Monday, February 22, 2010

Tiger Woods Apology

So Tiger Woods had a "press conference" to give an apology over recent events. I have the video of it embedded below if you have not seen it. Where do you stand on these events. Some say what happens in a marriage is of no interest or concern to others outside the marriage. Some say that such a high profile celebrity who is considered a role model to children should carry themselves with more dignity. Some believe that as a case study in public relations, Woods and his publicists have totally mismanaged the situation and that his silence was more damaging than quickly admitting the truth. Some even criticized that his apology below was an invitation only event with no outside press being allowed and no questions taken after the statement. What do you think about the whole ordeal?







Also what is your response to the video below which was a press conference given by one of Woods's mistresses?



24 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is interesting that all of this happened because I have had this conversation with my friends not too long ago. I do believe that celebrities do have to watch their image not only because there are people who look up to them, but also for their job sake. In the case of Tiger, he lost sponsors due to what happened which is not good for him. He chose his profession and knew that being a celebrity has some downfalls. This situation is an example of one of them.

He should have handled the situation faster. His speech sounded too rehearsed and did not sounded like he meant it.

These things happen all the time but because he is in the lime light he is getting all bad press.

Anita Griffin said...

I personally feel what happens in a marriage stays in a marriage. With him being a high profile celebrity I know the public expects so much more from him, but I truly believe what goes on between he and his wife should stay between him and his wife. On the other hand, this is the price you have to pay when you become a big celebrity. I do feel that he was wrong in being unfaithful to his wife. I totally do not agree with that at all. Hopefully he realizes now what he did was wrong. I felt he should have apologized sooner and not waited so long. That only made things seems worse. When it comes to him playing golf, I feel he still will be able to make a comeback.

Angela Doles said...

I think Tiger does love his family and I believe he did the press conference to get the media to leave his family alone. Tiger’s apology probably would have been taken more seriously if he would have just talked instead of reading a prepared speech. No matter what happens I believe the details between him and his wife should stay personal. I do think he has an obligation to explain himself and apologize to the public for his actions.

Anytime someone is in the public and setting an example for good moral values they should also be accountable for their mistakes. People in the entertainment or sporting scene should conduct their selves in an appropriate manner and when they don’t they should be ready to answer for their mistakes. These people understand up front that they live by a different standard than “normal” people. They benefit from the profits of being in the spot light, so they should be prepared to be in the spotlight when things are not so good or when they make poor choices as Tiger Woods did.

noelle carlin said...

Personally the whole story is crap. I feel that he was telling the truth when he said "because of the fame and money I can do whatever I want" most celebrates feel that. However, what the people do in their personal life is just that personal. Women and men get cheated on daily in this country, and I do not see those on the television. I understand that he is (or was) an influential person of the spot light and he was a role model for kids everywhere. But the thing is that he is human, nobody is perfect and just because he has money does not mean that he needs his business flashed all over the news, and furthermore he does not need any money-seeking, (excuse my French) but whores writing books about the ordeal and wanting an apology. She knew that he was married, she knew (obviously) that he had kids and she should have known that she was the 20% and he was not about to leave his beautiful, smart wife for her.

As a reporter I see that this is one of the best stories to cover, however, I do not understand why no reporter has interviewed his parents or anyone else. He and his wife are not the only ones who were hurt by this, the sponsors and endorsers should give him another chance to prove himself loyal again, but he should not be persecuted for something that most of America gets divorced over.

Zack Harrington said...

I believe wrongdoings performed by celebrities will always be highly publicized. A celebrity, like Tiger Woods, is often held to a higher standard because they are role models for children.They are role models because Tiger's actions influence the actions of children more than the average Joe. Joe the Plumber's affair would not be publicized because he's not a big deal; Tiger is a big deal. I believe that what happens in a marriage should stay in a marriage, but his affairs did not happen within his marriage. Therefore, decisions with his wife should be between them only, but the affairs are free game to the public because they involve people in the public. It is unfortunate, but it comes with the territory of being a celebrity.
I believe Woods did the right thing by letting the entire situation cool down. If he were to have spoken early on, it would have looked like he was trying to brush the situation off. By delaying an apology, it looks like Tiger is making the necessary steps to gradually get his life on track.
I hope I am wrong, but I think the girl wants some atteniton. Her interview seemed insincere and I do not agree with her using the names of Tiger's wife and kids.

