EA polling about Woods "controversy"

By Tom Bramwell Published 13 January, 2010

Would it put you off buying golf games?

While EA is publicly backing Tiger Woods, the publisher is reportedly polling people to see whether the golfer's infamous "mistakes off the course", to borrow Peter Moore's phrase, will affect sales of its games.

In a recent Greenfield Online survey (thanks Kotaku), the publisher is seen to ask whether the controversy has "made your impressions of EA Sports more or less favourable". The survey also asks: "Has the controversy made you more or less likely to buy a Tiger Woods-related videogame in the future?" (More!)

Earlier this month EA Sports boss Peter Moore updated his blog with a post supporting Woods, apparently on the basis that EA had chosen to work with the golfer for sporting reasons and not so he could "act as an arm's length endorser".

Given that the decision appears to have been made to stick with him, presumably the survey is either old or geared towards something else, like marketing, or what kind of message to write in a sympathy card e.g. "Sorry about your mistakes off the course, best keep your head down for a bit. Love (too soon?), Pete."

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • altitude2k #1 2 years ago

    Would it put you off buying golf games?

    No.

  • chukcyQ #2 2 years ago

    I won't play them anyway. But if they made a game about Tiger's Wood, then perhaps...

  • LiveForever #3 2 years ago

    If you have one there is no reason to buy another one.

  • Segnit #4 2 years ago

    Would it put off me off buying a quality game? Most probably not.
    But aas the brand impact lost anything since the controversy? For me, truthfully, I'd have to say yes.

  • TheApologist #5 2 years ago

    Large company polling/focus grouping about branding=news?

    Me no think so.

  • penhalion #6 2 years ago

    I think the ultimate decider is going to be of Tiger's doing anyway because he's stopped playing golf for the time being.

  • OnlyMe #7 2 years ago

    Wasn't he "just" cheating on his wife? He's human, and cheating on your wife is not something out of the ordinary or especially horrific. It's actually a very private issue. But of course, in America, where everyone is a saint and God chosen, this is highly controversial.

    Now, the O.J. Simpson case, THAT was controversial. Some golfer (even a big name golfer as Tiger Woods) who's unfaithful to his wife is certainly not controversil - just not particularly nice.

  • Madafunkola #8 2 years ago

    It would't put me off if they included an "Avoid the livid wife" mini-game or a section where you have to drive an "SUV" whilst avoiding fire-hydrants.

  • kangarootoo #9 2 years ago

    Where was the "does Mike Tyson being a convicted rapist put you off EA sports" poll?

    I in no way condone cheating on your wife and kids, but by comparison Tiger Woods is still a reasonable human being.


    On subject, I kind of wonder whether the Tiger Woods brand is really worth the money anymore. It may not "put people off" the purchase, but that is hardly the bar to set for yourself as a developer. Surely the question should be "is the association with Tiger Woods still a purchase driving factor".

    Why spend millions on the association if the best result you can be sure of is that it will do no harm to do so?

  • Spekingur #10 2 years ago

    Would it put me off buying a Tiger Woods branded golf game? No. And I would buy it doubly quick if I could dress him up in a white "wifebeater", har har har. ;p
    His wife chased him, though. Used an expensive golf club on an expensive car. Some people just have no respect for material things!

  • holloguts #11 2 years ago

    Tiger Woods is a great golfer. But NEVER has Tiger Woods golf by EA been anywhere near great. Has the recent headlines about Tiger Woods put me off Tiger Woods golf? No, it's always been absolute rubbish. After all these years, they still can't get it right (links was far better). Avatar golf (an indie game on xbl) is far superior and includes a couse disigner for about £3.50. If EA dropped Tiget Woods from their title they wouldnt re-code the game or change it, they would simply put another name in the Title, and it would still be rubbish.

    Edited by 1 at 13/01/10 @ 09:32

  • lavalant #12 2 years ago

    EA puts me off more, so Tiger shagged some milfs so what, EA have screwed millions of us.

  • Spooke #13 2 years ago

    No, in fact the next Tiger on Xbox and PS3 is going to be very interesting with Natal and the Wand coming.

  • UncleLou #14 2 years ago

    What puts me off buying golf games is that they're golf games. :p

  • fiery_jackass #15 2 years ago

    >TheApologist
    "Large company polling/focus grouping about branding=news? "
    is the article not an excuse for a welcome reprise of The Simpsons joke about Mayor Quimby? EA polls members of the public because Tiger poles members of the public etc

  • jambo74 #16 2 years ago

    Just call it PGA Golf 2010

  • JensonJet #17 2 years ago

    How pathetic. EA would drop Tiger instantly if he was detramental to the series. This is a sad public relations exercise to appear like they listen to and care about their customers opinions. How the golfer's marriage has anything to do with EA or peoples opinion of a game is beyond me. If EA believe Tiger to be an evil man, then they should drop him immediately. What would EA do should a football player in FIFA be found to be cheating on his wife?

  • Ducklord #18 2 years ago

    @Madafunkola

    Is this what you were looking for? http://ww w.break.com/games/tiger-woods-w...

