Come On...Be a Tiger!!

Many golf fans like me are dismayed by Tiger Woods' recent car accident and hoping that he is okay. The brand and reputation management expert in me, however, is not enthralled by Tiger's response, or lack of it, to the situation.

Tiger is an individual and he has the right to his privacy. However, he has become a brand, both in his own right and in his ability to endorse other brands and provide them with equity, e,g, Nike and Accenture, among others. He is the first $1 billion a year pro athlete in terms of winnings and endorsements. He receives millions for simply showing up at tournaments and millions more for lending his name to projects.

When someone becomes a brand, he/she looses the ability to act as an individual. They take on larger, almost "corporate" responsibilities. His actions are his own and also reflect on other organizations.

I don't know what happened at Tiger's house that night that led him to jump in his car at 2:00am and back into a fire hydrant and tree. But, the speculation has become ridiculous. There are office pools with people betting on what happened. Some think he and his wife had a fight and he stormed out; others think he was cheating on his wife; others have other ideas. The sleazy media like the Enquirer and Star are running stories claiming he has been cheating on his wife and produced pictures of the alleged "other woman". I also understand that in the first 24-hours after the accident, there were more than 3,000 news stories written about the accident.

Tiger's silence just fuels those speculations more, giving them greater longevity and "legs". He needs to learn from David Letterman. If something happened, then tell us what happened and get it over with. We can all understand if he had a fight with his wife and stormed out. He's human. Maybe he was jet-lagged from his recent trip to China. Whatever the reason, or reason he can come up with, please say something.

I expected more of Tiger. I have always admired his talent and his philanthropic activities. All these begin to look manufactured in retrospect. When tested under fire, Tiger has failed the test that leaders must accept and brands are bound to accept--that they are larger than life and as a result have greater expectations on them.