Sandra Perkins said...

Tiger has had a SQUEAKY CLEAN image for a long time. And he was really good at “fooling” the public. I’m concerned about the Tiger on the golf course, not the Tiger behind closed doors. I agree that high profile celebrities should carry themselves with more dignity. I agree that PEOPLE in general should carry themselves with more dignity. I also believe that children should be taught that celebrities are human and they do and will make mistakes. As far as Tiger and his publicist not coming out quickly and admitting to the truth, I think it depends on the individual and the situation. We don’t know Tiger’s state of mind nor do we know what he was thinking. He appeared to be truly remorseful for his actions, but he doesn’t need to apologize to me. I’m not his wife, family nor his sponsors. To be truthful, it doesn’t matter when he apologized or how he apologized, there will be critics at every corner. He needs to learn – don’t try to please people, especially those OUTSIDE of your circle of concern. I also believe there was no need to have a question and answer session at this press conference. He expressed what he did, how he felt and he said he was sorry – what else was there to say? If his God and his wife has forgiven, then who are we to hold it over his head. We all have skeletons in our closet. Some people’s skeletons fall out and some lay very quiet!
As far as his mistress – She KNEW HE WAS MARRIED, he owes her nothing!

Tanya Mathews said...

Tiger Woods is the typical athlete that assumes the personna that he is above everyone and everything. He wasn't sorry for his actions until his world started crumbling down around him and he started to lose everything. The apology where he tried to seem distraught, was redundant and overworked. It didn't work the tear glands like it should have because it just was not sincere enough to cause a waterworks in the sympathy appeal. The people that are suffering are his wife and children. He just repeated what he was saying too many times in so many different ways that he just really didn't sound convincing.

As for the former porn star turned Tiger Woods' mistress . . . better luck with the next sugar daddy, sweetie! I don't feel sorry for ya! She should know by now that those rich boys don't always mean it when they say I love you, especially when you're on your back looking up. But then again, some don't always see things as they are; the stars are covering more than just the eyes!Oh, excuse me, did I say stars? I meant to say dollar signs!

Alvin McKinley said...

I strongly believe that any person has a right to privacy and a right to decide what to do in marriage. Tiger Woods is a human being, just like the rest of us. Cheating happens all the time and there is nothing special about it. Some people will criticize but others just don't care. The best advice he could give is to mind their own business. Being in a spotlight puts certain pressure and a public image he should conform to. Even his family realizes that they are not a normal family. And his wife knew that from the beginning. They will never have a normal life as long as Tiger is in the public eye.
IN normal life, having these relationships can affect the business you are in. We are not here to count his money, it is his business. I don't even care if he lost a sponsor. I just know that he is Tiger Woods and these minor disturbances are nothing for his money-making. Now there is an issue with his image towards the kids and the work of Tiger Woods Foundation. Even though he sets up a bad example, how many kids will remember the whole ordeal? I say he needs to stop playing the superman and just be a man, a human. I would grant him a right to make mistakes. I think the problem is that everyone is so quick to judge. I'd like Jesus to be there to tell them "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone". I did feel that the apology was tasteless, and not coming from the heart. I do not trust anything regarding the serious matter that is being read from the piece of paper.

I am eager to criticize the love of the public towards the celebrity scandal. In today's celebrity-obsessed, sadistic culture it is usual to pray on the misfortune of others. There are also cases when the scandal is created by celebrities themselves willingly to get the piece of the prime time.

