EA Still Loves Tiger Woods. In a Non-Scandalous Way.

[vansau]

EA Still Loves Tiger Woods. In a Non-Scandalous Way.

Peter Moore wants you to know that EA isn't dropping Tiger Woods from its games.

Earlier today, a rumor frenzy seemed to erupt when it was revealed that Tiger Woods wasn't going to be featured in EA's PGA Tour 12: The Masters. Speculation was that this was a sign of EA abandoning the beleaguered sports star <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102174-Tiger-Woods-Sex-Scandal-Sinks-Tiger-Woods-PGA-Tour-11>after his behavior probably affected the sales of the last PGA Tour game. However, it turns out that EA is still standing by Woods and the man will be on the cover of the game.

Peter Moore revealed that EA Sports has no plans of dropping Tiger during a conference call this morning. When Eurogamer asked about the star's missing portrait, Moore explained:

"We like everybody else that's involved with Tiger and the game of golf in general, the Augusta club, are all anticipating a great year for golf this year and Tiger being very important in that.

"Obviously it was a difficult year last year, but you saw towards the end of the season Tiger starting to get back to his old ways. We all as both a sports industry and sports fans are hopeful he comes back in full force in 2011.

"He is on the PS3 version of the game [Collector's Edition]. Our focus this year for this particular release is the Masters itself. You can see the iconic flag as part of the box art."

On top of this, EA is apparently expecting the game to do better than last year's release. According to Moore, PGA Tour 12 will feature a lot of new content that videogame golf fans will love. "Our projections are to do very well," he said.

Source: <a href=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-01-04-moore-ea-not-backing-away-from-tiger>Eurogamer

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[SenseOfTumour]

Well, it's rare anyone says this, but good for EA!

I know it's a purely financial decision, and if they thought he'd lose them money he'd be dropped like an underperforming but much loved game series, but...

My stance is - unless you're directly involved with upholding morality, or involved with the decision making of laws and rules about marriage, sex, etc, then I don't care who you're legally banging in your spare time so long as you carry on doing your job.

Did Tiger Woods suddenly forget how to swing a club the moment he stuck his bits in a different woman? Don't think so, therefore it's a shame for him, his family etc, but it's irrelevant to his career.

We lose way too many people to 'scandal' because the media decides it's 'disgusting' that they shagged someone outside their marriage, or nailed a hooker in a cheap hotel room, or were secretly gay, or whatever, despite them paying scum to lay in the gutter in the hope of taking some photos of D list celebrity panties, and pretty much living off of long range celeb bikini and nipple slip pictures.

when it's relevant - when you get US politicians heavily campaigning against the evils of gay marriage, then he's caught with a male escort.

When it's not - When some comedian or footballer sends a picture of his wang to some fan by cellphone or email. Sure it's bad for their partner, and spreading it all over the papers and TV makes it worse, but it's not going to stop them kicking a ball or making jokes.

The exception I'd say was Angus Deayton, although I'm glad he finally back on TV, he couldn't really carry on hosting HIGNFY after being caught with coke and hookers when most of the show is based on famous people getting caught doing naughty things, you can't mock them easily, if they can come back with what you did.

TL;DR Version - Tiger woods fucked someone, is still a good golfer, therefore it's irrelevant to his fronting a golf game.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

Well, the Escapist may be destroying free speech(JOKE! THAT WAS A JOKE!) but at least they can still make me laugh my ass of with headlines like this one.

OT: Well, good for EA. I mean, what does his...ah...social life...have to do with his skill as a golfer?

 

[Therumancer]

Interesting to be honest. To be honest I think it's the right desician after all, as Tiger Woods is a force in Golf irregardless of what you happen to think of him. If they are going for a complete game and signing all these masters in a general sense, then it's wrong not to include him.

On the other hand, I will say that if this wasn't a general title I would have more of an issue with it. Promoting Tiger Woods as a role model is probably not a good thing at the moment. I'm sorry but once your married and make a committment to someone, screwing around like that is a bad thing. If he was single it would be differant case, as it would if he had some kind of "Swinging" arrangement with his wife or whatever (in which case we probably wouldn't have heard much about this) since that would at least have been agreed upon. It's also noteworthy that this isn't Tiger's first scandal, the guy has simply put been making a jerk out of himself for a while. Putting him in the game for the sake of it being complete is fine, however I think it would be a bit tasteless if EA was to use him as the primary face of the brand. I am guessing from the way this sounds he's going to be one of several people on the cover.

