Roberts Taylor Roberts Dr.

Erin Dietal-McLaughlin WR 13300 29 September 2011 Tiger Woods: A Change of Perspective Tiger Woods was once claimed by many as the greatest golfer in history. His reign of dominance was unmatched by any golfer who had preceded him. This all changed, however, when the news about his infidelity surfaced. A man once loved by so many quickly became hated. Not only did his life change drastically, but his identity as well. Woods who was joyous, euphoric, and radiant became reserved, desolate, and bleak. As a result, he has for now lost the magic that once made him so great. Often the type of media one chooses to express themself in can influence how their identity is perceived. In The Psychology of Cyberspace, psychologist John Suler argues this statement. He says, We express our identity in the clothes we wear, in our body language, through the careers and hobbies we pursue. We can think of these things as the media through which we communicate who we are. The type of media that clearly demonstrates Woods change of identity is his video advertisements. Being the center of all media attention in golf, Woods was subjected to many endorsement deals. In the subsequent months and years after the scandal surfaced, many major companies dropped Woods, not wanting him to represent their company. One company, however, chose to remain in close relations with woods, Nike. Nike Golf has sponsored Woods ever since he turned pro. Nike Golf started as a section of the company that made golf shirts, but with the help of Woods over the years, grew to become one of the largest and most profitable golf companies in the world. Nike Golf has centered their

Roberts entire company around Woods; he helps design clubs and serves as Nike Golfs main source for

advertisement. Nike Golf has always used Woods in clever television ads to spark the interest of their viewers. They have had various commercials ranging from videos of his swing, to Woods being represented as God by walking on water and hitting a golf ball off a lily pad. These advertisements were clear depictions of Woods identity and personality at the time. Nike Golf has two advertisements that stick out from all the rest. The first aired many years before Woods marital affairs were uncovered. During the commercial, Woods is on a golf course juggling a golf ball on the face of his golf club. He does many different tricks and maneuvers until he finally transitions into a full swing without letting the ball touch the ground. Woods seems happy and playful during the entire video. Despite that, the second advertisement is a polar opposite of the first. The video was released months after the scandal, preluding to his return to professional golf. It consists of a face on view of Woods in a black and white tint while his late father is talking in the background. His father says, Tiger. I am more prone to be inquisitive to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything? Compared to the first video, the second video is very somber and dreary. The differences these two videos display help to highlight the severity and magnitude of Woods change in identity. In An Overview of Rhetoric, James Herrick argues that rhetoric is planed. He says, Thinking of rhetoric as planned symbol use directs our attention to the choices people make about how they will address their audiences (8). These commercials were constructed the way they were because of the way they address their audiences. When creating these commercials, Nike Golf wanted to convey a specific tone in which they believed that their message could best be expressed. Herrick goes on to talk about planning the message one wants to communicate. He

Roberts says, Issues that arise in planning a message include: Which arguments will I advance? Which evidence best supports my point? How will I order and arrange my arguments and evidence? What aesthetic resources are available to me, given my topic and audience? (8). Nike Golf needed to go over all of these questions when formulating their videos. In the older commercial, Nike Golf and Tiger Woods wanted to argue that golfers have the most fun when using their equipment; they used Woods juggling golf balls using their clubs. In the more recent commercial, Nike wanted to express a tone that they are very serious about their equipment and

their players. They use Woods to show that Nike Golf is tough company and can overcome many challenges they are faces with just like Tiger Woods overcoming the scandal. Nike Golf uses rhetoric to communicate the messages in their videos. These messages strongly contribute to the identity Tiger Woods possesses. In the older commercial, Nike Golf sets the scene on an open golf course. Its sunny, the skies are bright blue, and the grass is a luscious green. The setting expresses a very jovial and cheerful mood. There is also an upbeat musical tune playing in the background. The music is very jolly and peppy putting the audience in a fun mood. This adjectives all relate to Woods when he a lot younger. He was very happy and fun-loving, dominating the professional golf tour and breaking many records set before him like toothpicks. As he has aged, however, his mood has drastically changed. The stetting of the more recent commercial is very different from the older commercial. In this commercial, the scene is again on the golf course, but the picture is in a black and white tint giving the video a dark feeling. Golf courses are generally very bright having many scenic views. These views can transform a persons mood no matter how depressed or unhappy they are. This video seems to not want to utilize that element. Turning a colorful golf course in a dull

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black and white picture brings upon feelings of sorrow and melancholy. The setting of this video strongly conveys a different Tiger Woods, one the world has never seen. He seems disinterested in the game of golf, and disinterested in returning to his once masterful form.

