and let everybody have at him. The way he's doing it, from a public relations standpoint, is probably the best of a bunch of bad options.
There's also been a lot of speculation whether his wife will be there to support him. Don't see how that really matters in this case, unless you're an avid TMZ fan. Nobody's going to be able to dress up this pig. Tiger is going to have to go out and play golf and start winning again. That's the only way he'll ever change the subject...but he'll never get completely out from under this scandal.
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Comments
You won't miss anything that won't be re-broadcast ad nauseum ad infinitum. Tiger will just give some boilerplate regarding his transgressions and announce his future intentions to play - golf, that is.
It's not a bad move in that it gets the whole going-back-into-the-public-eye thing over with, albeit in a controlled setting. This should abate some of the potential distraction from the rubbernecking that will come when he does start golfing again.
As for sponsors, who knows? I'm not much of a golf enthusiast, but I respect his skills, and the golf profession certainly has benefitted tremendously from the public's interest in his career.
I've never been one to buy something just because a celebrity was selling it, so I don't understood the whole celebrity endorsement thing in general, and in Tiger's case, many of the products and services he has endorsed didn't have anything to do with golf. I suspect he'll keep many of the golf-related sponsorships - if he returns to his previous skill level, that is. Not that he isn't already filthy rich and won't continue to make gobs of money from golfing alone.
Posted by: Lefty Fields | February 19, 2010 10:03 AM
The press conference is to announce that he has picked up a new sponsor....TROJANS, and the new product line is to be known as "Tiger Paws".
Posted by: tony | February 19, 2010 10:16 AM
Hey Pete,
The circus is officially in town! I live about 5 miles from the PGA Tour headquaters here in Ponte Vedra. I drove the kids to school this morning and couldn't believe all the TV camera crews already out. It's pretty crazy.
Have fun in the Coutny Commissioner meeting. Those meetings must be a barrel of laughs in Sarasota with all the retirees with time on their hands. What is the over/under on the average age of the audience? I'm guessing 74.
Posted by: O's Fan in FLA | February 19, 2010 10:42 AM
I THINK IT'S JUST HUMILIATING THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO "WAIT ON WOODS" AND CAN'T JUST USE THE FACILITIES THAT ARE ESPECIALLY MADE FOR THAT PURPOSE !!!!
SOMETIMES IT MIGHT BE HOURS BEFORE A PERSON ENCOUNTERS ANY WOODS AND OOOOH WHAT A STRAIN THAT CAN BE.
AND IT'S SO UNNECESSARY, TOO, WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY FACILITIES AVAILABLE PRACTICALLY EVERYWHERE YOU GO.
(oh..... you meant you were waiting on that womanizer TIGER woods)
NEVER MIND.
Posted by: Emily Littella | February 20, 2010 2:30 AM