With his eighth win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Monday, Tiger Woods finally reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking he lost four years ago. No doubt you recall that his downfall began in the wake of a sensational bimbo eruption that destroyed his marriage and sapped him of the aura of invincibility that was as key to his game as his putting stroke.
Unfortunately, Tiger and his abiding sponsor, Nike, are taking heat today for marking his restoration with an ad featuring a crouching Tiger – in his signature in pre-putting position – with this caption:
Winning takes care of everything.
Granted, given his notorious penchant for promiscuous sex, Nike’s more familiar caption, “Just Do It,” might have conjured up too many salacious images. But why settle for one that reeks of arrogant, in-your-face vindication? Not to mention its suggestion that Tiger’s public apologies and well-publicized stint in rehab for sex addiction were all a waste of time (or, perhaps more accurately, just PR stunts).
This is why it might shock you to learn that I not only agree with every word in this caption but may have inspired Tiger to begin using them as a motivational mantra years ago. Specifically, here’s the prescience I demonstrated in dismissing his attempt to rehabilitate his public image by embarking on a public-apology tour:
Winning tournaments in his inimitable fashion is the only way now to eradicate bacchanalian images of his private life from public consciousness – even if not from the tabloids. And only this will give his understandably spooked corporate sponsors [like Accenture who dropped him like a hot potato] the cover they need to feature him as their spokesman once again…
(“Tiger Escapes to a ‘Safe Haven,'” The iPINIONS Journal, December 14, 2009)
Let me hasten to clarify that I have nothing against rehab. I just think that if Tiger were sincere he would have, well, just done it instead of making such a public spectacle of it
At any rate, despite agreeing with the caption, I think it was a mistake for him to approve this ad. Foremost because it suggests that he is possessed of the same arrogance, self-indulgence, and insensitivity that wrecked his marriage … and precipitated professional downfall. It might have occurred to a truly rehabilitated Tiger, for example, that such an ad makes a mockery of his public claims of having a broken and contrite heart worthy of forgiveness and redemption.
Now we know why his wife refused to take him back. Which makes his new girlfriend, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, seem like an even bigger fool for love, or an even bigger bitch for (Tiger-orbit) fame, than widely suspected….
But the more relevant reason I think this ad was a mistake is that it is so plainly premature:
Tiger knows better than anyone that he will not be able to fully redeem his professional reputation until he wins another five Majors (i.e., from among the Masters in April, U.S. Open in June, British Open in July, and PGA Championship in August).
(“Tiger Won…Finally,” The iPINIONS Journal, December 5, 2011)
Except that his five-year stint in professional purgatory makes the challenge this now 37-year-old Tiger faces in this respect very grave indeed:
I am convinced that Tiger will win again – and not just some rinky-dink tournament, but a major. But to give you a sense of how difficult it is for one player to dominate the majors the way Tiger once did, just bear in mind that the last 13 major championships have been won by 13 different players.
(“Tiger, Tiger…Losing Fight,” The iPINIONS Journal, August 15, 2011)
Related commentaries:
Tiger escapes…
Tiger won… finally
Tiger, Tiger…
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