Tiger''s Apology Press Conference - thoughts?

[janinegirly]

Have to ask, what did you think (if you watched it)?

 

[OUpearlgirl]

It didn''t seem totally genuine, possibly because he is not a very good public speaker. He was just reading a piece of paper that anyone could have written.

I felt terrible every time they showed his mom.

 

[radiantquest]

I didnt watch. Does anyone have a link to it? I am sure it will be on youtube. I have a vendor at work that called me about it because he tried to watch and has no speakers. I will play it on speakerphone for him.

 

[meresal]

I didn't watch it, but read some reveiws. Don't really have an opinion other than, He is scum.

I would just like to say that I feel horrible for all the people in the world that are ACTUALLY suffering from sex addiction. The whole charade that Tiger is suffering from this is making a real issue into his scapegoat.

 

[janinegirly]

I''m sure it''s on You Tube!

My first impression was...why is this such a big deal? It was on all networks and the backdrop reminded me of a Presidential press conference. I mean of course I know this is a huge story, but this was being broadcast like an enormously significant event.

Secondly I did feel a little awkward watching Tiger apologize a million times (looking straight at the camera like rehearsed I''m sure). He also lectured about his wife being wonderful and full of grace (he doesn''t need to tell us!). It was hard to see it as all genuine remourse--it appeared more like a man who was deeply embarrassed and who had been through one too many therapy sessions the past month. His mom did however look genuinely po''d, I''m sure she has given him a piece of her mind! And even though his wife wasn''t there, the message was that she is willing to work on the marriage.

In any case the commentators seemed to think he was genuine and a changed man trying to make amends. So I think from that regard it will be viewed as a good PR move. So far--as the day goes on things may be spun differently.

 

[kenny]

It''s too late.

He needed to do this damage control right away.

 

[zipzapgirl]

We have TV''s running on MSNBC all day on mute or low volume in the office. Strangely, about half of the office stopped what they were doing and listened to most of the press conference. It was a little bizarre. I think it got as much attention around here as when MJ suddenly died.

I thought it was a lot of grovelling. I mean, he cheated on his wife, not us, right? Most people seemed to think it was insincere and slightly pathetic.

The weirdest thing was the staged hugs at the end

and the dramatic head-down exit. The MSNBC brought on 6 correspondants split screen to discuss. Blech.

 

[susimoo]

Date: 2/19/2010 1:02:07 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady
I didn't watch it and I won't. I think his personal business should be just that.. between he & his wife. There are people all over the world who cheat on their spouses, just because he's in the public arena doesn't mean he doesn't have his own personal issues....

I totally agree.

However I admit I was more moved when he hugged his Mom. Lots of people go through this stuff daily and its bad. It must be really appalling to have to do this on national tv.

Tiger get back to golf. It is what you do best. Public speaking is not your forte.

Lets all move on. I just hope his wife and kids get through this in one piece.

 

[Kay]

Date: 2/19/2010 1:02:07 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady
I didn''t watch it and I won''t. I think his personal business should be just that.. between he & his wife. There are people all over the world who cheat on their spouses, just because he''s in the public arena doesn''t mean he doesn''t have his own personal issues....

I agree with this. It''s bad enough that his wife and kids have to deal with his betrayal, they shouldn''t have to deal with repeated public humiliation and re-hashing as well.

 

[meresal]

Personally, I thought the apology was to please all of the sponsors that dropped him... not for the public.

 

[mariel]

Date: 2/19/2010 1:03:11 PM
Author: kenny
It''s too late.


He needed to do this damage control right away.

What Kenny said. I think he waited too long but then again who am I to judge because really the only person he should be apologizing to is his wife.

 

[Laila619]

I thought the whole thing was just bizarre. It looked fake and rehearsed.

 

[AprilBaby]

What a waste of time...I can''t believe everything was pre-empted for it, and truthfully, everyone at my office was laughing because it looked like a skit from SNL.

 

[Gailey]

One thing that rang true was when TW said that Elin had told him, that his apology to her was not going to be verbal. In other words, it''s not what you say thats important, it''s what you do.

As to this PC today, he thanked his fellow players for understanding why he needed to speak today. So why was it important? and who was it important to? Not Elin, she wasn''t there and she had already told him essentially that words are cheap, it''s actions that count.

That said, although it was a carefully coreographed event, I did feel that he spoke with a degree of honesty and I am sure he is regretful about the fallout this has had on the people around him.

Will he change? Well I suspect it will depend on what is more important to him. If that is truly his family and his golf then I guess he will change. He can hardly stay in the public eye and not change because the world''s media is going to be watching every move he makes, waiting for another transgression.

 

[Kaleigh]

I just saw it now. Look to me, he''s only sorry he got caught!!!

