Target Woods: from revered to reviled

Celebrity athlete, admitted adulterer and uber endorser Tiger Wood’s fall from grace has been swift and spectacular. Now, as all manner of companies re-evaluate their business relationships and commitment to the troubled golfer, Target finds itself in a similar boat.

In 2000, the company, along with the Tiger Woods Foundation, created an educational program for kids aged eight to 17 called “Start Something,” which lists as its priorities character education, volunteer service and career exploration. Admirable goals for sure, and now Tiger has provided a teachable moment to when it comes to the subject of character.

Target’s is affiliated with the golfer in other less visible, but still awkward ways. For example, Target House, the long-term housing facility in Memphis for families whose children are receiving treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, included a library named after Tiger Woods when it opened in 1999. When the 50-room facility added 96 rooms in 2002, it also created the Tiger Woods Performance Pavilion.

The families who benefit from Target House have weightier issues on their mind other than whom the library is named after, but the retailer can be thankful it didn’t re-up a few years ago when its sponsorship of Tiger’s World Golf Challenge was up for renewal. Tiger began the tournament as a means to generate funds for his foundation, which in turn helped fund the Start Something initiative with Target. The retailer was on board with the event from the beginning, serving as presenting sponsor since 1999. When the title sponsorship became available in 2002, the event became know as the Target World Challenge. Target remained title sponsor through 2007, but dropped its involvement, and for the past two years Chevron has served as title sponsor. Target should be thankful it ended its relationship when it did, because the retailer’s female customers would not have looked kindly on the company’s support of an event associated with the golfer, despite all the good work that had resulted from their relationship during the past decade.