There’s a lot of conversation happening right now regarding Tiger Woods. Many jokes, many emotions, much opinion and speculation. What is most interesting to me is the amount of talk focused around Tiger’s endorsements. I don’t recall the public having so much insight as to the financial agreement between Joe DiMaggio and Mr Coffee. The fact that Tiger has earned a billion dollars is front page news. The fact that he has put that type of earning potential in jeopardy supports the argument about where most men do their thinking. So, if the world’s most bankable spokesperson can fall from grace, what chance does anyone else have of representing your brand with dignity? In this day and age of  a “build ‘em up to knock ‘em down” media, perhaps the age of a spokesperson to represent your brand is over? I don’t think so. Like everything else in business, you simply need to do your homework. Our firm has been fortunate to work with several athletes to represent clients, and had great results. I think it is the responsibility of the client and the agents to know who you are working with before going to the dance. Start slow. Do some smaller promotions and charity events before committing to a full scale campaign. In light of the daily revelations that are coming out about Tiger, you will have a hard time selling me on the idea that “nobody knew” about any of this. I suspect that in the weeks to come, we’ll learn about those who felt the rewards outweighed the risks, and drove the Tiger money machine all the way to the bank.

Still think O’bama wants those 10 tips from Tiger?