I never particularly liked Nike after I heard about the sweatshop conditions in which most of their goods are manufactured. Apparently they’ve taken measures to address that, and it’s not like they’re the only company who employs third world workers for very little pay in terrible conditions. I try not to buy their products when possible, and just yesterday I decided against buying a baseball cap with a Nike logo for my son. The thing that really made me pass up the hat, as superficial as it is, was Nike’s continued support of Tiger Woods. I know it’s infinitely worse to exploit people, but the way Nike stood by Tiger was just more evidence of what an arrogant, inflexible company it is.
Tiger starts competing at the Masters today, and Nike has decided to take advantage of that, and address the scandal, with a new ad airing on ESPN and The Golf Channel. The commercial is shot in black and white and features Tiger staring into the camera while a voice over by his departed dad, Earl Woods, gives him a lecture. Earl’s voice says “Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?” Tiger looks wide-eyed and blinks pitifully, the Nike logos visible on his hat and vest.
Just yesterday we heard about yet another Tiger conquest, the 21 year-old daughter of one of his neighbors who slept with him once and then realized that she shouldn’t mess around with a married man. Radar Online reports that the National Enquirer, is about to run the story. They claim that Tiger texted and pursued the young woman after they had sex once in an office in his home, but that “she felt guilty about having sex with a married man and never got back together with him.” Nike apparently doesn’t share this woman’s level of shame at ever having been in bed with Tiger.
What’s this ad supposed to show us, that Nike is associated with lame cheating assh*les? That’s all I get from this, that Nike is the go-to brand for men who piss their lives away and then come crawling back begging for forgiveness.
Well, that was odd.
it’s odd and BAD and I think in very poor taste.
i really don’t see a problem with this, go Tiger
I don’t know how Tiger agreed to do this. I think it is disrespectful and just classless. Oh, wait…
What is wrong with that?
I never realized something could be both creepy and comical at the same time.
Gee, that makes me just want to run out and stock up on Nike gear all day long.
Sell your soul, Tiger. Just do it.
using your dead father to help you and Nike make more money…very classy!
Team Tiger. And I hope he and Elin can get past this for each other and their beautiful, sweet children. Nothing this guy does will make some of you happy. We should all be so perfect.
i really like it! brilliant! i love my girly girl pink nikes!
Just shows the links these people will go for a buck. I did think Tiger was a dog before, now I think he is a money hungry dog.
@ann. cute links reference!
@vic: we should all be so perfect?? This has nothing to do with having to be perfect. He’s a complete scumbag! And getting past it for the children is highly overrated. These children will NOT be happy if their mom becomes a frustrated, sad, distrusting wife.
I recently purchased new golf shoes – because I absolutely refuse to wear my Nike golf shoes anymore. Honestly, I don’t think Nike understands how standing by Tiger really will turn women off from purchasing their products.
IMO, this is such a pathetic attempt on Tiger’s part to turn the tide of disgust to having people feel sympathy for him…he’s still playing the victim – just like Chris Brown – they do something horrible and instead of taking responsibility – they are trying to be the victim in all of this!!!
Let me say at the outset, I am a huge sports fan and have struggled with this story for some time. I enjoy watching Tiger play golf because I enjoy watching athletes at their very best and, in Tiger’s case, perhaps the best ever. That said, I am having a very hard time separating the scandal from the athlete because of the sheer volume of nastiness that was involved. This ad doesn’t help that. I and everyone I’ve talked to about this ad thinks it is really strange. I have not understood who has been calling the shots from a PR standpoint with Tiger since this scandal broke in November. Earlier this week, he finally, FINALLY, held his press conference and conducted himself in an appropriate manner in terms of his PR responsibilities and shifting the focus back to his job — golf. He finally allowed the sports world to move on and focus on sports. This ad though is completely ludicrous and all it does is put the focus back on the scandal and away from sport. I just don’t get it. Whoever green lighted this at Nike should be canned and whoever is advising Tiger should be canned. This has been mismanaged from the start.
