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