Another important factor in communicating identity through videos involves the content of the videos. The actions that Woods performs can be directly associated to his identity. In the older video Woods is juggling a golf ball on the face of the golf club. With the addition of the background music, the video gives off a very fun-loving feel. Woods seamlessly performs various tricks; he hits the golf ball between his legs, around his back, and finally swings normally sending the ball hundreds of yards, all without letting the ball touch the ground. This contributes to the perceptions of Woods identity at the time. Since back then Woods was so dominant, the only thing he needed to practice was his juggling skills. This put Woods in a slightly arrogant but very proud state of mind a very exuberant disposition. The more recent video is very contrasting; Woods state of mind almost the complete opposite. In the video, the audience sees Woods staring blankly at the background. While Woods remains emotionless, an unfamiliar voice begins to speak in the background. The voice says, Tiger. Almost immediately the viewer could realize that the voice is that of Woods late father; the man who trained him to be so great; the man who meant more to him than any person. Woods father, Earl Woods, continues by saying, I am more prone to be inquisitive to promote discussion He wants to ask questions, to get inside the mind of his son. Throughout the entire monologue, Tiger Woods face is filled with remorse and sadness, even though its hard to tell. Woods emotions in the video reflect his present day emotions on and off the gold course. It is

Roberts rare to see him smiling, always seeming disinterested in the game, unwilling to return to his former position of dominance. On the other hand, however, it could be argued that the younger Tiger Woods was more arrogant than fun loving. As stated before, Tiger Woods was such a dominant golfer when he was younger that the only part of his game that needed practice was his juggling skills. That can be construed as very arrogant. It could also be argued that the older Tiger Woods is just being serious in his commercials. Woods may be attempting to show that over the years he has greatly matured. Everyone may seem arrogant when they are young by as they age they mature. Woods

understands that he is an adult and there is a limit to how much he can show boat and boast about how good he is. Tiger Woods has also been a serious golfer throughout his career. Off the golf course he may have been a little more laid back, but on the golf course he has always been the same. He is all business, all the time, rarely cracking a smile and always getting inside the heads of his competitors. Its a part of what made him the number one golfer in the world for several consecutive years. Also Woods may be acting seriously in his more recent commercial be cause he wants the audience to know that he realizes the severity of what he done. Woods made a huge mistake committing such an infidelity and wants his fans to know that he realizes not only did he cheat on his wife, but on them too. Tiger wants to rise above his mistake and show that he accepts what he has done and is willing to move one; he wants to be as mature about it as he can. Another argument could be that Tiger Woods commercials are not a reflection of his identity, but simply what the director of the video wants him to be. Media today can control and shape stories anyway they want. It happens today in many celebrity stories; the media turns a story that doesnt mean much into one that is international news. The same can be done on any video. In the older commercial, Woods may have been told to act a certain way to attract a

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certain audience. He was having fun with Nike golf clubs, so other could have fun with them too. Nike Golf wanted Woods actions to be a reflection of their clubs. The same goes for the more recent commercial. Woods was viewed by many as disgusting for what he had done. Nike Golf wanted to show that they still trusted and believed in him. The had him act a certain way in the commercial to show that he understood what he had done and wanted to rise above it. The media could have influenced his portrayal of identity. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrocks Avatar, Nicholas Carr argues that a person is responsible for their online identity. He says, Your online self, like Matts, is entirely selfcreated, and because it determines your identity and social standing in an internet community, each decision you make about how you portray yourself - - is fraught, subtly or not, with a kind of essential danger. And you are entirely responsible for the consequences as you navigate that danger (160). All in all, Tiger Woods is responsible for his online identity and how he is portrayed. Whether it was his idea to act that way in his commercials or it was the decision of Nike Golf, he chose to let himself be portrayed this way; he is directly responsible. It is very clear that Tiger Woods has changed not only as a golfer, but also as a person over the years. A guy who was once so looked up to, has deteriorated and become abysmal. His reign of dominance has come and gone, and nobody knows whether or not the golf community will ever see it again. One thing is for sure; the golf world needs Tiger Woods to return. His dominance was so influential to the golf community that it opened up golf to many different diversities and many different age groups. There may never be another golfer like Tiger Woods.

Roberts Works Cited

Carr, Nicholas. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock's Avatar." (E)Dentity (2011): 1-202. Print. Herrick, James A. "Chapter 1: An Overview of Rhetoric." The History and Theory of Rhetoric: an Introduction. Boston: Allyn and Beacon, 2005. Print. Suler, John. "Psychology of Cyberspace - Identity Management in Cyberspace." Psychology of Cyberspace - Identity Management Is Cyberspace. Apr. 2000. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://users.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/identitymanage.html>. Tiger Woods Commercial: Earl and Tiger - YouTube. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NTRvlrP2NU>. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded>.