Tiger Woods Nike Ad Gets Some Cheers, More Jeers

(April 8) -- Tiger Woods says nothing in his latest Nike ad. Instead, everyone else is talking about the commercial, in which the only voice heard is that of the golfer's dead father, Earl Woods.

In the spot released on the eve of his return to competition at the Masters -- four months after a sex scandal interrupted his brilliant career and tarnished his billion-dollar image -- Tiger stares blankly into the camera as his dad seems to speak to him about responsibility.

"I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?"

Reaction from commentators and fans runs the gamut. Here's a taste of the comments from FanHouse readers:

• Using his dead father to help his personal comeback and sell Nike goods- he continues to reach new lows. dad
• I actually thought it took some guts to do it. What's more important to NIKE however is that a lot of people will be talking about the commercial and them and that's a lot of what advertising is about. timber1647
• I'm so glad Tiger is playing again....but not really sure what to make of the commercial. Sounds like Nike is keeping him on a short leash and watching their own backs as well. "Tiger did you learn anything?" But no response. Kind of weird. James

Outsports blogger Cyd Zeigler Jr. gave Woods credit for addressing the scandal in news conferences and now in the ad.

"This latest commercial is a great commentary on the issue, personal responsibility and the role of family. We all make mistakes, but how we take responsibility for those mistakes speaks to our character," wrote Zeigler. "I'm sure all the Tiger haters will find a reason to attack him for it, but my respect for him is growing again."

On the other hand, Seattle Post-Intelligencer sports blogger Greg Johns argued that it was "sleazy and cheesy" to use Earl Woods' voice "and then put the Nike swoosh all over such a personal message as a way to continue his marketing of the shoe company."

Detroit Free Press sportswriter Steve Schrader thought it was "tacky." Mediaite's Rachel Sklar described the ad as "strange, uncomfortable, sad, painful, and creepy" -- but also "strangely moving."

Salon's Jamie Kapalko was also moved by Tiger's appearance at the beginning of the 30-second black-and-white commercial.

"He looks vulnerable. He looks tired. He doesn't look humble -- he never does -- but he looks like, well, a man. Just a man," Kapalko observed. But then sympathy gave way to disgust.

"And at the end, there's the Nike swoosh, reminding us that Woods and his sponsors meticulously crafted this whole Tiger Woods persona a long time ago, and that the difference between the persona and the man blew this whole scandal up in the first place," Kapalko said. "Maybe that swoosh is the perfect way to usher in Woods's redemption, or whatever they want to call it. But it's not moving. It's just sickening."

FanHouse's Greg Couch also ripped the golfer and his sponsor, but added that the blame goes beyond them.

"The truth is, we are all in on this together. Whoever the seller is, someone has to be the buyer, too. We were all duped before somehow by the image that's been created about Woods," wrote Couch, who charged that Nike is taking advantage of Americans' need for sports heroes. "This commercial is the perfect low-class example, proof of a mean-spirited campaign to treat us like fools again. Nike and Woods are taking the sympathy factor of a dead father to capitalize and profit from Woods' scandal."

"How could anybody use the memory of a proud father to make some bucks for the corporation?" asked George Vecsey of The News York Times, who called it "tasteless."

"Nike released a statement saying, 'We support Tiger and his family.' Of course they do. More to the point, Tiger and his family support Nike." Vecsey added.

"The shoe company's golf arm, one of its most profitable segments, exists entirely because of Tiger," wrote New York Magazine's Will Leitch.

As for the new ad, Leitch correctly predicted Wednesday, no matter what people think, "it's certain that every cable channel in the world is going to be talking about it tomorrow."

There's no question that the ad is effective on one level. It's drawn attention to Nike and its lucrative association with golf's biggest star. Whether that helps or hurts in the long run may depend on how Woods performs in pursuit of his fifth Masters victory this week.

For full coverage of the action at Augusta, go to FanHouse.

UPDATE 4PM ET: Well, that didn't take long. The Tiger Nike ad parodies have begun and PopEater has them.