The near total implosion experienced by Tiger, Inc. these past 10 days, is almost unprecedented. "Almost", because, while not illegal, in many ways, it’s analogous to the collapse of Bernie Madoff’s empire. As with Bernie, people had “invested” in Tiger, cheering him on in his quest for greatness, paying him to represent their brand, only to find that all of the “equity” that had been carefully built up, was but a mirage.
Why does it matter? Of the ~$1 billion that Tiger is purported to have made since being launched into the public consciousness in 1996, less than 10% of it has been earned swinging a club and sinking putts. Ninety percent has been earned by Tiger, Inc., the sale and promotion of the man and the myth.
So what of it?
It’s hard to imagine that those in the inner circle of Tiger, Inc. weren’t aware of his high-risk behavior. Steve Williams, he who puts a smackdown on photographers, has been by Tiger’s side since 1999. I’m guessing that, during this time, he has spent at least 2000 nights on the road with his boss. Clearly, Steve has bought into the “What goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas” mantra.
Mark Steinberg, Tiger’s agent and head of IMG’s Golf Division, is probably more responsible than anyone for 100% of Tiger, Inc. revenue. Is it possible that he wasn’t aware of Tiger’s behavior, or were he, Steve and others afraid to intervene and put their own livelihoods at risk? But if they were complicit, they would have contributed to the fraud, and must share responsibility for the fall of Tiger. As Solomon Burke sings in None of Us Are Free, “If you don’t say it’s wrong, then that says it’s right”.
I understand that Tiger must surround himself by people who he trusts implicitly, and clearly those near him can keep a confidence. But he also needs to surround himself with people whom he can trust to keep him grounded. People criticized Michael Vick for surrounding himself with his friends from the ‘hood, who shared with him a tendency towards illegal and high-risk behavior. People criticized Mike Tyson for surrounding himself with an entourage that fed his massive ego. Why are those in Tiger, Inc., if they were aware of his behavior, any different?
If I was Elin, I would feel betrayed, not only by my husband, but by those in the inner circle who attended the wedding, ate at my table, and played with my kids. Elin needs to assume the role of CEO of Tiger, Inc., although it’s not clear that she has any desire to do so. She should completely restructure Tiger, Inc., replacing everyone in the inner circle that has been part of the failure in governance and rebuilding both her personal relationship and the business anew.
“Sorry Steve, but somebody else needs to be on the bag next season.”
“Sorry IMG, we’ll take it from here.”
She and Tiger should work directly with sponsors that have been deceived and which, frankly, have now seen their brands tainted by association. Tiger needs to worry about being a husband, a father and winning majors and less about Tiger, Inc.
As much of a train wreck as John Daly appears to be, at least he doesn’t pretend otherwise. He parks his motor home out front of Hooters, chugs beer, poses for pictures and signs autographs. Seems that while he’s out front, Tiger’s sneaking his girl out the back door. Jack Nicklaus, a heavy smoker, refused to smoke on the golf course and hated seeing a picture of himself with a cigarette. While he would admit to human failings, he understood that he was a role model and adapted his behavior accordingly.
Why do we care about Tiger’s private life? I don’t, and frankly have read things that I had no desire to ever know. This isn’t about Tiger’s private life, it’s about deception and a massive breach of the public, paternal and marital trust.
Tiger may end up being the winningest golfer and even surpass Nicklaus as the golfer with the most major championships, but Tiger can no longer ever become the “greatest” golfer. Great is who you are, not what you’ve accomplished. Great is how your friends and family describe you when you are gone, not how many trophies are on the mantle. As much as he would like it to be different, the narrative about his life is forever tarnished. Can you imagine reading a Tiger obit someday that fails to describe this past week in detail?
As the Accenture ad says with Tiger standing in the deep stuff, “It matters what you do next.”
Do right, Tiger.
That’s my .02!
Martin Suter
(martin.suter at iplicensing.net)
