Golf News | Six Months On, There’s Still Economic Impact From Tiger’s Wreck
Can you believe it’s been six months in view of the fact that The Incident? Six months in view of the fact that everything we knew about Tiger Woods off the course turned out to be incorrect, six months in view of the fact that we all got ourselves wrapped up in a smug, snug blanket of self-virtue and bitterness.
We’ve done all the “what have we learned” pieces we need to around these parts. But CNBC’s Darren Rovell brought a new angle — the economic impact of Woods’ “transgressions” — or more properly the revelation of those transgressions.
Small version? Tiger’s woes have screwed up a whole lot of people and businesses, himself most of all.
Rovell reports that Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, indicates that there have been many offers both “legitimate” and “not legitimate.” (I’m guessing the Tiger Woods Sex Doll fits into the end category.) But for some of the entities still in business with Tiger, business ain’t excellent. Nike’s sales are down 20 percent. The PGA Tour’s ratings are down 15.5 percent.
On the other hand, there are signs that not all is suffering along with Tiger. EA Sports has a well-trafficked online video game, and the latest version of the home game is scheduled to hit next week. And Upper Deck has been marketing some profitable memorabilia ($500 for one gen-u-wine Tiger Woods range-hit golf ball). Still, it’ll be quite some time before people can reckon of Tiger Woods without thinking of, well, the “transgressions.”
Bottom line? In the Tiger Woods scandal, nobody really won. Well, apart from for us, of course.
