New Tiger Woods Nike Commercial Causes More Controversy

Nike, one of the few companies who has continued to sponsor Tiger Woods or use him in advertisements in light of his recent sex scandal, aired its latest Tiger Woods commercial on April 7, and the ad has left a bad taste in many peoples' mouths. ESPN and the Golf Channel showed the commercial on the day before the beginning of The Masters, where Tiger Woods makes his comeback to competitive golfing.

The 23 second long black and white ad shows Tiger, standing silently and apparently listening to his deceased father's voice, appearing to look very somber and reflective. He is clearly wearing a hat and vest featuring the signature Nike "swoosh." You can view the commercial on YouTube here. In the audio clip, Earl Woods 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?"

Part of the drama surrounding the commercial is due to the fact that because Earl Woods is dead, he obviously could not give his permission for this recording to be used for this purpose. Some feel that this is a copyright infringement.

Other critics of the commercial, who fall into the categories of sports fans, casual onlookers watching the drama unfold in the media, and consumers who feel that Nike is trying to capitalize on the scandal think that a commercial for such a household brand is the wrong approach if Tiger is trying to salvage some of his now-tarnished reputation. Since last fall, Tiger Woods has been in the media spotlight daily after potentially embarrassing, scandalous reports of marital infidelities and treatment for a reported sex addiction became public.

Nike has issued the following statement regarding the commercial: "We support Tiger and his family. As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father."

Sources:
Nike Airs Edgy New TV Commercial Featuring Woods and Late Father Earl, PGA.com
The Insider
YouTube