The follow up video is quite disappointing. I felt she delivered it as an actress, not as a deeply hurt individual. Besides, she kept staring at her text 'cause I think she is not that good of an actress. O, Tiger Woods, among all the women you could have, you picked the not-so-pretty one? Well, I guess he does see things differently with his perfecto 20/15 vision.

Anonymous said...

Noelle, I do agree that there are people all over the world that cheat on their spouses and of course its not on the news. But, the fact of the matter is he cheated. Not just with one woman, but with several. Yeah he made a mistake and he is only human. But, THAT many women. He is a celebrity and he knew getting into that business that his "dirty laundry" would be out there for everyone to see. Did he honestly think that sleeping with all those women that none of them would talk to the press.

All in all, it sucks that his personal life is out there for everyone to see. But, it is a part of the job and if he didn't cheat on his wife several times then there would be nothing to hide. He had no respect for his wife, family, career, or himself. I think it sucks that celebrities have to go through this, but like I said before, they knew what they were getting themselves into.

He could have handled this situation better and he didn't. This story is crap because he didn't handle it appropriately, not because people are in his business. He is not the only one that has to deal with the press and honestly, Tiger Woods has a lot of growing up to do and soul searching.

Melvin Hayes said...

I think the whole ordeal is absurd. What a person does in his/her personal life just that….PERSONAL. Although I don’t agree with Tiger’s behavior, I think it’s a shame that even if a person does well at their job, their career suffers when incidents like this occur (i.e. adultery). The country will continue to loose valuable people (from a talent/experience standpoint) at this rate. At the end of the day, Tiger is still a man and people make mistakes. Many people commit adultery everyday without these consequences. And many of the people criticizing have engaged in these types of affairs as well, but they continue to run their mouths because they haven’t gotten caught yet. I also believe that it is irresponsible for parents to depend on celebrities to act as role models for their children. If a parent is doing what he/she is supposed to do and acting as a role model himself/herself, then whatever Tiger or any other public figure does, will not affect their child. Additionally, I do believe that Wood’s publicists should have come out sooner to get the “fake” apology out of the way so that they could have moved on from this. The longer he waited to do this, the more it gave the media to talk about. Tiger did the right thing by not allowing questions. It’s not their business; however, it was the job of the media to press the issue for it. So you can’t blame them. That’s what they get paid to do.

With respect to the mistress, she is a joke. All she did was provide Saturday Night Live some new material. But as a former porn star, I guess you can’t blame her either. She’s trying to get her 15 minutes of fame, and hopefully some money out of the deal as well.

Chris Stallworth said...

The situation with Tiger Woods is really no different than any other person caught in an infidelity. The caught individual will either admit to the wrong doings, lie initially and then admit to them later once evidence of their actions is irrefutable, or use the silent technique and then speak out when the person is ready. Tiger Woods using the later. However, one element that makes this case unique is Tiger's public image. Tiger Woods has or had an image and reputation of perfection, integrity, discipline, and strong character. These events have changed all of that for many people. And when you add to the plate that he is a celebrity and a world class, nationally known athlete, the mess continues to get bigger. In my opinion, Tiger's public status has nothing to do with his personal life. Especially his marital issues. We as a society hold our celebrities and sometimes people of privilege to a higher standard. When they do something that is common among "normal" people or less privileged members of society we tend to look at them with the attitude of "How could they..." or "I can't believe...", etc. The truth is, they are human just like you and me. They are subject to the same or often times even worse temptations that we face regularly. That being said, I think it is terrible that the media has invaded his privacy to the extent they have. What happens between a husband and wife is their business.
That brings up the point of how Tiger and his publicist handled the situation. From a PR prospective, this is a "text book" case of what not to do. There is a saying in public relations, "If you don't say something, we'll say something for you." I'm paraphrasing, but the point is, you don't want to leave a communication vacuum where anyone with a microphone can fill in the gap with their interpretation of what is going on. In most cases, if you are the first one to speak about an incident, you can get your side across more effectively.
Tiger's apology seemed sincere, but it is hard to see the sincerity because it was obviously rehearsed and he often referred to the paper on the podium for the next sentence to say. I overlook this because in my opinion he wrote down what he really wanted to express so he would stay on track and make his point accurate and concise. Of course, an improvised apology looks more convincing because you have to constantly think about what you want to say, but even those can be rehearsed and if the person shows no remorse for their actions or at least that they were caught then it's no better that what Tiger did. I believe he is remorseful for his actions, probably even more so because of the accompanying loses he's had to endure.
As for the ex-porn star, I really don't have any sympathy for her because first of all she knew he was married. And even if she didn't that doesn't excuse her from her part in this whole debacle. She made the choice to get involved with him. If he indeed did lie to her and convince her that she was the one and only, then that's a shame. But, come on, Tiger Woods, or any other high profile athlete for that matter typically has a line of women around them, and I'm sure she knew that unless she was living under a rock until he came over. If she really wanted to be exclusive with Tiger, she should have done some investigating (not spying or privacy invasion) before dumping all of her emotion into someone. I know that's easier said than done in most cases because we all want to believe the other person is telling us the truth, but look at the facts. People lie!!!

