Posted on 12/14/2009 6:04:38 PM PST by Steelfish
Nike: Tiger Woods Affairs Are A 'Minor Blip' Tiger Woods's multiple infidelities have been dismissed as a "minor blip" by the chairman of Nike, the golfer's biggest commercial sponsor.
By Tom Leonard in New York 14 Dec 2009
The chairman of Nike has dismissed Tiger Woods affairs as a 'minor blip' Phil Knight, the co-founder of the sports footwear and clothing giant, said the scandal surrounding Woods's private life was "part of the game" in endorsement deals. But he acknowledged that his company's checks on the sports star's suitability had failed to uncover evidence of serial philandering.
Mr Knight, whose company marketed its golf range almost entirely around Woods, made his comments the day after consulting company Accenture announced it had ended its relationship with the player.
"Obviously, he was one we checked out and he came out clean, and I think he's been really great," Mr Knight told SportsBusiness Journal. "When his career is over, you'll look back on these indiscretions as a minor blip, but the media is making a big deal out of it right now."
Woods's status as the world first billionaire sportsman is based largely on lucrative endorsement deals. As attention moved to the financial consequences of the scandal, another major sponsor, the Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer, said yesterday that it was standing by him. A company spokesman said Woods, 33, was "the best in his domain", adding that his personal problems were "not our business".
It came as an eleventh woman was named yesterday as one of Woods's alleged lovers and the golfer faced new claims that he had paid more than £3 million to buy the silence of a former nightclub hostess.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Fox news just reported that Tiger’s favorability rating has fallen from 85% to 43%.
What is remarkable is that 43% of the public STILL views him favorably. That’s still a lot of potential buyers of golf shoes, shirts and hats.
I thought is was 8%, not 43%.
I think publicly Nike is wanting to avoid severing ties with Tiger out of fear that they may alienate a significant part of their overall customer base.
What I see Nike doing is just following this wherever it eventually leads. If Tiger becomes a Pariah, Nike will slowly back out privately while he continues to burn. If Tiger can somehow turn this around, they are back to business as usual there and can always say they stood by him.
Tag Heuer? Well, how many people know who they are or what they sell, anyway? The first time I heard of Tag was in 1999 when I was training to be a Pawnbroker. A guy brought in a nice watch that I’d never heard of before. The high end watch market doesn’t care if Tiger ‘Tagged’ some babes.
Nike loves felons, thugs, and rapists. Just look at their history with the NBA and the NFL.
Nike caters to the “Just Do IT Crowd” and Tiger is their best example in a debased culture where anything goes. And, Nike might “Just Be Right”
Why the hell does Tiger Woods have approval ratings?
America is turning into a High School Reality TV Freak Show.
" ... just a minor indiscretion ... clean cut ... everything is fine ... "
Nike better pray there’s nothing worse out there....
I think most of us have worked with someone who was very good at their job, but weren’t a particularly good person. You dislike them, but the boss keeps them around because they produce. And the boss will continue to keep them around as long as their personal issues don’t interfere with their job performance. That, IMHO, is the view Nike and others are taking here. Tiger will only become a ‘problem’ if his scandals start affecting his usefulness to them.
“GET IN THE HOLE” choir....more golf foolishness.
"It was only a minor blip, honey, OW!"
Here’s another one, this one has him at 42% favorable, 46% favorable among men, 62% favorable among golf fans
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/14/public-is-split-on-its-view-of-tiger-woods/
Nike probably caters to the very young and, sadly, the very young nowdays is not surprised by promiscuisness.
I’m not sure its the “young” that Nike is worrying about placating.....I think its the folks that reelected Marion Barry after being caught on tape smoking crack with a hooker...the folks that elected Alce Hatings to Congress after he had been impeached as a federal judge....the folks that welcome Mike Vick back to the NFL with thunderous applause after he was convicted of a federal conpiracy to gamble and fight dogs.....the folks that welcomed Ray Lewis back to the NFL after being convicted of participation in a double murder in Atlanta....you know who I’m talking about....the Amish....LMAO
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