It goes without saying that Tiger Woods is in a bit of a pickle. Not only has he lost his spot as the number one golfer, but his image in the media has also taken a serious beating over the past year. The one constant in Tiger’s life is his title as king of the golfing games with the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series, but if Tiger continues this downward spiral, he might lose that as well.
Speaking with Reuters, EA Executive Chief John Ricitiello said that while Tiger’s spot as the face of the golf series isn’t in jeopardy currently, the star is definitely on watch. If Tiger were to rebound from his recent stint of bad luck, EA would be more than happy to continue the relationship, but Ricitiello has to be realistic about the situation stating:
“We have no plans to move away from him, but it’s a business relationship on the basis of we make the best golf game and he’s the best golfer. Both of those things need to be true in the long run for the partnership to make sense.”
As Tiger continues to struggle, the value of his image only continues to dwindle. Sales have suffered so much that John Daly thought he was fit to challenge Tiger’s reign as king.
The real question here is why is EA threatening Woods? No matter how low he goes on the totem pole of golfers, Tiger will continue to be the most recognizable player on the PGA Tour. Perhaps we could see a world where Tiger and EA’s relationship boils down to the game being called Tiger Woods PGA Tour, but instead of Tiger’s image we see the latest golf star on the cover. Either way, Tiger is far from being banished from the minds of the general public. Until that day comes, Tiger should be safe and sound.
Can you imagine a world where Tiger Woods PGA Tour is not the go-to golf game? Do you think that Tiger should continue as the namesake of the franchise ala John Madden?
Source: Reuters
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It made sense when nobody cared about any golfers except Tiger, but now that several more golfers have shone in terms of skill and personality, it makes less sense.
It’s hard to imagine anyone buying a golf game only because Tiger’s name is on it. It doesn’t make financial sense for EA to give as much cash to Tiger as they do now that the quality of the title has proven itself.
I can’t see EA dropping Tiger due to his image resulting from his personal life as they could have done that last year. But I understand the fall from grace as the Top golfer could cost him the EA title. Their golf title has been around so long enough at a high product level that it can survive without any name above the PGA Tour title.
I think it’s only a matter of time until his shining face is no longer on the cover. Just wait.