A High Price for the Nike Swoosh

Since Nike released its Tiger Woods’ ad featuring the voice of his deceased father, Earl Woods, a few days ago, there has been no shortage of commentary critiquing it. Whether you like or dislike the ad, whether you think it is absolutely vile or tremendously inspiring, you must admit that as a marketing tool, it was a stroke of absolute genius. Since its release, it has been watched and re-watched and analyzed from every possible angle almost ad infinitum.

This morning Dee Foster, former elite NCAA gymnast and founder of Perfect Ten Consulting, has agreed to grace this spot with her take on the matter.

Before you read my commentary, please view the following ad if you have not done so already:

Now before I get into this, I want to be undeniably clear about two things:

1. I am a shameless Christian woman, and I am now in the practice of referring everything I say and do to scripture. I am woman-enough to admit that I am not the best navigator of my life’s journey…I need guidance. The Bible is the best self-help book ever written.

2. As a Christian woman, I in no way condone or endorse infidelity (or any bad behavior, for that matter) on any level. I do however, as a Christian woman, pray for God’s grace and mercy to cover and heal those who commit infidelity and those who are victimized by it. I do judge infidelity – everyone does. But I judge it from the perspective of God’s word: The Bible says that, as His children, we are to confess our sins to each other, to hold each other accountable to all behavior that is in disobedience to how God has instructed us to live and to pray for each others’ healing. (James 5:16). The Word doesn’t say anything about forcing each other to pay public and/or private penance – indefinitely –after God has already forgiven (Psalm 103:12)

Moving on.

The Masters. Golf’s proverbial holy grail of superiority. Masters. Interesting word. As a noun, it has 23 definitions according to dictionary.com. Here’s the 10 I find particularly compelling (and contradicting):

–noun

1. a person with the ability or power to use, control, or dispose of something: a master of six languages; to be master of one's fate.

2. an owner of a slave, animal, etc.

3. an employer of workers or servants.

4. the male head of a household.

5. a person eminently skilled in something, as an occupation, art, or science: the great masters of the Impressionist period.

6. a victor or conqueror.

7. an officer of the court to whom some or all of the issues in a case may be referred for the purpose of taking testimony and making a report to the court.

8. a boy or young man (used chiefly as a term of address).

9. a device for controlling another device operating in a similar way. Compare slave

10. the Master, Jesus Christ.

The reality is, God has already forgiven and forgotten the marital indiscretion of one Eldrick “Tiger” Woods (…and I will remember their sin no more -Jeremiah 31:34). However, the god-of-the-rubber-sole-and-shock-pads – Nike, Inc. -- has forced its former sacred cow to humiliate himself and continue to be convicted in the court of public opinion on a million dollar ad in exchange for keeping his beloved contract. And, as an added bonus to the great swoosh, they pounced on an opportunity to play God (the real One, not the shoe one).

That, friends, is called a Deal with the Devil.

Elin: The Deeper the Excrement, the More Wifey Smells of Roses

Let me just get this point out of the way before I expound on the Nike ad.

Speaking of deals with the devil…

She knew who she was marrying before she married him.

Considering how these scenarios usually exist (and they're all the same) this is not likely the first time he has cheated on her -- it's likely the first time she got fed up with it and made it public knowledge. Listen, I won’t bore you with my resume, but I’ve been in the branding, marketing and PR game for nearly two decades, so let’s just suffice it to say I know of which I speak, shall we? As a PR pro, I know that by the time someone gets busted, they have gotten away with it a million times.

Elin Whatever-Her-Maiden-Name-Is Woods left all-things-Nanny behind and chose to marry one of the wealthiest, most-famous humans on planet Earth. And she chose to marry him when he was in the prime of his career and in the prime of his life. Not unlike the many wives of professional über-athletes, she very likely turned a blind eye to some undesirable behavior (or at least hints of its existence) in exchange for an extremely comfortable life. She ignored stuff. Again, not likely this is the first time he’s been bad. Just the first time we all found out about it.

Everybody has a price. That was very clearly hers.

The devil, in this case, with whom Mrs. Woods struck her deal is not Tiger – it’s the farce that is their covenant of marriage. Now, I realize that, among females, I’m in the minority with this opinion.

