Tiger Woods is eyeing a marketing bonanza
By Paul Davies
Knight-Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
PHILADELPHIA - Move over, Michael. Make room, Madonna. Give
it a rest, Rosie.
There's a new superstar bursting onto the world stage like
the Hale-Bopp Comet.
His name is Tiger Woods.
But unlike the 15 minutes of fame Andy Warhol allotted everyone,
Tiger's star is burning brighter.
On Sunday, the 21-year-old golfer continued to burnish his
place in history by becoming the youngest ever to win the Masters,
golf's grandest prize. Woods also became the first black to win
at Augusta National, thus kicking down the door at one of the
last bastions of the old white boys' club.
The victory served notice to golf and the world that Tiger
is the latest and possibly greatest athlete in some time.
His star power, say many experts, goes beyond sports.
"He's the next generation's great superstar," said
Bob Williams, president of Burns Celebrity Service, a Chicago-based
company that matches stars with corporate sponsorships. "Michael
Jordan has filled that role for the last decade, but now it is
Tiger's turn."
The Tiger hype has been building since the day he hit golf
balls on "The Mike Douglas Show" at age 3. Despite such
early signs of greatness, no one could imagine Woods' impact on
sports.
Prior to leaving Stanford University to join the pro tour last
year, Woods signed endorsement contracts with Nike and Titleist
totaling more than $60 million. Two books have been written about
him. He's graced the cover of GQ and Newsweek. There are Tiger
Woods websites on the Internet. He already has his own video titled,
"Tiger Woods: Son, Hero and Champion."
The $480,000 first-place check from the Masters gives Woods
$1,757,594 in earnings since he turned pro on Aug. 27. But Woods
is in this for more than money. He has one measuring stick - to
be the best golfer ever to play the game.
In naming him 1996 Sportsman of the Year, Sports Illustrated
said Woods changed the face of sport "more rapidly than any
other athlete ever has." Woods won the honor four months
after turning pro.
Sports marketing experts say the Tiger money machine is just
getting warmed up. Sunday's Masters victory catapults Woods to
a rarefied height where he can transcend not only golf and sports,
but society.
"You can expect Tiger Woods to become a fixture in American
life for the next 30 years," said Brian Murphy, publisher
of the Sports Marketing Letter in Westport, Conn. No wonder. Woods
is a Madison Avenue dream. Other athletes come and go. But golf
greats, like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, can span generations
as some of the country's most marketable sports celebrities.
Moreover, the Tiger appeal cuts across the demographic spectrum.
Woods is part African-American, Native Indian, Chinese, Thai and
European. He's a minority playing a white man's game. He brings
youth and enthusiasm to a sport thought by many to be old and
slow. He lures the inner city to the wealthy suburban country
clubs.
There are already reports of a surge in young blacks taking
up golf. The spectators at golf tournaments have been transformed
from traditional Wonder Bread white males to a mix of minorities
and young women who swoon at Woods like he's a rock star.
"He's the new Jackie Robinson," said Murphy. "It's
especially fitting that on the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's
breaking the color barrier that someone like Tiger Woods has come
along to shake up the world."
Even golf legend Lee Elder, who broke the color barrier at
Augusta in 1975, bowed to Woods.
"It might have more potential than Jackie Robinson breaking
into baseball," Elder said of Woods' Masters victory. "No
one will ever turn their head again when a black walks to the
first tee."
Woods seems well-aware of his role model status, especially
among minorities.
He reads the racist hate mail he receives, using it as fuel
to make himself play better. And one of the first commercials
he did for Nike pointed out the racism that prevails in golf.
"There are still courses in the United States I am not
allowed to play because of the color of my skin. I've heard I'm
not ready for you. Are you ready for me?" Woods asks in the
Nike commercial.
America seems ready and waiting. Tiger Woods' mass appeal seems
rooted in his poise and character. There is no arrogance or anger.
He plays like a champion, but does not brag or flaunt his talents.
His impish smile lights up the TV screen, yet he seems very humble.
Such a combination of fine qualities is hard to find in most
humans, let alone in world-class athletes and movie stars.
"Sports as a whole needs Tiger Woods," Murphy said.
"Because everyone is getting fed up with athletes who behave
like bores."
As the lines between sports and Hollywood blur, look for Tiger
Woods movies, TV shows, commercials and book deals, a la Michael
Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Dennis Rodman.
So far, Woods has shunned most of the endorsement deals lined
up outside his door. The few endorsements he has done have been
golf- related. For example, there are no Tiger rap albums.
Instead, Woods has focused on winning.
Marketing experts applaud the way Woods is taking care of business,
both on and off the links.
"With everyone on Madison Avenue chasing after him, it
really is what he chooses not to endorse rather than what he does
endorse," said Marty Blackman, an attorney who negotiates
endorsement deals. Get used to him, said Williams, of Burns Celebrity
Service.
"Tiger Woods is going to take the business of sports marketing
to an all-time new level," he said.
(c) 1997, Philadelphia Daily News.
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