Ok, so Tiger screwed up. Gatorade just dropped him and I’m sure other advertisers are contemplating doing the same thing given the raging wild fire and their public opinion driven, lemming leanings. So how does he save his career and his fortune?
First, he and his handlers need to remind themselves the sport of Golf and more specifically, the PGA are nothing without him. With no Tiger, golf as a sport goes back to the ranks of the fetish sports like horse racing and boxing. I’ll bet boxing would sure like to have back Mike Tyson circa 1990? Horse racing is desperate for a Triple Crown winner. Long gone are the days of Secretariat.
I know the hardcore golf fans reading this will howl and say “Bullshit, he’s not even the best golfer in the world right now.” May or may not be a true statement, but it doesn’t matter. He is the face of golf and on any given day, at any given tee, he is capable of doing something eye popping and wondrous. Why do you think the NFL is so popular? Because it has a number of athletes like Tiger who do the extraordinary daily: Brady, Moss and Adrian Peterson to name a few. People tune in to see the extraordinary. Touchdowns, sacks, home runs and break away goals. No cares about some random player using exactly the right club to hit the exactly right angle to avoid some sand trap at the TPC.
Tiger has also helped ignite interest from a broad, diverse set of people who previously would have never paid attention to golf at all. Millions of new fans to the sport. He is the reason for the Nike Tour. He is the reason a player today ranked #100 can make a $1M per year, rather than the $200K that player made 10-15 years ago. If that is not enough evidence, ask a casual sports fan to name the top 5 golfers today. After Mickelson and Singh, it gets tough. None of these guys stoke the imagination. They are golf technicians, not magicians.
Next, fight back against the sponsors. Tell the PGA Tiger will not play in any tournaments that accept sponsorship from sponsors, like Gatorade, that drop him. Why Gatorade thinks Tiger’s marital infidelities and his representation of their product would factor into my decision to quench my thirst is really beyond me. I’m just thirsty and electrolytes sound good right about now. Gatorade doesn’t need Tiger that much, but the PGA needs both Gatorade and Tiger. I’ll bet something could be worked out.
Third, start the whisper campaign that Tiger may just call it quits to pursue a quiet life, perhaps try to save his marriage and get away from a traitor public who cheered him up the ranks and turned on him for private transgressions. The mere threat of this could be enough to sober up the PGA, Nike and whoever else has a vested interest in the Tiger gravy train that there is nothing compelling in golf after Tiger. Up to now, Tiger has been alone in his own (self made) public relations hell. Other than dropping him, his sponsors have kept their mouths shut and let him twist in the wind. Time to make Tiger’s problem everyone’s problem. These companies have immense impact and influence on the media.
Finally, if the mere threat to retire doesn’t work, then actually retire. Give a sincere, heart felt apology and tell everyone, you have had enough and you are done. Hit everyone where it hurts. We’ll see how long the Nike tour goes on without Tiger. Maybe 2-3 years or until the contract is up, but that’s it. Let the PGA see their TV ratings go down. Ever try to get a new TV agreement with declining numbers,? Don’t believe me? Ask the Breeders Cup how hard it is to promote a championship without a major star. Very difficult. With his time off, Tiger could reconnect with his wife and kids or choose to hang on his boat and chase girls, either way, it wont be long before people beg him to come back.