That doesn’t make me wrong, though.

Treading-Not-So-Carefully, Inc.

In the argument (again, in the court of public opinion) about what is and isn’t satisfactory due-paying, representing this particular case are Tiger Woods, Elin Woods, the Woods children, a few Gloria Allred-represented opportunistic, money-whoring groupies (who are also ‘fans’ – which is short for fanatic, lest we forget…) and, last but certainly not financially least, Tiger’s sponsors.

The lone big-hat brand who “stood by” Tiger is, of course, Nike. As you saw on the recently launched, Masters Tournament-timed ad, Nike (also known as Phil Knight and his coveted ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy) is publicizing its official statement on Woods-gate. Actually, Nike has publicized more of a final judgment than an official statement – they are, after all, allowed to judge given they are the one brand not to flee.

Right?

Here’s the thing. Nike conceived this ad to reinvent Tiger Woods. Nike and Wieden + Kennedy – in their infinite marketing wisdom – have taken it upon themselves to re-create, re-brand, re-establish and re-build a broken man. Not a broken brand – a broken man. And again, this is perhaps their not-all-too-obvious way of letting The Tigster know he'd better thank his master (there’s that word again – which definition do you think is applicable?) for his one remaining endorsement contract…and that he's gonna have to crawl for it.

After seeing this ad, it is clearly in the minds of the shoe guru and its relevant partners that they are solely responsible for fixing what is broken, and if they have to dig up the rotting bones and the silenced voice of bad boy’s papa, then that’s exactly what they’ll do. I mean, if anyone can raise the dead, it’s Nike, right?

By the way, I wonder if the name of the marketing exec on this particular campaign is Creepy McCreepington. What delusional egocentric approved this thing? Don’t wanna be around that person when the rapture happens. Sheesh…

If you’re not picking up on my very acerbic sarcasm, hang in there – you’ll catch on by the time the piece is finished.

Part of the great swoosh’s reinvention strategy, by the way, is muzzling and muting Tiger (which is interesting, considering many brands are in desperate search for “articulate” athletes to endorse…but that’s another blog post altogether). Look at the ad. He says nothing. Subliminal messaging is among the most powerful to all the drones watching and waiting to be told what to think. And, in the end, Tiger's real god (Nike, not Buddah) will want to take credit for reinventing – and fixing – the broken man behind the brand.

Playing God. Deal with the Devil. Playing God. Deal with the Devil.

Oh, and if you asked me (which you didn’t, but I’m saying it anyway), Nike’s sanctimonious arrogance is so much worse than all the other brands who dropped him faster than Tiger told Groupie-Whore #1 to erase all those text messages. At least the brands who bailed revealed their sinister judgment overtly.

Oh, and I know that jab at one of Gloria Allred’s clients wasn’t very Christian of me. What can I say? God is no more finished with me than He is with Tiger…

This ad is clearly Nike’s insistence that Tiger continue to atone and, really, beg for the court of public opinion’s forgiveness. But alas, Earl’s son is only required to atone to God, his wife (although she's not blameless) and his children -- not humans. Especially not humans who have nothing to do -- at all -- with his situation. I also don't think there's anything genius about Nike faux-resurrection of a voice from the grave. I have traditionally been a great admirer (notice I didn’t say ‘fan’) of Nike ads - almost all of them are brilliant. But to me, this one is a perfect example of Nike (and its ad agency) believing its own hype and taking its advertising 'genius' over the line into a frighteningly blasphemous area.

When the last chapter of this tale is told, Tiger Woods will have won again, reigned as king of the golf world again and seen redemption in the form of new endorsement deals. He’ll have made more money than he ever dreamed possible, and he’ll sit alongside Marv Albert, Frank Gifford, Bill Clinton and countless other men on the Throne of Professional Resilience.

The real question is, how resilient is his soul?

What’s your opinion?

Is there a different standard of conduct for elite African American athletes and successful people of color in general?

No, this is not another Tiger Woods post. I’m too through with Tiger and his foolishness. However, this post does deal with elite African American athletes and their treatment in the media and by American culture in particular, and in the end, I extend the argument to include successful people of color.

