Tigers bet with the media

[Clambake]

If Tiger created a cure for cancer in his spare time and gave it free to the world, I swear some of you guys would be ragging on him for it just being a publicity ploy to take the focus off his struggling golf game.

A business lesson in how charitable foundations work also seems needed.   First, although it is called the TW Foundation, that doesn't mean that Tiger is running the show, providing all the money, evaluating grants, etc.      It is a business entity, and they have a Board of Directors, management, and staff like any other company.     And like any other company, they rely on revenue to accomplish their goals.   The TW Foundation doesn't simply sit on its butt and rely on Tiger himself to fund the efforts.   Like all 501(c)3 organizations, they are constantly working to bring in additional monies to fund their grant programs, and they are in competition for these monies with literally thousands of other organizations also seeking a piece of the charitable giving pie (a pie which has shrunk a lot over the last two years).

Like any other business in competition, they have to market their advantageous and create further awareness from potential customers, or in this case charitable givers.       Given Tiger's woes over the last 18 months, the Foundation has no doubt been struggling in their marketing and are needing to use ever method possible to shrink their sinking donations.      They can pay for advertising to try and get their name and message out more strongly, or with smart marketing tactics they can use the press' infatuation with Tiger to get the Foundation's name on the tip of everyone's tongue for free.    At the same time, Tiger helps rehab his image a bit more by showing his philanthropy instead of his philandering.     That's just win-win marketing for both Tiger and the Foundation.

I'll guarantee this "bet" wasn't some spur of the moment thing or something that Tiger alone decided to do.   It was a strategic move developed by the Foundation's team and/or Board with Tiger's involvement, and it isn't done for Tiger to simply show off giving money away but has a primary purpose of getting further exposure for the Foundation so they can better secure donations from other charitable givers.     All in all, a clever move, regardless of what a few Tiger bashers may think.

[Elvisliveson]

Originally Posted by Clambake

If Tiger created a cure for cancer in his spare time and gave it free to the world, I swear some of you guys would be ragging on him for it just being a publicity ploy to take the focus off his struggling golf game.

But, isn't that why there is so much resentment (not from me personally) of Tiger, because of what he chose to do in his spare time?

[newtogolf]

It's a bit sad the guy can't even give a million dollars to his charity without being trashed.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Clambake

If Tiger created a cure for cancer in his spare time and gave it free to the world . . .

Now who got a sense of humour?!?

Some people think everything Tiger does is great and some people think everything he does is bad. Most people think the reality is somewhere in the middle - just like any one of us.

[bplewis24]

Tiger Woods is a bad person.

/thread

[jetsknicks1]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

It was a nice gesture (donating money to his own foundation), but a surprisingly large number of wealthy people donate to charity without having to "tweet" about it or make fun of reporters. Maybe they don't do it for the adulation.

Maybe he was just having fun with it, what's wrong with that? We have no idea how much he does or donates to charity without saying a word.

[Zeph]

Now who got a sense of humour?!?

Some people think everything Tiger does is great and some people think everything he does is bad. Most people think the reality is somewhere in the middle - just like any one of us.

And some people trash talk him regardless of what he does.

[B-Con]

Thing is, it's HIS charity. Him talking about it - joking about it, whatever - gets HIS charity in the news. It got a few people to ask him about how his foundation is doing, what locations they're looking at to expand, etc.

He gave money and found a funny way (to some people) to get some publicity for his charity.

It's not like he made a joke about donating to the Red Cross or something just to show off how generous he is. It's his charity . The one into which he's put a helluva lot more than a million bucks.

Didn't catch that it was his charity -- that's very different. And that makes more sense -- I was thinking that if it were some random charity, him joking about it didn't fit his persona. Given that fact, you're right, it's more like publicity for the PR. And if it's named after him, we already know that he pumps tons of money into it so there would be no need for him to point it out.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Zeph

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Now who got a sense of humour?!?

Some people think everything Tiger does is great and some people think everything he does is bad. Most people think the reality is somewhere in the middle - just like any one of us.

And some people trash talk him regardless of what he does.

In my very first comment, I called it as it was also called by even his most ardent supporters. A publicity stunt. Who cares? Exactly.