Vault: Tiger Woods commercial debate

Summary

The Bert Show: Vault – Tiger Woods Commercial Debate

Episode Summary – July 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively roundtable, The Bert Show team and their callers dig into the controversy surrounding a Nike commercial featuring Tiger Woods. The focal point of debate: Nike’s use of a voiceover from Tiger’s late father, Earl Woods, edited from a 2004 interview, as part of Tiger’s comeback campaign. The team examines questions of taste, commercial intent, and emotional boundaries, with passionate opinions all around on whether the ad is a powerful statement or a disrespectful marketing move.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Contested Commercial

• Description of the Ad (01:24–02:23):

  • Black-and-white visuals of Tiger Woods, looking somber.
  • Audio: Voiceover from Earl Woods, originally discussing Tiger’s mother in a 2004 documentary, repurposed to appear as if speaking directly to Tiger about recent controversies.
  • The ad closes with the signature Nike swoosh.

• Host 1 explains:

  “That quote was actually intended as part of a conversation he was having about his wife… So this quote is taken completely out of context, played over Tiger woods looking sad and somber into the camera.” (01:31)

2. Melissa’s Strong Opposition (00:38–01:24, 03:20–04:20)

• Feels Nike’s use of the late father’s voice to promote Tiger’s image is offensive and disrespectful.
• Has decided to boycott Nike, along with her partner Katie.
• Personalizes her reaction:

  “Everything that is of my father’s is very sacred because that’s all I have left… And so it just kind of is. Yeah, it just is unsettling and I think disgusting, to be honest with you.” (03:20–04:20)

3. Who’s Responsible: Nike or Tiger? (02:48–03:20)

• Host 2 notes that Tiger is likely to have creative control, so must have approved the ad.
• Melissa blames both, but singles out Tiger for attempting to use his father’s memory to repair his public image.

4. Call-In Perspectives & On-Air Team Debate

• Caller Melinda (04:24–04:45):
  Suggests Earl Woods would have supported Tiger and helped him, seeing parental support even after mistakes as natural.

• Jeff counters (04:45–05:34):

  • Argues against assuming the wishes of the deceased, calling it “desecrating” Earl’s memory:

    “Even if the possibility is 99 and 3/4 percent, he’s dead, you can’t ask his permission. You are desecrating his memory by assuming you know what position he would want to take on this issue.” (04:58)

• Social Media Reactions (05:34–06:30):

  • Mixed responses: Some viewers call it “tasteless but brilliant,” others say “it humanizes Tiger.”
  • Jeff remains unconvinced by the “humanizes” argument.

5. Nike, Tiger, and the Economics (06:30–07:29)

• Melissa discusses the unique relationship between Tiger & Nike:

  “They’re so entwined with each other that… it’s gonna cost us more money to let him go… than just keeping him.” (06:40)

6. Perspectives from the Advertising World (07:29–08:08)

• Contrasting industry opinions:
  • One ad professional argues, “using the out of context words of your dead father…might be more offensive than nailing dozens of hook[ers] across the US.”
  • Another suggests, “it’s smart…attack back…shows how Tiger really feels.”

7. Is It Tiger’s Right? (08:08–08:40)

• Caller Frank:
  • Tiger has the right to use his father’s legacy as it is his father.
• Jen and Melissa push back:
  • Stress the ethical issue when the deceased can’t consent.
• Melissa:

  “If you’re a fan of golf and you’re a fan of Tiger Woods, you’re going to defend him… And so, yeah, I’m offended.” (08:42–09:21)

8. Athletes, Idols, and Accountability (09:21–10:01)

• Host 1 reflects on public willingness to forgive celebrities:

  “Everybody’s a human being, and anybody we put on a pedestal is gonna get knocked off… we all fail.” (09:21)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Melissa on personal boundaries:

  “Everything that is of my father’s is very sacred… If I had done what Tiger did and then try to use my father’s voice to repair my image, my father would never endorse what I did.” (03:30)

• Jeff on moral discomfort:

  “I would never once consider manipulating [my parents’] words, now, especially after they’re gone… it’s nauseating.” (04:58)

