Tiger Woods’ new Nike commercial

Tiger Woods is making his return to the PGA Tour as well as the ad world at the same time. This is the first time he is appearing in either after his cheating scandal broke out. Now, on the eve of the PGA Tour, ESPN and Golf Channel aired a 33 second new Nike commercial starring Tiger Woods.

In the black and white commercial, Woods is seen wearing a hat and a vest bearing Nike's swoosh logo to compliment his humbled facial expression. In the background, you hear his father Earl Woods’ voice saying to his son, "Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. Did you learn anything?" Tiger remains silent as the camera zooms in on his face before Nike's trademark ‘Swoosh’ flashes against a black screen.

Earl Woods, who started coaching his son when he was a toddler, died in May 2006 of prostate cancer and it was unclear when this recording was made.

As far as Nike is concerned, it said in a statement, "We support Tiger and his family. As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father." Nike is one major sponsor that has decided to stick by Tiger Woods’ side after the infidelity scandal broke. Woods, who is rumored to have earned $ 1 billion through endorsements, has now been dropped from multiple high profile endorsement campaigns including Gatorade, Tag Heuer watches, AT&T and the global marketing firm Accenture since scandal last fall. Besides Nike, his other major sponsor, video game company Electronic Arts has also chosen to stick with Tiger Woods as a spokesperson.

At a recent press conference, Tiger Woods said that his father's inspiration played a role in his recent rehabilitation treatment. "It's amazing how he says things that comes back. 'In order to help people, you have to first learn how to help yourself.' That's what he always used to say," Woods said Monday in his first extended press conference with reporters since the scandal nearly put an end to his career last November.

"I never understood that," Woods said. "When I was in treatment, I wrote that down. I looked at it every day. And learning how to help myself, I can therefore, I can help more people going forward, infinitely more, than I did prior to all this."

Adweek ad critic Barbara Lippert said the commercial, “though ‘creepy,’ was powerful and may help repair Woods' tarnished image.”

"It makes Tiger look like an angel," she said. "It's really powerfully allowing him wordlessly to rehabilitate himself. He doesn't have to face any pesky questions, he doesn't have to sweat, he can just stand there and look into the camera and they'll do it for him.”

"No one would question the authority of his father's voice from the grave," she added.

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