This Sunday, as I browsed Google News stories (mostly
reading the one on the Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee) I noticed the top trendy
news stories all seemed to be about Tiger Woods.
Jay Busbee of Devil Ball Golf and streamed to Yahoo! Sports
and finally landing as a top story on Google News caught my attention with his post “Tiger Woods Wins Again, and for Now, That’s Enough.”
Busbee talks of Tiger’s win at the Arnold Palmer Tourney earlier
this year and his recent win at the Jack Nicklaus’ event. But, in Busbee’s
eyes, “Tiger Woods will never be ‘back’ to the levels of popularity and skill
he reached in the early 2000s. That time is gone, a memory, no closer now than
grainy YouTube videos.” For real Mr. Busbee?
The Man, The Brand
I have a little trouble with this story. First off, Busbee
banishes the greatness of Woods forever and in subsequent paragraphs talks of
how his PGA wins have tied Jack Nicklaus and Woods remains second in tourney
wins only to Sam Snead (he’s got 82 wins). Why bash him and then praise him?
Forgive me Mr. Busbee but when Tiger’s women woes began, the
entire world was shocked, not just the “golfing” or “athlete” world. Tiger was
our man from the US of A who could and did win—a lot. We were mad at Tiger
sure, but we forgave him, he’s a golfing legend and a “brand” and nope Mr.
Busbee, the American sports-crazed public is nowhere near letting this “brand”
die.
Even Great Brands
Make Mistakes
Remember when Netflix thought the best thing to do was raise
prices and start a new division called Qwikster? We hated Netflix but they
apologized, dropped Qwikster and now we love them again. Remember when Bank of
America said it would charge its customers an extra five bucks just to access their
money via an ATM? Oh how we yelled and Bank of America canceled the new fee
(even though they continue to make money off many other unfair fees). Still, I
would bet people are still banking at Bank of America and BofA is probably
loaning money to the very secure and credit worthy.
Big brand names make mistakes and we still take them back.
We have no choice. We are in love with them. We sometimes get mad at them, but
without them, we’d have to do the unthinkable—try and find another brand as
good as what we leave behind.
Still, I for one was also disgusted with my golf legend yet
I forgive him and I don’t think you can call him a has-been or someone who is
now a bad golfer. The man has talent and along with that talent and dollars
comes a lot of things we like such as his foundation.
The last I read, the school he funds is a place where
inner-city kids are exposed to the greatest of things like technology and
emotional intelligence learning along with social justice education. How can
that be bad? And, I’m not 100 percent sure on this but I think all of his golf
winnings go to his foundation and he uses his sponsorship money to live on (or
vice versa).
I don’t think Mr. Busbee is right. Tiger Woods shall
prevail. He will overcome Sam Snead as far as PGA wins—his brand will live on.
Our sports heroes are brands. Look at quarterbacks like Eli
and Peyton Manning and New Orleans Saints hold-out Drew Brees. We cheer them
on, we love their foundations and if nothing else, these “brands” offer us
something we all want—some excitement in the afternoon or evening and what I
ask Mr. Busbee, is wrong with that?
Image Credit: Tiger Woods, Wikimedia Commons
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