Tiger Woods seemed to say all the right things that he needed to say, at his press conference. He took responsibility for his multiple mistakes and acknowledged that everything that had occurred relating to this story,starts and ends with his poor judgment, and irresponsible behavior. There are a few issues which will, from my perspective, diminish what he, or his agent Mark Steinberg, were hoping to achieve. To stage a press conference in front of a controlled crowd, with Tiger friendly individuals, be they relatives, sponsors, friends, or hand picked friendly media, is a big mistake. For the individuals watching, who weren’t aware that the selected individuals in the room were controlled Tiger Woods allies, who would play strictly by his rules, or those of his agent, even the most naive, would pick up on the control placed over the entire gathering and hear that in Woods’ opening comments.
The failure in a restricted public apology, lies with the fact that some viewers are less believing of an individuals statements, if they never have to answer any difficult questions, that originate from objective individuals, not connected in any way to Tiger Woods. A good journalist would be an example of the type of person who should be there. I think that the sporting public, wants to see Tiger Woods answer every and any question, and then they can decide on Tiger’s believability, and they can also judge for themselves, if the questions are fare or not. If Tiger is receiving what he considers to be unfair questions, then he can say so or decline them. If the viewing public feels that he is being treated too harshly, then that’s one way he can start winning back some fans and sponsors. Most sports fans are forgiving, but they have to be able to completely believe what the confessing individual is saying. The presence of a strictly controlled studio audience, detracts substantially from the credibility of what is being said by Woods. Someone who is truly remorseful for what they have done, knows that they are likely to receive some harsh comments or tough questions. The sporting public would expect this, and would no doubt be suspicious of not hearing any questions or comments that might make Woods feel, and look uncomfortable. As it was, even with a Tiger friendly studio audience, he still wouldn’t take any questions.
To regain the support of fans and sponsors, one has to be perceived as having paid some kind of a price for wrongdoing. That is a first step, and Tiger did lose several sponsors, so he has paid a price that way. A secondary part of paying a price for wrongdoing, for a public figure or celebrity, is seeming to have been on the receiving end of challenging questions. Once that process has been completed, Tiger has a chance to move forward, and gradually begin leaving his past mistakes behind him.
Tiger Woods has to expect that the paparazzi are going to follow his family, even though most people feel that this kind of behavior is slimy, to say the least. People may be sympathetic to his concern, but they would also be thinking that he put himself and his family in that situation, so he can only blame himself for troubles like these, as difficult as it is for his family. To his credit, Woods did acknowledge that everything going on pertaining to his family, stems from his poor judgment. Hopefully, he will realize that “facing the music”, also implies hearing tough but fair questions, and answering them for the loyal fans and sponsors, who’ve helped in making him a multi millionaire, and one of the most recognized celebrity faces, all over the world.