Winning, Tiger, Nike, and The Code

Nike has created a controversy with its latest ad featuring Tiger Woods and his quote, “Winning takes care of everything.”  Winning, of course, does not take care of everything – actually, the ONLY thing that winning takes care of in Tiger’s case is the idea that he would never win again.  The use of the phrase in the past by Tiger has meant only that: that winning takes care of any slump he’s been in, or that winning takes care of any doubts others have expressed about his ability to win.  Winning does nothing to heal the personal pain he has caused himself, or others.  We all know that.  So, why is Nike running this ad? We know the answer: to sell shoes.  It’s cynical at best.  But it does serve to ask the question again: what is the importance of winning, as compared say, to giving your best effort and coming up short of victory?  One more question: what would be the best outcome of this debate?  Our answer: for Tiger to say, “I reject the implication that Nike is making, that winning ‘takes care of’ my mistakes in the past.  It doesn’t.  I am disappointed that Nike has used some words that I have used before in a different context, to promote its products.”  Tiger doesn’t need the money, but he does need to do the right thing. We all do.