And by the way, proppinig Earl Woods up as the voice of reason is crap. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in the case of Tiger. Earl dumped his first wife for Tiger’s mom and abandoned his 3 kids from his first marriage. He also purportedly was a huge womanizer throughout his marriage to Tiger’s mom. So “sage” advice from this man’s grave isn’t exactly going to right the ship.
I am so tired of hating on Tiger. I did care about him before the scandal but all this hating on him is actually making me feel sorry for the guy. True he sucks for being a habitual cheater but Elin’s not my sister or friend or me. In fact, I know nothing about her. If I or any of us were cheated on I doubt she would be harboring hatred towards ours or feeling bad for us. I mean he cheated and there is a lot worse things people are doing. Call me a hippie but I am really tired, more like SICK, of the hate people voice about him (and a few others). That being said I like the Nike ad and I’ll give Cheetah Woods some credit when it comes to his game.
Tiger being a crappy tipper and screwing the neighbors daughter.. Hate him.
So Tiger’s been a manwhore for years and now it turns out he’ll actually whore out his dead father for cash. Good to know how low he’ll actually go.
I’m kind of thrilled by the addition of the neighbor’s daughter. We’re almost at “18 holes” and the jokes will be SO GOOD then. There’s got to be a couple more chicks who want 15 minutes of notoriety. Come out, come out, Tiger-sluts…
People are so judgemental. The man did wrong, let it go. We all have done something wrong before and one wrong is not worse than another. When you are throwing stones be ready for the one that are coming towards you.
Business has nothing to do with personal issues. Nike is not going to go broke because a few people choose not to buy a hat…the $10 you won’t spend somone else spends $100.
I’m all for Tiger getting back on the course and playing well. But this ad? BAD idea. Cos now people are talking about the ad and not Tiger playing golf. Isn’t that what Tiger wanted? (People talking golf). The ad also suggests (to me) that Tiger’s looking if not for sympathy then empathy. Wording like I wish I knew what you were thinking? Loaded question.
The best thing Tiger can do for him and the public is play golf and do well. It may not be good for his marriage but he probably knows that’s all but over.
Stuff Nike, buy adidas.
I didn’t get too offended that Tiger cheated on his wife. It happens and he is a pig, he is still the greatest golfer ever.
However, after his “apology” press conference, his 2 five minute interviews with pre-approved questions, another interview with questions dodged, and this commercial that exploits his dead, cheater father and his own cheating penis, I have decided that I officially strongly dislike this arrogant, self aggrandizing turd.
I don’t think he should have answered deeply personal questions in regards to him banging other women throughout his entire marriage because it’s none of my business, but don’t force feed me your desperate need for more cash, Tiger.
I’m a girl so I couldn’t care less about golf. Go eff yourself, Mr. Woods. You would if you could, I’m sure, since that’s what addiction is all about.
This guy just continues to think he is above it all, doesn’t he? He really thinks he is untouchable and entitled. And this commercial is in very poor taste.
I don’t really care what Tiger is thinking or feeling because if there’s one thing we do know, he WASN’T “thinking” or “Feeling” anything for his family while he was engaging in these behaviors. Having sex with dozens of women WITHOUT using protection? There is no excuse and I don’t care what your sympathizers have to say about it. Yes, we’ve all messed up, and guess what? Those of us without billions of dollars have to pay the consequences when we mess up. We don’t get rewarded with TV commercials.
The ad is odd, and since I hate philanderers on principle (men AND women), I despise Tiger now but do not begrudge him his tremendous skill at ALL. If I was a golf fan, I might be more forgiving, but I don’t care about golf. And since Nike endorses philanderers, I despise them, too.
Que sera, sera, the world rolls on, and there is at least one less person buying Nike’s stuff.
“The man did wrong, let it go. We all have done something wrong before and one wrong is not worse than another.”?? “He cheated, big deal, people do worse things”???
