Nike declares Winning Takes care of everything for Tiger Woods

Tiger Wood’s philandering is all but forgotten

This week Nike unveiled their new ad campaign, “Winning Takes Care of Everything.” The ad which has the words hanging over Tiger Woods as he crouches for a golf shot has been proclaimed by one CNN reporter as an “in-your-face, unapologetic statement.” It also has fueled debates about the truth of the add and has philandering men everywhere wishing they were a sport’s icon.

Just to recap, in 2009 Tiger Woods fell from grace when it became public knowledge he had cheated on his model wife and mother of his kids with a number of women. The public seemed to be most outraged that his once pristine image had been shattered and he would no longer be a strong role model for children.

Forget the fact that many parents have forgotten how to be their own children’s role models. For instance, if parents focused more on how to be a responsible, loving father or mother kids would not have to look to a famous sports icon to find a hero, maybe they would only need to look at the end of the dinner table.

But that begs the question: Does winning take care of everything?

Nike ad mirrors attitude of sports culture

Some argue that winning in the sports world offers redemption for even the most egregious behaviors. If only Lance Armstrong hadn’t been banned from cycling and he wasn’t so old he might have proven that using enhancement drugs throughout his career and sabotaging an entire sport for years didn’t really matter as long as he made it back to the top.

But maybe it’s not quite the same thing. Many argue that the mistakes Tiger Woods made were personal. He didn’t cheat at his sport or lie to his fans and sponsors. He also didn’t seek to destroy anyone who attempted to come public with a cheating scandal like Armstrong did. Or consider Joe Paterno. Joe Paterno’s legacy will never be good after the Penn State child sex abuse scandal regardless of how many games he won.

So it seems that the nation has decided that winning may take care of everything for certain offenses. But it doesn’t cover all transgressions like those made by Armstrong or Joe Paterno.

Tiger Woods choices leave a path of destruction for his family

We are all inspired by a story of grit and determination. I’ll admit I’m impressed by Tiger Woods’ drive and willingness to keep fighting even with millions of dollars and no reason to keep playing golf.

We are a forgiving nation and I love that about America. If Tiger Woods has reconciled with his family, received forgiveness from his ex-wife and has gotten help for what some called a “sex addiction” there isn’t any reason he shouldn’t have the chance to enjoy the game of golf again with fan support.

But let’s not kid ourselves.  Winning does not take care of everything, especially for personal failures. It may not be any of our business anymore but I am sure Tiger Woods’ kids who are experiencing the consequences of their father’s horrible decisions don’t think his winning takes care of everything. In fact they probably would say it takes care of very little.