Redemption and Family

When I first saw this commercial, I was more than a little confused. I didn't immediately realize whose voice was speaking or what was going on. But after listening to the buzz surrounding this ad from ESPN and on the internet, I began to get an idea about what this ad is doing, how Nike is trying to rebuild Tiger's brand, and how the media portrays real life stories.

We all know that literary stories and themes can't be superimposed onto real life. When you're sad and it starts raining outside, its not some pathetic fallacy. It rains because the water in the clouds has become dense enough to fall. Nor can almost mythic tales of redemption and heroism be placed onto real stories in sports. But somehow that doesn't stop the media from trying. In this ad, Tiger isn't the womanizing, out of control adult that we've come to realize he is. He's a child facing his father who has to explain himself. When Nike put up this ad, it was right before the Masters. For the past few months Tiger has attested to the fact that he is a changed man. He claims he was a victim of sex addiction and for the past few months he has made strides to improve himself. And if Tiger was to win the Masters, the media would have portrayed the victory as a sign from the gods of their approval. It would complete this tale of fall from greatness, redemption, and the return to the top.

But he didn't win. So that left the media struggling for a story for all of about two seconds. Because the man who did win was Phil Mickelson. He is painted as the perfect family man. Three children, happily married for 13 years, and no known scandals or affairs. His wife is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and the tearful, emotional embrace after his victory seems to confirm that family values will always triumph at the end of the day.

But things are not always as they seem. While the media is telling this tale of Phil Mickelson's devotion to his family and the power of family ideals, we never know if this is really true. After all, didn't Tiger Woods build a reputation, brand, and an empire on just those images? And if Tiger had won, it wouldn't have redeemed him or absolved him of his sins. I don't care how many public apologizes he makes or how many times he attests to his changes. Trust can only be rebuilt through years and years of actions and commitment and maybe Tiger can never build back what he has lost. The media likes to bend the facts in order to fit some overarching story. But keep in mind, real life rarely fits those stories perfectly.

Works Cited:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NTRvlrP2NU&feature=related