Perhaps it's not fair, but I do think what someone does has an effect on perception, and it very well should. Personally, I wouldn't want Tiger Woods sponsoring my products right now. But then again all my arguements about how things should go aside, it's EA's desician in the end and all about whether they think he's going to be a liability or not. I think he should be included for the integrity of the franchise, but not be turned into a major focus of it.

I'll also be honest in saying that the whole thing is interesting, because with Barak Obama being president and a lot of the racism stuff in the US having being disproven (ie racism is dead as a mainstream phenomena, shown by the mainstream allowing a black President), it seems like a lot of the taboos about being too critical of black athletes and heroes have been lifted. Tiger being one of the most noteworthy examples of someone who wound up getting utterly roasted when a lot of nasty allegations about what he was like off camera turned out to be true, with the media not being shy about making it clear.

I honestly think a lot of Tiger's problems come from him simply feeling that as the great black golfer who broke into the sport and did so well, that he was effectively untouchable and beyond criticism. That changed, but he didn't, and now he's facing the price for it because a lot of the media protection he had on his side just isn't there anymore.

To me the big question about whether Tiger will ever be a worthy role model again, and someone who should be used for promotions, is all about how well he can change. To some extent he strikes me as being a lot like George Foreman back in the old days (I've seen old news footage), albiet unlike George who was up in everyone's face, Tiger was able to hide what he was all about and his ego, belligerance, and behavior were not readily apparent. George Foreman stepped back, adjusted himself, and managed to step back into the limelight as a totally differant, and very respectable man... who also wound up pwning faces despite his years simply on the merits of being one of the best boxers of all time (one of, because Rockey Marciano was probably the best of all time, and Ali did beat Foreman, but admittedly Ali used a trick. The "Rope A Dope" sort of makes it seem to me that Ali didn't think he could take Foreman straight out).

At any rate, these are my thoughts. Tiger's a great golfer, but hardly someone I think should be considered a paragon.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

TL;DR Version - Tiger woods fucked someone, is still a good golfer, therefore it's irrelevant to his fronting a golf game.

he did have the wost year of his carrier, so maybe porking someone who wasnt his wife and getting caught did make him forget. Just saying.

Fair point

I guess I was going with the idea that doing something regarded bythe mainstream as immoral doesn't automatically mean you're suddenly incapable of doing your day job, whereas the press like to go 'look, look, he put his thing in someone, we must get him sacked!' as tho fucking is relevant to someone's career.

I've said it before, but I've vote in as my country's leader a man who liked to blow goats over a moral, upright family man, if goatblower was a better leader who could make Britain better.

What's more, if he was publicly voted in, the media would be fucked, as what kind of nasty grubby little story are you going to have to dig up to compromise someone the public already knows is blowing a goat regularly? They're not going to care about affairs or a set of furry handcuffs, if they see the country's turning around.

 

[Low Key]

I love the double standards in morals the average person has. Famous raging drug addicts are seen as gods in some respects, but heaven forbid someone famous sleeps with someone other than their wife. Think of the motherfucking children, will ya?

I'm glad EA is keeping Tiger...not that it'll make their series any better. I stopped playing it after '08 when they took all of the fun out of it.

 

[Chaosweaver]

"Tiger starting to get back to his old ways"

Am I the only one who found this to be a poor choice of words?

 

[xXDeMoNiCXx]

The fact that his last game didn't do good just cause he was boinkin someone who wasn't his wife is pathetic. They have nothing to do with each other and people need to stop being so petty.

 

[Something Amyss]

"Tiger starting to get back to his old ways"

Am I the only one who found this to be a poor choice of words?

Depends on whether or not it's true.

 

[Rad Party God]

If it's released on Wii and supports Motion Plus, I may get it this year.

I don't think it's that big of a deal, really, although it still has the name of Tiger Woods on the box.

 

[Please delete this account]

Still playing 07, and have no reason to update to a newer version. Why do they keep releasing new ones every year? Are golf fans really that worried about roster changes?

 

[duchaked]

lol at the title of this article

but eh never really found any appeal in golf games (still barely getting into football/basketball...hmmm baseball/soccer)