Tiger Woods has lost many sponsorships due to his off-the-course shenanigans, but EA holds strong with their position to keep him as their golf game representative. EA Sports posted a press release regarding Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online stating that they are holding true to their slogan "It's in the game." and not holding Tiger's misadventures against him.

"By his own admission, he’s made some mistakes off the course.  But regardless of what’s happening in his personal life, and regardless of his decision to take a personal leave from the sport, Tiger Woods is still one of the greatest athletes in history.  At EA SPORTS, we make authentic sports simulations. When we say “It’s in the Game”, it is not just a tag line but a statement about the quality and authenticity of the game experience."

This had to be an interesting meeting over at EA discussing whether or not a game series could make any money with a spokesperson that used to be known as a goodie two-shoes stellar athlete and is now the mastermind behind the most well-known sex scandal of the decade. It was a no-brainer for Gatorade. You just couldn't have the new Tiger on a black background with liquid splashing around and your orange lightning bolt logo with white words below saying, "Is it in you?"

For EA Sports, like Nike, they have too much invested in him, at least for now. It seems Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online is already too far into production to cancel and EA relies on their constant flow of annual sports games for income. This must have been a tough decision for the penny-pinchers at EA who are already shutting down servers for older games. It really comes down to whether or not this one sells where they'll no doubt hold on to him as long as he continues to perform.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online has been in closed beta for eight months and is expected to start open beta sometime this month.

Source: EA Sports