This conversation grows out of one I began several days ago with Symphony of the blog Essential Presence about the Billy Corben directed documentary The U (a promotional clip is embedded above) which chronicles the rise and fall of the University of Miami football program during the 1980’s and early 1990’s.

According to the documentary, prior to the 1980’s the University of Miami was a lily white campus in the sleepy, lily white Miami suburb of Coral Gables with a failing football program. However, this all changed with the acquisition of Coach Howard Schnellenberger who was given the charge of rebuilding the program.

Coach Schnellenberger had the genius idea of rebuilding the program by going into the inner-city and ethnic neighborhoods of Miami and stocking the Miami football program with the best players, the vast majority of whom were black, which resulted in the University of Miami football team absolutely dominating college football for more than a decade.

And this domination was thorough and complete. However, they became more notorious for their on-field antics and off-field exploits than their football prowess. On the field, they danced, they clowned, they acted a complete and utter fool even as they were completely obliterating opponents. For this the team was labeled pompously arrogant.

Off the field they conducted themselves in an even more egregious manner; over the years, several players were arrested on charges ranging for assault to dealing drugs. For this the team got the reputation of a roster of criminals funded by rapper Luke Campbell.

But for all their on- and off-field exploits, during this period, the football team not only made a ton of money for the university, but they brought the university unprecedented exposure and prestige. Every game was a sellout, not to mention the millions for bowl appearances, and because of the success of the football program, the student body population grew by leaps and bounds.

Perhaps it would not be an overstatement to say that the University of Miami is what it is today because of the success of its football program. However, the football team’s reputation as a gang of lawless, arrogant thugs prevails.

This is my question to you, and I really hate to deal in hypotheticals, but I can only wonder how America would have treated, would have labeled, the University of Miami football team if that dominant team had been anything other than a group of predominately inner-city black kids? Would the terms have been different for Notre Dame? This brings us to our favorite foil as of late, Tiger Woods.

Every since he turned pro, Tiger Woods has absolutely dominated the sport of golf. And not only has he dominated the game; he has transformed the game as no golfer has before him. But even as he cut a wide swath through his competition, he has always been seen and labeled as arrogant.

And with this latest faux pas, the media and the golf establishment appeared only too eager to pounce. The golf establishment even characterized his actions as somehow outside some unwritten moral code of the pro golfing community. But I’m willing to bet my dollar to your dime that if there was some golf groupie sex to be had, Tiger was not the only one having it.

The common dominator here is money; money has the capacity to buy access to people and pleasures not available to those without it. And I am sure that for those who have it, those people and pleasures are hard to say no to.

Furthermore, what about the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena? This is another example of athletes who have absolutely dominated their sport, yet in seemingly every move they make, in every utterance, they been defined as ungraciously arrogant.

But I have not noted any such arrogance. Instead, I see their on the court posture as extremely competitive, extremely passionate, perhaps to a fault, but not arrogant. Most competitors, most people who reach the very pinnacle of their field seem to display many of the same behaviors. So why must they downplay their ability and accomplishments for their conduct to be deemed acceptable by some undefined, ever-changing standard?

And we can extend this argument far beyond the milieu of sports. I may be wrong; sometimes I feel that perhaps I am wrong more than I am right. From the limited purview of my subject position, I may simply be inserting inequities and inconsistencies where none exist. But it seems to me that standards of conduct differ for successful people of color.

While others may be given the latitude to celebrate their victories, to indulge in the excess allowed by the access that money and power provide, people of color are required to be humble, almost obsequious, in their success perhaps so as to be as non-threatening as possible.

But again, perhaps I may be wrong. What do you think?

More Info on the Death of "Air" McNair: Pictures of the Supposed Other Woman Released

Little by little, more information on the unfortunate demise of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair is being released. Not too long ago, a picture of the young lady who alledgedly took his life appeared on Huffington Post. [Click here to see photo and story.] She appears to be an average looking young Middle Eastern woman.

And the report also seems to go to great pains in reiterating that the exact nature of the relationship between McNair and this young lady is unknown. But of course the more people are told not to speculate, the more people will speculate, me included. Perhaps, especially me.

