When news of Tiger Woodâs âpersonal issuesâ first hit, EA Sports came out on the defensive, issuing a strong statement of support for their star. A couple of weeks (and a dozen ladies) later, however, things arenât looking as solid.
Hereâs the original statement, sent out by EA on December 2:
https://lastchance.cc/scandal-or-no-ea-sports-stands-by-its-man-5417483%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Supportive! Theyâre rooting for the big guy, and will be backing him all the way. Thing is, that was at a time when Tiger was still a golfer. And was only facing allegations of sleeping with a handful of ladies who were not his wife.
Two weeks later, though, Woods has not only taken an indefinite break from the sport (not helpful for a company making a video game based around him playing golf), but it appears heâs slept with every porn star and cocktail waitress north of the Mexican border. Meaning heâs now less of an asset, more of a liability. And a fresh statement from EA reflects this.
This was sent by an EA Sports representative to the New Britain Herald yesterday:
We respect that this is a very difficult, and private, situation for Tiger and his family. At this time, the strategy for our Tiger Woods PGA Tour business remains unchanged.
Hmm. Interesting. âAt this timeâ. Carefully-worded phrase, that. Itâs the real-world marketing equivalent of âwe have no plansâ. Sure, the strategy at this time remains unchanged, but by January or February (or at least until after Tiger Woods Online launches early next year), well, who knows.
In other words, while itâs hardly an outright sacking, itâs also no longer a guarantee that Tiger will be the face of EA Sportsâ golf franchise next year. Especially given the fact that he may not even be playing golf by the time next yearâs title rolls around.
Lee Carvallo, nowâs your chance!
Drzewiecki: EA has no plans to take Tiger off PGA game [New Britain Herald, via Go Nintendo]