Laura Chisolm said...

I am sad that Tiger Woods cheated on his wife and not only hurt her but hurt his children too. I think that media loves situations like this. I understand that he is a celebrity and some coverage about the situation is covered but I think the media goes over board. Some privacy between Tiger Woods and his family is due to them to be able to cope and heal.

I think that his apology was staged and should have been given earlier. I think that the mistresses press conference should have been directed to Tigers family. She knew he was married and should have been aware that he was lieing to her. Not a good situation to get involved with a married man.

Overall, I think that Tiger should have stated his apology earlier to the public because of the responsiblity to his sponsors and the respect of those who trusted in him.

Paul Miller said...

As for me, I believe that this is a matter between his family and himself. It is sad that people are so obsessed with this story. This should have been handled much earlier. If he would have said that he had made some mistakes in his life and he is working them out privately, I feel most of the attention focused on him would have past. But, he did not and we were subjected to endless hours of trivial information. In the past weeks, I learned more about Tiger Woods than my own family. Even with this public apology, the media scrutinized his body language, the tone of his voice, and the fact his wife was not present. This is a big waste of time. There are more important things in the world to report on.
When I watched the former porn star demanding an apology, I sat there laughing. She knew he was married and there was no future in their affair. It reminds too much of that Sugarland song “stay”. She really needs to find a single man and move on with her life.

Unknown said...

RYAN WADE

This is a hard one to call. First of all Tiger Woods seemed like a robot in that press conference, just felt like stating that. But i think personally that athletes and movie stars should watch their image and lifestyle because a lot of kids look up to them. If they dont want to be role models, then stay out of the spot light.

On the other hand, what happens in someones marriage should be kept behind closed doors. They should be a thing between husband and wife. So i think celebs should watch their image as far as how they act in public. No one should cheat on their wife ever, but that is still a thing between him and her.

As far as the interview of the mistress, how can you really tell if she is telling the truth about anything or not. Im sure a lot of people would say they slept with
Tiger to try to get publicity or money.

Hartman said...

Thanks for asking! I think the attention we pay celebrities reflects poorly on us as a society. For almost three months now, news organizations have been reporting on this celebrities' affairs and sexual addiction. Many of us agree that these are private matters, yet the public thirst for coverage is overwhelming. National news organizations reported live from Hattiesburg, MS, from a health facility where Tiger was supposedly being treated. That is absurd to me. The Tiger scandal is entertainment material, but it is not news. I would be fine with the whole ordeal if the events were covered in the context of entertainment news or maybe even from an investigative perspective. My problem involves the unconfirmed information being covered as newsworthy.
From a PR perspective, the situation was handled terribly. The handling was textbook-bad, and the value of the Tiger Woods enterprise has no doubt suffered as a result. The privacy perspective is very interesting to me. Tiger has very much exerted his desire to keep these marital and sexual issues private. Just as those type issues are generally classified as private by most of us, the conflicting images of Tiger Woods as a role model and as an adulterer cause us to try to resolve the conflict and perhaps pry into what would otherwise be held as private.

