When it Comes to PR, Tiger and Steinberg are Babes in the Woods

Tiger Woods’s “comeback” took two more turns for the worse last week as (1) his agent, Mark Steinberg will part ways with entertainment and sports mega-conglomerate IMG effective June 30 and (2) Tiger once again made himself look like an impenitent jerk when he tried to bribe the golf writers at Aronimink for media day into not asking certain questions.

First, the New York Post reported that Steiney was fired…”fired for poor performance” as the Post’s source said. Well there’s many ways to get fired. As an entertainment lawyer who does agency deals for a living and deals with IMG, CAA, and many other agencies, here’s what I read between the lines.

I don’t believe that a hangdog Steiney moped to work one day, got called into Alistair Johnson or Teddy Forstmann’s office, and was told to hit the road. That’s not the likely scenario.

With Steinberg’s contract up for renewal, my guess is that IMG simply made him an offer he couldn’t accept. They likely gave him deal points that were significantly less than what he had before or wanted for the future. That way, it was his decision.

Now why would IMG do that? The Post reports that Steiney usually brought in $3 Million a year. Last year, however, the Post reports he only brought in $1 Million.

In the wake of the greatest sex scandal in history – allegedly over 120 women including whores, porn stars, strippers, a babysitter, and a hideously grotesque pancake waitress – Woods lost a laundry lists of corporate endorsements and the attendant mountain of cash tye through at him. EA Sports and Nike stayed, though Nike would keep a werewolf if he’d wear the swoosh during his full-moon. Not everyone is as much of a money-grubbing, power-worshipping, jock-sniffing, knob polisher as Nike’s Phil Knight. Woods also has failed to win since that fateful Thanksgiving Knight when Elin chased him out of the house.

The loss of money is only part of the equation. The other critical factor was Steiney and Tiger’s ghastly mis-handling of the scandal made IMG look bad.

All people face difficult times. They are judged by their ability to successfully steer themselves through those times. As the commercial says, “adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it. You can have all the adversity in the world and if you have no character, you’ll have nothing to show for it.”

How did Team Tiger deal with the scandal? They went into a cocoon and let it roil out of control around them: no accountability until it was far too late, no transparency, and no sincerity in Tkiger’s various acts of “contrition.”

Right now, Tiger’s just trying to blockhead it out of his mind. Imagine the serious compensation syndrome festering in his psyche that will someday erupt into another problem down the road.

No, Tiger and Steiney – unprepared and unschooled in dealing with red-alert PR emergencies gave us a playbook on how NOT to handle the crisis. No agent at a huge mega-outfit like IMG should show as little skill in such a situation.

Which brings us to last week’s debacle.

Cut to media day at Aronimink, and there’s Woods, still impenitent – after all, he’s moved on from the scandal – there’s Woods trying to control the conversation with his wallet.

He tried to bribe the journalists into not asking certain questions.

He promised to give $1,000,000 to his Foundation if they don’t ask about his injuries.

What the hell was he thinking?

It’s our job to ask questions. It’s hubris – and unethical – to try to buy us with his wad and it looks silly in the wake of the greatest sex scandal in history.

Thanks for giving yourself a $1,000,000 tax break, Tiger. Thanks for essentially giving yourself $1,000,000. You really have learned something from the scandal. You really have improved as a person. It certainly shows.

They actually think we believe anything they say. They actually think we MUST believe anything they say. After all, perpetual pandering is Tiger’s birthright. Don’t you know he’s the Chosen One? He’s going to break Jack Nicklaus’s major championship record! How dare anyone try to derail that with facts, or suspicions, or even questions.

Tiger’s million dollar challenge went in the tank at the first question. So he was forced to give the money to the Foundation anyway, then tweet about what a great guy he is.

And he wonders why the sponsors don’t come back. Even post-scandal, he still throws clubs, swears, spits, treats people with scorn, derision, and disdain, and acts like an impenitent, entitled superstar. The reason the sponsors haven’t come back is not because he isn’t winning. It’s because he still looks odious to corporate America who wants clean cut, forthright heroes the public can admire.

For someone so high in stature, so rich, and who desires universal respect and admiration, he goes about seeking it with a remarkable lack of skill. For all his money, for all his power, for all the things he’s done and places he’s been, he also has not distinguished himself with the grace, class, or dignity that should be incumbent upon someone who holds the position in the golf world as he does. Tiger and Steiney do not respect the game, they respect only the Almighty Dollar. The way Steiney mis-handled the scandal proves he was not worth anywhere near the money he’s been paid.

When it comes to PR they are both babes in the Woods. If they had any PR savvy, if they handled the scandal even remotely skillfully, Steiney likely would still be with IMG and Tiger might be winning.

Tiger and Steinberg shouldshould part ways for one important reason: one of them likely will be better off for it. Which one remains to be seen.