And his Mom?? She looked pissed!!!

 

[meresal]

Date: 2/19/2010 4:32:14 PM
Author: Kaleigh
I just saw it now. Look to me, he''s only sorry he got caught!!!

And his Mom?? She looked pissed!!!

I agree with this as a general statement actually.

I have a hard time accepting apologies from people who are not sorry until after they have been caught. It actually takes alot more gaul to apologize for something before anyone even knows it happened... and these are the people that I think will actually change.

 

[radiantquest]

My coworkers had me watch it as I am the one of the few with acess and I have a big monitor. It made me feel uncomfortable too. I stopped watching when he started talking about being Buddhist. The coworker that watched for the longest left then so I shut it off.

I thought that some phrases seemed genuine while others did not. I like the part that his apology will be shown through his behavior. I also liked that he apologized to all the parents that told their children to look to him as a role model. Oh, and I liked the part where he admitted that he thought the regular rules didnt apply to him because the fame got to him. Granted it is not a good excuse for what he did, but it was honest and at least he said it.

I think it is unfortunate that this happened to Elin, it is bad enough to feel betrayed by the one you love, then it happened over and over again, then it was for the entire world to see. I think that it would take me a long time to forgive because of the embarrassment added on to the betrayal.

 

[Laila619]

Date: 2/19/2010 4:32:14 PM
Author: Kaleigh
I just saw it now. Look to me, he''s only sorry he got caught!!!

And his Mom?? She looked pissed!!!

Yep. Totally sounded like it was written by a PR person doing damage control, not heartfelt.

 

[zoebartlett]

I only saw the short snippet that the local news showed, but I thought it was painful to watch. I still think it''s weird to televise an apology that should ultimately be in private (meant for your spouse).

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Oscar contender.

cheers--Sharon

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/19/2010 6:05:24 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

Oscar contender.

cheers--Sharon

No way...his acting was TERRIBLE!

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 2/19/2010 4:16:19 PM
Author: AprilBaby
What a waste of time...I can''t believe everything was pre-empted for it, and truthfully, everyone at my office was laughing because it looked like a skit from SNL.

It may become a skit soon.

 

[lulu]

Well, I''m clearly in the minority, but I think he was sincere and repentent.

 

[lyra]

Honestly, I don''t care at all and don''t consider this newsworthy to the extent that it was actually televised. Sheesh. It''s stuff for tabloids and I don''t pay attention to those. Actors and sports figures are not good role models in general, IMO. Fame is enticing and fickle. Whatever. Nothing surprises me about celebrities anymore.

 

[cara]

Oh, whatever. He had to do it to begin moving on - clearly he and his people mishandled the events after thanksgiving and enough people were calling for his head or a more thorough raking over the coals or whatnot that he had to make another statement at some point. Even if an equal or greater number of people wanted it all to go away or for everyone to leave him and his family in peace, he needed to appease the bloodhounds to some extent. Of course it had some scripting to it, but he looked appropriately miserable and listless. I don''t know what people expect - better acting? - but I don''t know that he was faking it. It''s kind of hard to evaluate at some point. He''s a public figure but one more accustomed to wearing a shield around his emotions except for those ones appropriate to his competitive image.

And its not like wearing one''s heart on one''s sleeve in a believable way makes these things necessarily go better - remember Mark Sanford''s babbling about his soul mate? Or even Tiger''s angry-back-off-its-private vibe to his statements last fall? Those weren''t exactly PR-successes.

Anyway, hope he and his wife reach some peace, together or apart (though for her sake I tend to thing apart is more likely to bring her peace and a clean bill of health), and that Tiger can get his extracurriculars under control so that he can get back to the golfing. Isn''t that the sport he''s supposed to be famous for? Not pressers and skirt-chasing?

 

[April20]

Date: 2/19/2010 6:53:49 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett

Date: 2/19/2010 4:16:19 PM
Author: AprilBaby
What a waste of time...I can''t believe everything was pre-empted for it, and truthfully, everyone at my office was laughing because it looked like a skit from SNL.

It may become a skit soon.

I saw a snippet of it in the airport this afternoon and all of us standing there commented that it looked like a SNL skit and we were expecting it this Saturday if it''s a new episode.....

 

[yssie]

Won''t watch it, don''t care.

 

[Sizzle]

I thought it was creepy.

 

[atroop711]

I didn''t think he owed the public an apology...he''s not married to the public...with that said his speach was robotic, lacked emotion...rehearsed and full of too many odd soap opera''ish dramatic pauses.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 2/19/2010 7:24:35 PM
Author: lulu
Well, I''m clearly in the minority, but I think he was sincere and repentent.

I guess I''m in the same minority, but I would qualify what Lulu says as sincere and repentant but with an agenda.