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Teed off Woods at odds with PGA commish
Updated: Thursday November 09, 2000 11:12 PM
(CNNSI.com) -- The entire nation is captivated by one of the most gripping one-on-one battles ever witnessed. Gore versus Bush? Uh-uh. Woods versus Finchem. The careful -- and controversy free -- Woods has rocked the golf world, for the first time ever voicing his displeasure with the man who runs the PGA Tour. In an interview with Golf World magazine, Woods lashed out at the Tour and its commissioner, Tim Finchem. Tiger revealed his frosty relationship with the commissioner when he told the magazine that the only time Finchem talks to him is "when he wants me to do something for him..." But that was just part of it. The heart of the matter? What else? Even for Tiger Woods, it boils down to money. Woods' main concern: the way the Tour uses his likeness for its own marketing and promotional purposes even with companies that have no relationship with him. The 24-year-old is set to make around $54 million this year just in endorsements -- and is, understandably, fiercely protective of the companies that are making him rich.
"I think this is really Tiger's first charge into the business end of the PGA Tour," says John Hawkins, who interviewed Woods for Golf World. "I think he's sincere about it. I think a lot of it is a matter of principle. And I see a lot of good points on both sides. I think Tiger certainly has a case on a number of issues." Tiger reached his boiling point last week when he won the "Fall Finish" program, which was sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The company wanted to promote its involvement in the event and hail Tiger's success. The only problem is Tiger has a lucrative contract with American Express, a direct competitor of Pricewaterhouse. "It's absolutely incumbent on the leaders in the sports world to carry the water for everyone else," said Tom George, a senior executive in athlete marketing for Octagon. "Because it's possible for Tiger Woods to help get this issue addressed and resolved, it's harder for players farther down the pecking order to have that type of impact." As with every player on the Tour, Woods did sign an agreement that allows the PGA Tour to use every players' image in advertisements. But Tiger says this conflict is serious enough that it could escalate into a bigger situation. Says author Hawkins, "When I asked him if he would ever be interested in starting his own tour, he smiled and said, 'No comment.' I asked him, 'Maybe 2010?' He smiled again and said, 'No comment.' I think it would be silly for us ...it would be inaccurate for the media and it would be silly for the public to read in to it at this point. I think Tiger is looking to resolve these problems he's having with the Tour." Sports Illustrated senior writer Jaime Diaz says this could become an issue of who swings the biggest club. "I think ultimately the issue is, who runs golf?," Diaz said. "Does Tiger Woods run golf? It's very possible that he has enough power these days to start his own renegade organization almost and do whatever he wants. I think the PGA Tour is aware of that and something that's said like this is a signal that he's sort of flexing his muscles." Along with more than $20 million in earnings in just over four years, Tiger also renewed his contract with Nike for a record $100 million over five years. Could this recent outburst backfire as quickly as a three-putt on 18, with the public perceiving Tiger as just another greedy, spoiled athlete? "There's so many more issues involved here," Hawkins said. "I mean, if you lay twice as many bricks as your fellow employees, at some point you are going to demand special privileges. You might even begin to search out your own territory to lay those bricks. This is a very common problem in the workplace, be you a Good Humor man or the world's greatest golfer." Adds Diaz, "Tiger is a very sensitive to anything that he perceives as a slight. And perhaps some things, small things have accumulated now and he wants to send that message also. Again, he doesn't forget. He's got a long memory and he's got the power. And that's the thing you just can't forget." One voice of reason Woods has listened to through his years of escalating fame is also the only other person in this world who might understand what he's going through: Michael Jordan, who was also notoriously protective of his likeness. But unlike Woods, Jordan never took his money complaints public although he would've had a valid beef. Despite the fact that the NBA's licensing revenue spanning Jordan's career went from $44 million to $3 billion, Jordan received no more for the sale of his number 23 jersey than any player on your average Los Angeles Clipper's roster got for his. In fact, until 1996, despite leading the league in scoring, popularity and merchandising sales, Jordan never led his peers in salary. He just barely made the top 20 as late as the 1995 season. Tiger has won nine tournaments this year, but he has his eyes on an even bigger prize. The PGA Tour will enter negotiations with the networks this spring on a new TV deal. Should he be entitled to a cut of that contract? Said Tiger, "In a perfect world, I would be."
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