For real? This crap attitude is what’s wrong with the world. Take your low expectations elsewhere, please. I’ll let it go when goddam Nike lets it go and stops showing me this pig on TV. And plenty of wrongs are worse than others. You know what I – and most people – have done wrong? Steal candy when you’re 6, be late to work too much when you know you shouldn’t keep showing up late, paying bills late, etc. NOT cheating, putting our families in danger, etc, etc. Cheating is serious, and bad enough on its own, but what Tiger did goes beyond that.
And NOW he is pimping out the memory of his passed father while he sits there pouting at the camera – WITH goddam Nike logos all over the place????
He is disgusting. Nike is disgusting.
High five, andrea.
All of you cheater-apologists take your low ass expectations to other cheaters because I don’t want to have to deal with your nonsense.
Personally, I have a feeling that those who can sympathize with/are forgiving of cheaters are people who cheated on their significant others.
And instead of taking responsibility for it, they want everyone else to think it’s “normal” so that they don’t get in trouble and no one thinks any less of them. WRONG. Wrong Whoopi, Jesse James, Tiger Woods, Mel Gibson, and whoever else manages to fully, totally and absolutely disrespect the person they are supposed to love.
I think less of cheaters. ANY cheater. Anyone who moves in on a husband going through troubles with his wife. Anyone who bangs a “lonely housewife”. People do think less of you. I don’t care if I don’t know you personally. As soon as I hear a person is a cheater, that just screams “I can be a dishonest A-hole and not care about it”.
A dead cheater lecturing a cheater about cheating? That’s rich.
what an opportunistic bullshit public relations stunt…
I hope he loses the Masters.
Just me?
That’s really sick.
we’re all thinking it’s disingenuous right off the bat, but I actually believe Tiger found this touching. It’s his dad for christ’s sakes. I’m sure he can seperate that from the skankity-skank-skanks.
I liked the ad I got a little teary eyed thinking about my father. I miss his words of advice.
still think the ad is brilliant. it addressed the issue and all that matters is the target audience. it is an ad specifically to be run during the masters. nike could care less if some girl that doesn.t watch golf buys their mens athletic wear!
Man, whoever on the Nike team thought THIS commercial up is a GENIUS!!! That being said, I still think it’s in poor taste to use Tiger’s dead father’s voice and Tiger’s sad-looking face to try to pull at the viewers heart-strings and make them see Tiger in a more favorable light when he MIGHT not be sincere about trying to “be a better man,” but rather just might be trying to get his golf career back on track. SHAMELESS!!!
However…like Mollination said…it might just have touched Tiger, being that his father’s voice was used, and the things that Earl says in the commercial. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if the ad is effective.
The only thing that “touches Tiger” is skanks. Sorry….
gawd what a freakin loser
Oh, he learned something…how to be a man whore “Just do it”.
dear tiger woods,
please stop giving press conferences, stop giving interviews and stop using your dead father to get sympathy for your “addiction.” nobody cares. just play golf, mmkay?
love,
america
I just threw out my nike jogging sneaks.
I really couldn’t care less about Nike’s support of Tiger or any of that crap. I buy Air Vomeros because they are the single best shoe I have tried for my foot size/shape and running style – and I’ve worn everything from Asics to Newtons to Saucony. I will continue to buy them because they make the best product on the market for me, personally. Whether or not they support some philandering douchebag is irrelevant to me. I don’t base my purchasing decisions on celebrity endorsements.
@ Andrea- agreed.
He doesn’t use condoms with any of his side whores? He could have gotten hiv and passed it on to his wife and children. He not only risked his life but those of his family as well that he claims to love. Cheating on your wife with any women that comes two feet near you is not love.
Just because some people have such low standards when it comes to relationships and marriage doesn’t make cheating right.
This commercial is just tacky. Selling out his dead father to smooth over the press? Wow. How low can one person go? Forget Nike.
i guarantee nike stock just went way up!
CB is doing nothing but speculating. Its a bogus story.
Is that Tiger ‘meditating’?
This is SO tasteless. Way to sell out your dead dad for some image points. It didn’t work- I think you’re an even bigger prick now.
yes–very very poor taste. what’s the point?
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