• From the advertising world:

  “Using the out of context words of your dead father in an attempt to clean up your image just might be more offensive than nailing dozens of hook[ers]…” (07:29)

• On the humanizing effect:

  “Tiger woods ad is absolutely amazing. I think the Nike ad may be their way of slapping him on the wrist while keeping the biggest cash cow on the label.” (06:06)

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Lightning Round: Would You Dine with Tiger? (10:23–11:19)

• Host 2 hypothetically asks if the team would attend a dinner with Tiger Woods.
  • Jeff: “Yes.”
  • Host 1 (Jen): Probably not, dislikes fame “hoopla.”
  • Melissa: Declined the Masters due to Tiger.
  • Jen (revisited): “Yes, knee-jerk reaction.”
  • Host 2 and Wendy: “I would go.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Controversial Ad Breakdown: 01:24–02:23
• Melissa’s Boycott & Perspective: 00:38–01:24, 03:20–04:20
• Voiceover Playback: 02:23–02:48
• Caller & Team Debate: 04:24–05:34
• Ad Industry Reactions: 07:29–08:08
• Personal Boundaries & Ethics: 08:08–09:21
• Forgiveness and Celebrities: 09:21–10:01
• Tiger Woods Dinner Hypothetical: 10:23–11:19

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Tone & Takeaways

The conversation reflects The Bert Show's signature blend of humor, candor, and authenticity. The hosts and callers bring personal experience and genuine emotion—particularly from Melissa and Jeff—lending gravity to the debate over using a loved one’s memory in marketing. Yet, there’s also recognition of business realities and a spectrum of public opinion, leaving listeners with a nuanced sense of why this Nike/Tiger commercial sparked such a reaction.

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Transcript

[Host 1]

What's up everybody?

[Bretzky]

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[Host 2]

We've had great debates this morning about Tiger Woods. Man, Melissa is putting her foot down on this Tiger woods thing.

[Melissa]

I'm not trying to be dramatic. It's just the, you know, anytime you want to, you're mad about something or angry, especially at an advertiser, then that what you do is you just don't buy the product. I mean, that's the biggest way you can, you know, punish a advertiser. And obviously, you know, there'll be other people like me. There may be more that are not like me. But the whole Nike ad with Tiger woods using his deceased father's voice to try to improve his image and sell products has, is offensive to me. And Katie and I last night were talking about it and we just said, you know what, we're just not buying any more Nike stuff. And you know, I made the joke earlier about how that's not going to really be, you know, that big of a dent in their, in their pocketbook for me since I'm not as athletic as Katie is. But for Katie, that's a huge deal. So. But yeah, neither one of us plan to buy Nike anymore because we just think it's a poor decision on their part. I think it's so disrespectful.

[Host 2]

Let's set this up first because many of you probably have no idea what this commercial is all about. You haven't heard it yet. There's a pretty interesting side story to it.

[Host 1]

We've linked over to it from q100atlanta.com if you want to go to the Burch page and actually watch the ad. But it is a black and white ad of Tiger woods looking very somber and sad, just staring into the camera. And the voiceover over the commercial is of his late father, Earl woods. And it's apparently as if he were speaking to Tiger. So they have edited that audio though. So at the very beginning it says Tiger and then it has a quote from Earl Woods. Well, that quote was taken from a 2004 documentary about Tiger's Career and life and everything else. But that quote was actually intended as a part of a conversation he was having about his wife, about Tiger's mother, and how they're very different in their differences. And he talked about his mother being very black and white, very yes or no, and that he's more inquisitive and wants to ask questions. So this quote is taken completely out of context, played over top of Tiger woods looking sad and somber into the camera. And then there's a swoosh at the very end of it.

[Tiger Woods (voiceover)]

Tiger, I am more prone to. To be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are and did you learn anything?

[Host 2]

Then there's that Nike swoosh. So, you know, what we do know is that at least we can be fairly certain that Tiger has creative control over his image. So at one point, Nike, I'm assuming, had to come to him and say, this is what we want to do. That just makes common sense to me. Even in lower celebrity land, you have creative control of your image and what's out there. So let's assume that he said, yeah, I've seen the commercial. Let's go for it. So, Melissa, are you more upset at Tiger or are you more upset at Nike?