The mistress is trying to squeeze in her 15 minutes of fame. Her giving a statement is just as ridiculous as her statement being carried by news outlets such as CNN.

Vanessa Collier said...

I believe that what Tiger Woods does behind closed doors is his business. It does not affect the american public, it affects his wife and children. I do not agree at all with his actions, but it is his life and his choice. I believe he has to be held accountable for his many affairs and wrongdoings, just like anyone else. Unforunately, for Tiger Woods, being the celebrity that he is, does have a duty to address the media about his affairs and apologize for his mistakes. I feel that the apology was rehearsed. He did not seem sincere, and the apology was not heartfelt. I think that if he would have addressed everyone when the story broke that maybe it wouldn't have gone so far.

I do not feel that he owes any of the mistresses a public apology. No matter what Tiger said or did to them during the relationship, if they thought for a second that the affair was anything more, they were just being naive. These ladies knew that he was married and had children; they knew what they were getting into. More than anything I believe they are looking for a little more publicity.

Lucky said...

When I first heard the story, I thought there was more to it. Some things just did not add up. When Tiger Woods said that it was just an accident, it seemed funny, in a bad way. I was interested in the story because of the silence about it. If he had come clean at first, I believe that whole story would not have gotten as big as it did.

Even though, I am disappointed in his actions; I am glad that he has apologized. He is a great golf player and a role modal for a lot of kids. It is important for them to see the positive and the negative side to sports. This event will show them that even important people make mistakes, and that they too have to apologize for their mistakes.

Jack Elliott III said...

I was shocked when I first heard the news that Tiger Woods was having an afair. He always seemed like he was a decent guy. Then hearing that he was a sex addict and had several different partners was almost unbelievable. However, after a couple of days of non stop coverage of Tiger Woods I was sick of the story. Because while he is a public figure I still did not really care about the story. I feel like there are many more important stories to talk about, instead of the fact that Woods cheated on his wife. Sadly it happens so much with sports figures it really isn't that supprising. Woods apology did not really seem real. Whenever someone is constanly reading from note cards and have rehearsed the apology, I can not believe that they mean it. I even like how he tried to turn it on the fans for saying that his wife beat him. He should have just kept it about himself and really apologized from his heart.

Now as far as the porn star is concerned, she is an idiot. Anybody who start a relationship with a married person should just assume that they do not love them. She only came out to get attention and thats it. She wants people to feel sorry for her so hopefully she can end up on the "Today Show" or a sho similar to it. She knew better she just wants attention.

Sandy said...

First and foremost, Tiger's wife and family members should have been given answers before anyone in the public. His marriage and family has and will continue to suffer the consequences from Tiger's careless mistakes. If anyone is in need of apologies, it is his family. However, since Tiger does have such a high profile, he also owes it to his fans to give some sort of explanation regarding these allegations. Tiger was quiet and did not respond to the public about his actions. Now, he has come up with this apology that does not seem very genuine to me. In my opinion, Tiger set this speech up so that he would not have to provide answers to the public. He just wanted to give a speech that would perhaps cover him in his career. I do not think that people will ever view Tiger in the same manner as they did before.

In regards to one of Tiger's former mistresses, I do not believe that she deserves an apology. In my opinion, she has nerve to add fuel to the fire. Tiger's family has already suffered enough. I do not believe that she is truly hurt by the damaged caused. Who is to say that she is not hoping to get some kind of monetary funds out of the deal? These mistresses just need to keep their appearances out of the public view.

Brandy Stuart said...