Certainly, I don’t want to believe what I fear to be true. I don’t want to believe that Steve McNair’s life was cut short as a consequence of his infidelity. But all the released information seems to point in one direction. I can only hope that I am wrong in my assumptions and later I’ll be angry and ashamed of myself for jumping to conclusions.

UPDATE: New York Times reports that McNair's death has been declared a homicide by the Nashville Police Department, but information is still scant. [Click here for complete story.]

The Slave Side of Sunday: Institutional Racism and Economic Exploitation in Professional Sports

In a post a few days ago, I posed the question “Are Black Athletes Being Played?".  Well, an anonymous reader forwarded the URL for the video clip featured above.  In it ex-NFL cornerback Anthony Prior and sportswriter Dave Zirin discuss the institutionalized racism and concomitant economic exploitation inherent in professional sports which for the most part goes unchecked and unchallenged.  The clip was made in promotion of Prior’s 2006 book The Slave Side of Sunday.  

The Nation published an excellent review of the book if you are interested in finding out more about it.

If you have a few minutes, it’s well worth your time.

Are Black Athletes Being Played?

Guestpost: It seems my boy Dollar Bill the Hot Tub Don (pronounced all at once like A Tribe Called Quest) has decided to get off the sideline and into the game, so to speak. He weighs in on this post with a question as to the dearth of African American sports agent and why do so many professional athletes end up broke.

The teams competing in the NBA finals have finally been decided (Sorry Lebron, I really thought it was your year.) and I, like most sports fans, am preparing for what looks like a good series. In fact, I’m getting the hot tub prepared and warmed up even as I write this. And this year the hot tub will be extra hot, caliente hot! But back to the business at hand.

Now, I’m a huge sports fan. Not the fanatical type that shows up at games all painted up or sitting in the stands in the dead of winter with my shirt off (kids don’t need to see all this on TV), but an avid sports devotee nonetheless. In fact, my day usually begins and ends with SportsCenter and a quick glimpse at espn.com.

But I’m not simply a casual observer. I view sports with a critical eye as it usually indicates or reinforces many truths about our society and especially our culture. And one thing that has always struck me as odd is the conspicuous absence of black sports agents and the number of millionaire athletes who will soon be dead broke. Perhaps the two are interrelated, but there are other implications.

Yes, there are some black sports agents, but the small percentage of black sports agents does not correlate with the vast percentage of professional black athletes. At last count, blacks made up about 67% of the athletes in the NFL and 75% in the NBA (aaregistry.com), but the percentage of those athletes patronizing black agents is miniscule.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not attempting to posit some kind of affirmative action quota system here. If I am sick, I want the best doctor regardless of his/her racial or ethnic background. So, it would follow that I understand the mid level or free agent type of player retaining the very best personnel to maximize his earning potential and marketability, and if that personnel just happens to not be a person of color, then so be it. However, once you've achieved a certain level of success and financial security, like say a Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, shouldn't you be compelled to address the dearth of black sports agents?

And perhaps closely related to this issue is the fact that most of those athletes making obscene amounts of money now will be dead broke in the near future. Consider these statistics from the Sports Illustrated March 23 article, “How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke”:

§ By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.

§ Within five years of retirement, an estimated 60% if former NBA players are broke.

Unbelievable right? The list of broke or nearly broke former pro athletes reads like a who’s who of the sports word: Saints all-time leading rusher Deuce McAllister, Panthers receiver Muhsin Muhammad, and let’s not forget hapless Broncos running back Travis Henry who was jailed for non-payment of child support to his nine kids by seven different my baby’s mommas.

While I respect and admire a number of professional athletes, someone has got to begin using their head for something besides a hat rack.

Despite the millions of dollars professional athletes earn, the lion’s share of the money to be made through professional sports ends up in someone else’s pocket. Yeah, you get to floss for a few years, but then where are you at? What are you left with? It’s almost the plantation system revisited; team owners and franchises and agents, among others, earn money by the sweat of the black athlete’s brow, and the athletes are more than content with it. In effect, even as they play, they are being played.

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