Later today, Tiger Woods will finally end his self-imposed exile and hold a not-quite press conference. Though the scandal had died down, especially with the Olympics, news of his appearance has resurrected the story with such a force that it may actually overshadow Olympic coverage.
The media is speculating mainly about what he's going to say and if it will help or hurt his career, but I think what happens after this appearance is more critical. Even if he comes out in a self-flagellating flood of tears that puts Jimmy Swaggart to shame, he'll still have an uphill battle to reclaim his previous status. This scandal was over-the-top in so many ways that it will probably leave people disenchanted for a while, and one public appearance isn't going to reverse that. A few hurdles he'll need to overcome:
Eventually, he must answer questions. The public appearance will be carefully controlled: a single camera, an audience made up of a few reporters and personal friends and, above all, no questions. While I can see how he'd want this announcement to be on his own terms in what he feels is a safe environment, he'll create new problems if he waits too long to speak out. Whether he does a sit-down television interview, a talk show or a magazine interview, he needs to speak about the situation sooner rather than later.
His golf game. Before his scandal, Tiger was the world's top golfer, so the hype and scrutiny of his return to golf will be intense. Playing well may help him, but if he disappoints he could face a host of troubles, which leads to my next point....
Those lucrative endorsements. Tiger's endorsements made him a billionaire. Once the scandal hit, his sponsors mostly stood behind him, but as things got more sordid, some, such as Accenture, dropped him. Rehabilitating his image will be important for him to retain the sponsors that did stay with him. If he doesn't fix his image or starts playing poorly, he may come off as a liability and scare off advertisers.
Restoring his image. The scandal destroyed Tiger's wholesome image and it's possible he may never get it back. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to use his sex addiction to try to appear more sympathetic, but this could seriously backfire if he comes off as making excuses and not taking responibility for his behaviour. There's a definite paradox in the way people often view public figures: though they're fascinated with the gory details of a downfall, people do love a good redemption story.
Can Tiger actually rebound from a scandal worsened by poorly-handled public relations and image management? Only time will tell.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
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