I believe at times celebrities do things to gain the intrest of their career. However, Tiger was caught in a trap of lies and scandals that become a mental disorder. I also think that if your are going to hold a public offical figure title that you need take a good look at whom will be interested in you. (like children) Although he is a figure in the light of public eyes his personal and private life should stay that way. I think in this sistuation it mad it harder for him and his wife to work out there issues. The press confrance was rehursted. It took a good man to confront what he had done and that he was taking action to get better. I'm sure he was scared to death of losing more then what he already has. He is human and he did make the mistake.

Ebb said...

I feel that Tiger Woods whole ordeal, that the news are just taking it a bit to far with everything that he has done. Sure it is wrong, but he is no different from no one else, he has just got caught up and must be responsible for his action and his wife wanted him to appologize to her and all of his fans.

Mary Catherine Carmichael said...

I believe that Tiger is truly sorry for the pain that he has caused his family. I think that sometimes celebrities are held to a higer standard than the rest of us becuase they are role models for others and they just can't stand up to the daily pressures that they are under and handle them by making some really bad choices. I love the fact that his mother was there supporting him. I think he as lost a lot of respect from his supporters and sponsors and he is going to have a really hard time coming back from this.

As for his mistress who is a prostitute I don't really have any sympathay for her. Her job is to have sex for money and that is what she was doing. Hello, she knew that Tiger was a married man with children you don't go messing with something like that without an agenda. I think she saw him as a gold mine.

Jessica Williams said...

Jessica Williams
I think that this is the worst apology I have ever seen. It do me did not feel real at all! In the statement what happens in a marriage is of no interest or concern to others outside the marriage I would say was in most situations to be correct but you have to see who the person is and what they represent. You have to consider the next statement about high profile celebrities who are considered role models, which is exactly what Tiger is. He is not included in the marriage privacy which would be for non-celebrity people. He has made a name for himself on his golf and his flawless past. He was known for being the perfect example for kids to base their future on. Now he is seen as just another celebrity that can’t keep it in his pants! I feel that his publicists managed the situation or situations as well as they could. What were they gonna do, say yes Tiger cheated with lots of girls and he is sorry. No, they had to take a step back and see what angle they could play that from and they choose the addict angle which the public ate up. With the apology being invitation only it just stuck with Tiger's past of wanting to be as private as possible but his publicists knowing he had to address the public. The entire ordeal to me was a disgrace and Tiger doesn’t deserve Elin. He based his career on his perfect past and he is just like the rest of the cheaters out there.
My response to the press conference given by one of Tiger's mistresses is complete and utter happiness. I enjoyed watching her trashy tears fall! She got exactly what she deserved sleeping with another woman’s husband. After watching it I only wish that I thought they were real tears and pain that she was showing because that would be even more deserving of her!

Ken Holm said...

I am firmly of the belief that parents in a traditional, nuclear family (father and mother, married to each other) should be the role models for their children. It is a difficult thing to do. However, that difficulty should not deter parents.

All parents are fallible. Some parents make errors far more egregious than Tiger Woods.

When Tiger Woods screws up, he goes on television and makes an apology that may come off as lame. Tiger can go, then, and try to make amends with his family. The apology to his fans is lip service. It must be. He cannot have an individual relationship with all of his fans and try to mend his error.

When I screw up, I can apologize to my family. Because I have a relationship with them, I can spend time with them, seeking forgiveness and making atonement. The closeness of the relationship makes it more important to me to seek reconciliation. It also makes it easier to do.

Tiger made several errors in judgement. When he takes the public's money, through sponsorships, advertising, etc., he becomes accountable to us.

The public at large pay to watch him perform as a talented athlete. Think Nike.

He also takes money because he's cool. Think Gillette razors.

So, when he does something uncool, like adultery, he will pay some price.

It is difficult to be sympathetic for the mistress. One thought that comes to mind is "What were you thinking?" Another is "How much will she get out of this deal?"