FINISH LINE: Sticking by Tiger

Published 11:21 pm Monday, January 4, 2010

Electronic Arts Inc. said Monday it will stand behind Tiger Woods — at least for the release of a new online golf game featuring the embattled athlete.

The relationship between EA and Woods stretches back more than a decade, and Tiger Woods-branded games have pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars for the company over the years.

Woods’ image has been tarnished following a Thanksgiving holiday car accident at the golfer’s Florida home, which led to an admission of extramarital “transgressions.” He is taking a break from golf and has been dropped by major corporate sponsors AT&T Corp. and Accenture.

Gillette and Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer have also said they will cut back their use of Woods in their advertising campaigns.

On Monday, EA Sports President Peter Moore said the company decided to stick with Woods because he is “still one of the greatest athletes in history” despite his “mistakes” off the golf course.

Moore added in a statement that the company has spent “considerable time” developing and testing the new “Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online” game, which he called a “breakthrough experience.”

Moore didn’t want to admit that the real reason they didn’t drop Tiger is because it’s much tougher to market “Henrik Stenson PGA Tour Online.”