[Melissa]

Both. To me, the reason it's disrespectful. I mean, you know, I've lost my father. And I explained earlier that my point of view is that everything that is of my father's is very sacred because that's all I have left. There's nothing more, nothing new will come from my father. So any pictures, any handwritten items, any voicemails on old school, cassette player, voicemail things, I've kept all that. And to think about doing something that I find morally wrong that Tiger has done, and for him to try to repair that image by using his father's voice on something that had nothing to do with that. If I had done what Tiger did and then try to use my father's voice to repair my image, my father would never endorse what I did. So to use his voice to try to do that without even getting his permission to do it, I don't know, it just does not settle well with me. And so it just kind of is. Yeah, it just is unsettling and I think disgusting, to be honest with you.

[Host 2]

404-741-Q100. Here's Melinda.

[Caller 1]

Hey.

[Melissa]

Hey.

[Caller 1]

I just wanted to make a comment. I understand what Melissa is saying. However, Bert, you would know this once a parent, always a parent. If your child messes up when he's an adult, you're going to do anything in the world you can to help him. And if Tiger's dad was alive today, he would probably do the same thing,

[Jeff]

you know, but here's the thing. There's two points. One, I don't think he would. Because his dad was pretty. Like, I do not think that his dad would come out and publicly defend him. He would defend him. He'd be a father. But I don't think you'd participate in that, just knowing what I know about Earl woods. But number two, even if the possibility is 99 and 3/4 percent, he's dead, you can't ask his permission. You are desecrating his memory by assuming that, you know, what position he would want to take on this issue. And I would, you know, Melissa's using the argument, you know, her father's past. She can relate. I use my parents are alive. And I would never once consider manipulating their words now, especially after they're gone, when it just. It's nauseating.

[Host 2]

Now, I was gonna ask Jen a question, but she's in the middle, just joking of a pollen fit right there. Because the reaction on Twitter this morning has been a little bit different. Like, people have been calling the commercial, like, brilliant.

[Host 1]

And, yeah, I was gonna read some of the tweets that I got back after sending it out. One says, I thought it was on the tasteless side, but absolutely brilliant. Tiger looked really sad. Another one says, it's a great spot. It humanizes Tiger.

[Jeff]

I don't understand how it humanizes Tiger. Like, I don't. I don't understand that comment.

[Host 2]

Do you want Jeff to read those?

[Jeff]

Where are they?

[Host 1]

Sorry.

[Jeff]

I think it's a great spot. It humanizes Tiger and has everyone talking. I agree that it has everyone talking. I don't know how it humanizes him. That doesn't make sense to me. I thought it was on the tasteless side, but absolutely brilliant. Tiger woods ad is absolutely amazing. I think the Nike ad may be their way of slapping him on the wrist while keeping the biggest cash cow on the label.

[Melissa]

And one thing while they're going through that is when we had our discussion last night, Katie was looking at more of Nike and Tiger's relationship because there's also been the debate on the show about, you know, really who was. Who's in charge there, you know, whether Tiger, because he has been such a risk and Nike's the only, you know, advertiser that stuck with him, that he endorses and everything. And you know, he. His endorsement is such a fraction of what Nike Golf, because that's really the portion of the Nike company that he has improved. I mean, it's like something like three to six times the amount of what they paid for him is what they've gotten in return for Nike Golf. Because before him, Nike Golf really was not competitive within the golfing equipment, you know, industry. And that they've even named part of their building after him at the headquarters, you know, and so he's so. They're so entwined with each other that it may just have been a case with Nike. Like it's gonna be cost us more money to let him go. Not only from advertising, but just renaming the building and doing all this stuff. And who else do we have than just keeping him, you know, I found

[Host 1]

this on an advertising website. It was sent to me from a listener on Twitter. So thank you for sending me the link. But it's two different sides of the issue from the ad community. You know, looking at it from the advertising side of things, one of the quotes says using the out of context words of your dead father in an attempt to clean up your image just might be more offensive than nailing dozens of hook across the US While your wife raises your kid. Okay, so that's on one side. And then the other comment below that says, oh, get over yourself. To the author of that, it's smart. It's tackling the issue head on. Most clients and agencies would be scared little girls afraid to even discuss it when attacked. Attack back. Plus, it shows how Tiger really feels about instead of what the media would like to paint.