  • Beek4257 #19 2 years ago

    No, in fact the next Tiger on Xbox and PS3 is going to be very interesting with Natal and the Wand coming.

    Especially, the "Wand coming"-part made me smile. I'm sorry ...
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/10 @ 12:34

  • Toothball #20 2 years ago

    I was never really likely to buy a Tiger Woods game to begin with, so this news hasn't affected me at all. I do like golf games though, but I much prefer Camelot golf games. I spent a lot of time on Mario Golf on the N64, Cube, GBC and GBA. Now I'm working on Everybody's Golf on PSP and am finding myself increasingly keen to get World Tour on the PS3. I like the colours and happiness they feature most, rather than the real life golfers in the Tiger Woods games.

  • canoot #21 2 years ago

    The TW games are a bit sterile now and they just leave the previous games courses out and charge 600 points for them as dlc,robbing bastards.I would rather links made a comeback.
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/10 @ 11:24

  • Kami #22 2 years ago

    No. To be perfectly honest, whilst amusing in some capacity Tiger Woods is another victim of the fame game, where limitless good press and near-limitless money can completely break any moral fibre or common sense a person can have.

    The simple question is why was a golfer earning as much as Tiger was anyway? Is that really necessary?

  • Retroid #23 2 years ago

    Well, he's a "swinger" and one for the "birdies".

    Must be a bit of an "albatross" around their necks, though. About as favourable as being seen by an attractive lady with a "bogey" hanging from your nose or buying a set of expensive curtains only to find there's a "hole in one".

    /Gets coat
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/10 @ 11:41

  • macmurphy #24 2 years ago

    I think we should feel sorry for the guy. Apparently the only reason he strayed was because his wife liked to go clubbing in the early hours. It's not like I should care, I hated Tiger games, they kept crashing. Also too much emphasis on driving and stroke play. I thought the hints were repetitive too. How many times can it ask me to keep my head down, my left arm straight and drive through the rough?

  • kinky_mong #25 2 years ago

    If the next Tiger Woods game included a mini game where you plough Holly Sampson it would be the first Tiger Woods game I ever buy.

  • mister_moo #26 2 years ago

    I don't know whether it would put me off golf games, the Tiger games are a bit too dry for me

    It certainly put me off golf dvds though
    I bought 'Tiger's favourite 18 holes' and was very disapointed to find out it was actually about golf
    Edited by 1 at 13/01/10 @ 12:58

  • spookyzombie #27 2 years ago

    Where else can you follow Tiger's example and shoot a perfect 69?

  • mister_moo #28 2 years ago

    You guys have no consideration giving Tiger Woods, a great champion, this much abuse.

    He's recently been in a serious car accident remember.

    Ok, there were no lasting injuries, but I'm sure he's still feeling below par.

    Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh somebody get me that drumset

  • kangarootoo #29 2 years ago

    @JensonJet

    "This is a sad public relations exercise to appear like they listen to and care about their customers opinions"

    But of course they care about their customers opinions, because those opinions tell them whether people will buy their product or not. I don't mean "care" like they want to give us a hug, but they absolutely want to know what people think.

    Its got bugger all to do with whether EA think he is evil or not. If it was about that, they wouldn't poll the public would they. They are polling us because ALL they care about is what we as paying customers think.


    @Kami

    "The simple question is why was a golfer earning as much as Tiger was anyway? Is that really necessary?"

    It doesn't work that way though, just like it doesn't work that way for anybody in paid employment. None of us get paid what we "deserve", we get paid what we are worth based on the revenue we generate for our employer or sponsor. Tiger Woods was generating a huge amount of cash for various companies, so of course he was worth what he was getting paid. Without him, nobody would be making the piles of money they were making.

  • Brodie #30 2 years ago

    "Does the fact that loads of football players are overpaid, arrogant, mindless thugs, sex offenders and racists put you off EA Sports and FIFA games?"

  • andywilkie35 #31 2 years ago

    I'm a big fan of the Tiger Woods games so it wouldn't stop me buying it. The man is now not only a legend on the course but an absolute machine off it, GO TIGER!

  • Murton #32 2 years ago

    Kangarootoo, if I could give more than +1 I would. I can think of dozens of sports personalities from the past who have performed questionable deeds but EA felt no reason to research the impact it might have on their gaming franchises.

    This whole Tiger Woods thing remands me a lot of the Brand-Sachs scandal here in the UK. Thousands upon thousands of people going berserk calling for heads to be put on spikes, politicians wading in with their 2 pence worth (and claiming it back on expenses :p) when really, deep down, nobody really cares. If the bloke who lives down the road from Tiger Woods cheated on his wife and then crashed his car into a tree everyone would just point and laugh at him and that would be the end of it, but because it's Tiger Woods everyone suddenly questions whether or no its okay to be associated with him. It's pure madness.

  • EmiliasHorse #33 2 years ago

    Do not care what TW does on or off the course. I do however find myself liking TW games less and less each year.

  • AOFanboi #34 2 years ago

    I'd back him simply because of the Fox News protestant fundie who said that Woods (a Buddhist) should convert to Christianity to get absolution for his sin. Apparently adultery is a WASP sport over there...