Tiger Woods Apology: Moralizing in Tweets and Streams
Tiger Woods provided us with a video streaming, Twitter moment Friday that could be more telling about our short attention, gossip-mongering, quick ditch information consumption than about his quest for redemption.
In the end, we all lost in this one. The world had to sit through Woods' tightly orchestrated 11-minute apology, topped by a contrite hug from his mom, and the endless post-analysis that it spurred. Woods' smacked the press, and the media smacked back. The single camera, no-questions-asked conference for hand-picked members of the media was instant fodder for every kind of folly, as well as thoughtful reflection. The response to Tiger Woods has become the story.
No one likes to see the media held at bay with a scripted message of remorse that is assured universal pick-up. The championship golfer's control-freak approach compromised the sincerity of his admissions. Everyone has their own view about how genuine and effective Woods was, even with his angry admonition of what he characterized as press fabrication and harassment.
While not condoning the media's bad-boy behavior any more than Woods' manipulation of the press, all of this comes part-and-parcel with the celebrity he otherwise appears to enjoy. Like so many luminaries before him, Woods can keep personal matters personal only if he abdicates the public spotlight. That isn't going to happen if he plans to play golf again.
If the Twitter universe is any measure of effectiveness, it is curious to note that Crimson Hexagon's poll of users Friday (as reported by CNN) were virtually unchanged in their viewers about the golfer after his live statement: 11 percent remained apathetic, 27 percent considered it overhyped, and 18 percent views Woods as arrogant and hypocritical. For anyone wondering which words Woods' said the most during his confession, there was a colorful word cloud created by CBS News.
Woods's multi-million dollar sponsors could be having the same reaction. Immediately following Wood's statement, Nike reiterated that it is standing by its $30 million endorsement deal with the athlete. There was no response from Accenture and AT&T, which were among the first to abandon their endorsement deals with Wood during the past three scandal-filled months. Accenture proceeded with its Match Play Championship golf tournament Friday, in which Woods participated in the past. Although sponsors have lost an estimated $5 billion to $12 billion in value from Woods' extramarital escapades, you can be sure he will return to the sport, since CBS and NBC ratings for live golf coverage leap 93 percent when he plays, according to CNBC. Tiger Woods, after all, is a business.
The new media world -- from the more traditional press to bloggers, Facebook posts and tweets -- is left to pass judgment on Woods' behavior, apology, problem solving, golf with and without him, and fraying of the world's moral fabric. Everyone has something to say about this one.
The Golf Writers Assn. of America decried Woods' heavy-handed management of the press, while former U.S. Open and British Open champion Ernie Els criticized Woods for his "selfish timing." Many believe Woods should have come clean sooner, not recognizing that his confession is more than public relations; it is part of a stepped self-help treatment program. Some recognize Woods is painfully and publicly wrestling with a personal angst we all eventually face; he's just being paid more for his troubles. The Huffington Post practically labeled this an epidemic, with a video retrospective of the "best affair apologies ever" from the likes of John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, Mark Sanford and Bill Clinton.
It's worth noting there was more live television coverage of Woods' statement than of President Obama's midday town hall meeting in Las Vegas. Woods' personal soap opera will continue until he can shift the focus from his shortcomings and issues -- and how the media covers them -- to his return to the game of golf (which he says could be this year).
Until then, Woods will wrestle with other demons: measured contrition, aggressive press, imperfect image rebuilding, and making the most of being a comeback kid.
Best for Woods to accept that -- just like the media -- he has a job to do. And best to get on with it.
Photo: Tiger Woods, by Keith Allison