WORLD TOP SPORTS

Woods can still salvage his tarnished image around the world despite the scandal that has forced him to take an indefinite break from golf, according to several global brand experts. In Europe, where people are traditionally more liberal when it comes to social attitudes, the scandal has hurt the American, but his power to sell is not beyond repair. In countries where cultural taboos about infidelity are greater, it may take a little longer for the world’s No. 1 golfer to recover, but the consensus is that it will happen. “He may never achieve those peaks again that he’s done, but he will be a significant sportsman and a significant figure in the world of golf in a few years’ time. I have no doubt about it,” said Simon Middleton, a British brand consultant. “Nobody just writes people off like that.” In the last two weeks, Woods was involved in a minor car accident, acknowledged adultery, announced an indefinite leave from his sport and was dropped by a major sponsor. All of that, the experts say, will have an effect on what he can persuade the public to buy. “People will struggle to look at him as a role model to represent good business decisions,” said Julian Stubbs, a global branding expert in Stockholm. “His marketability will definitely change.” Woods’ squeaky clean image from continent to continent has been tarnished since he crashed his car outside his Florida home late last month. That came shortly after an American tabloid published a report saying Woods was having an affair with New York nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel. Since then, the number of reports of alleged infidelities has increased significantly, and Woods—who has yet to speak publicly—finally admitted to cheating on his Swedish wife of five years, Elin Nordegren. The couple have two young children. Zeng Zhaohui, a Chinese branding expert, said people in China will likely get over the negative publicity and again focus on his ability as an athlete. “Chinese people are becoming more open toward this kind of scandal,” Zeng said. “People will like him again if he plays well.” Stubbs, who said Woods’ wife has become the “shining star” of the saga in Sweden, added that Swedes, too, will eventually move on and accept Woods again. “Swedes as a society are pretty good at forgiving and forgetting,” Stubbs said. “Golf is a significant sport here and I actually think depending on what he decides to do and how he handles it, I think he could recover. “I don’t think he will ever be quite the same again as a brand, as a marketable brand, but I think he’s capable of recovering.” Many big-name athletes and leading politicians have overcome the fallout from affairs or alleged affairs, including David Beckham. The former captain of England’s national football team was accused of cheating on pop star wife Victoria in 2004 but nothing was ever proven. Comparing what has happened to Woods to what may have happened to Beckham in similar circumstances is a moot point, Middleton said. “It will have probably had a similar impact, we’d have been similarly horrified,” Middleton said, but also noted that the 34-year-old Beckham is closer to the end of his career than the 33-year-old Woods. “The career of elite footballers is shorter inevitably … and I think therefore the recovery might have been more challenging were it Beckham.” Stubbs compared the Woods scandal to the drug allegations that surrounded supermodel Kate Moss in 2005. “The first six months was probably awful for her,” Stubbs said. “But she actually came back, in many respects, stronger, earning more money the following year because it actually added a little bit of an edge to her brand.” Like Beckham and Moss, Woods is a huge name and a major personality around the world. But that can create other problems in more conservative countries, where adultery is treated as a major crime rather than mere “transgressions,” as Woods put it in one of his statements. “The value difference is a factor, but it’s not a very big issue here,” Zeng said. “I believe the scandal won’t be a lethal blow.”