[Host 2]

Here's Frank. Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Frank]

Hey, I just want to say that I think that everyone disagrees with what Tiger did, but I think for Melissa to take the stance that it's somehow offensive. It's not her father that Tiger's using, it's his father. He can use whatever memories however he wants, just like Melissa can use her father's memories however she wants. I don't see where this is somehow offensive because this is Tiger's father and he's choosing to use this clip in his way to get his point across.

[Jen]

But Tucker's father doesn't have a say.

[Caller 1]

Right.

[Melissa]

Well, and I think that, you know, this goes back to every time somebody in the that's high profile does anything that's controversial. People's opinions don't change based on what they did. It's whether they like them or not. You know, like, if you're a fan of golf and you're a fan of Tiger woods, you're going to defend him. If you're not a fan of golf and you don't think Tiger's that big of a deal. I mean, yes, he's a great athlete, but you're tired of hearing about him, then you're gonna think differently. I was not a golf fan going into this. I don't sit and watch golf on the weekends. I admire Tiger's ability in the golfing world, but I also think that that ability has caused people to just disregard everything else that's been going on with him. And so, yeah, I'm offended. And I do think, yes, I. I

[Host 1]

don't think people disregard it. I'm sorry to cut you off, but I don't think people disregard what he did or the mistakes that he made. I think it's a willingness to forgive him and allow him to come back, or there's an unwillingness for that. You know, whether you want to not not forgive him for the things that he's done in his personal life and not, you know, not sort of grant him that. You know, I guess my point is that we put a lot of people on pedestals, certainly celebrities and athletes and that kind of thing, but everybody's human, and everybody's gonna make mistakes. He made a lot of them, no doubt, and he made a lot of horrible ones. But everybody's a human being, and anybody we put on a pedestal is gonna get knocked off that pedestal because we're all humans and we all fail.

[Melissa]

But I want to regard that caller's. Real quick, before we get off on another line is because the caller was saying, why am I so offended by what he did? By being on the outside looking in, by not being with this veil of, oh, my God, Tigers like ga God. You know, I see his decision to use his father's voice to try to help his image as offensive. And, yes, it's not my father, you know, voice, and I would never do that.

[Host 2]

Let me just ask one simple question as we wrap it up here. Okay. Jen and Jeff, you guys are down at the Masters this weekend, and you're going down there with some pretty influential people. All right, let's say they set up a dinner with Tiger Woods.

[Jeff]

Yes.

[Host 2]

Would you like to go and hang out with Tiger woods for an hour and have dinner? Jeff$ yeah, Jen,

[Host 1]

I don't know if I would want to be a part of all that hoopla. I really don't. I would send my dad to go,

[Host 2]

because would you go? Would you attend a dinner with Tiger woods for an hour?

[Host 1]

Probably not.

[Jeff]

What do you mean? Part of the hoopla?

[Host 2]

Just like the paparazzi novel.

[Host 1]

There's like, a lot of, like, hoopla and hype around it. And it seems like if I were to be a part of that, I would just do it so that I could name drop it later. And that's not who I am.

[Host 2]

Wendy, would you go?

[Jen]

Yes.

[Host 2]

You would.

[Jen]

Knee jerk reaction.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

And Melissa's is obvious for sure.

[Melissa]

I turned down the masters. I was given the opportunity to go to the Masters this week, and I turned it down because of Tiger.

[Host 2]

I would go. I'd go to the dinner. I would go.

[Jen]

I just want to know what he has to say. I want to know what the people around him have to say about everything and what he's talking about.

[Host 2]

That wouldn't even come up at a dinner.

[Jen]

You never know.

[Host 2]

If you're in dinner with Tiger woods right now, that's the last thing that's being discussed. We'll talk about everything except Tiger Woods.

[Announcer]

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