Tiger Takes Questions

Tiger Woods opened himself up to the media on Sunday with two interviews with ESPN and the Golf Channel speaking out against the extramarital affairs that dominated tabloid headlines for months. Tiger's only public comment since the release of the scandal was his no-questions-please statement on February 19 that was as tightly controlled as they get. Following his announcement that he would return to golf at the upcoming Master's, it was inevitable that Tiger was going to have to conduct interviews.

Since this is what we have all been waiting for....what do we think?

Well, atleast now he can say he conducted interviews...and not one, but two. Reporters were free to ask whatever questions they wanted but were limited to a five minute time limit. CBS turned down the opportunity to interview Tiger under such restricted circumstances. Let's take a deeper look at his interviews-

• The interviews were aired simultaneously with little advanced notice- probably to prevent the potential hype that would surround such events. His no-questions-please statement was very highly anticipated, publicized, and strongly criticized.
• The timing of the interviews was very strategic- the whole country was focused on the healthcare bill. Most people probably did not know about the interviews until after they happened.
• The interviews did not contain anything particularly newsworthy, other than the interviews occuring in and of themselves- we didn't learn anything that we didn't already know. Any details about what Tiger had really done was off limits. He deflected questions inquiring about the nature of his treatment, calling it a "private matter." He refused to give any details about what happened the night of the car accident outside his home, saying "it's all in the police report. Beyond that, everything's between Elin and myself and that's private." He gave no details of the sex scandal or the countless women who have claimed to have had a sexual relationship with him. He also asserted that details of repairing his relationship with his wife Elin would remain private.
• Compared to the ESPN interview, the Golf Channel's interview had a more "personal" tone. They asked questions about what his father would say, restoring himself as a role model, and how he will explain it to his children. Though he didn't really give any details, I found this interview to be a bit more compelling as it seemed less scripted and rehearsed than the ESPN interview.

Despite Tiger's attempt to create an illusion that he is opening himself up to the media and public, I think that he conducted these interviews out of obligation (or perceived obligation). There's no question that he will be facing heavy scrutiny in Augusta and this was likely an attempt to lessen the impact of that scrutiny. Overall, despite the journalistic freedom allowed to the reporters, Tiger obviously granted these interviews in such a way that they minimized the impact.

What do you think about his five-minute time restriction? If you were CBS would you have denied the interview?How do you think these interviews will be received? Was it too little-too late?

-ev