60 Percent of Sports Fans ‘Rooting’ for Tiger Woods Return to Competitive Golf, 38 Percent Say They Would Purchase a Product He Endorses

South Orange, NJ, March 30, 2021 – As Tiger Woods recovers from his serious auto accident last month, 43 percent of Americans say they are rooting for his return to competitive golf, with the number rising to 60 percent among sports fans and 69 percent of those who consider themselves “avid fans.”

Just 19 percent of the general public said they were not rooting for his return (17 percent of sports fans, 15 percent of avid fans) with 36 percent venturing no opinion among the general public, while 23 percent of sports fans and 16 percent of avid fans likewise said “don’t know/no opinion.”

These were the findings of a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted by the Sharkey Institute within the Stillman School of Business on March 13-15 geographically spread across the United States.  The Poll had 1,538 adult respondents with a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent.

The poll also showed that overall 40 percent of the general public (46 percent of men, 35 percent of women) have a positive opinion of Tiger Woods, though 29 percent do not (27 percent negative for men, 30 percent for women), and 31 percent either don’t know or have no opinion.

Over the years the approval for Woods has declined as his disapproval rating rose. When asked a similar question in April, 2015 (more than five years after news of his affairs and divorce were made public), 45 percent reacted with approval to his name, with 21 percent registering disapproval and 34 percent in the don’t know/no opinion category.  That’s a decline in the positive of five percent and an increase in the negative of eight for a net decline of 13 percent since 2013.

Among sports fans in the current poll, however, 53 percent had a positive opinion and among avid fans, 60 percent.

Only 25 percent of the general public said they would purchase a product endorsed by Woods, though 38 percent of sports fans and 52 percent of avid fans said they would.

“Tiger Woods has been a compelling figure in the public landscape for more than two decades,”  said Marketing Professor and Poll Methodologist Daniel Ladik.  “But even the possibility of his being unable to play the game he so long dominated has not brought about a sudden embrace of the man. But one can’t ignore those potential endorsement purchase numbers – 38 percent of sports fans in this country is an impressive number.”

Q1. Which, if any, of the following statements best describes you?

  • I am an avid sports fan 16%
  • I am a sports fan 41%
  • I am not a sports fan               43%

Q11. Recently, Tiger Woods was in a severe car accident in which he was seriously injured. Are you rooting for Tiger’s return to competitive golf?

N=1,538

 

General

Population

Sports

Fan

Non Fan Avid

Fan

Casual

Fan

Yes, I am 45% 60% 25% 69% 56%
No, I am not 19% 17% 21% 15% 18%
Don’t know/No opinion 36% 23% 54% 16% 26%

 

Q12. Do you have a positive opinion on Tiger Woods?

N=1,538

 

General

Population

Sports

Fan

Non Fan Avid

Fan

Casual

Fan

Yes, I do 40% 53% 24% 60% 50%
No, I do not 29% 26% 32% 22% 28%
Don’t know/No opinion 31% 21% 44% 18% 22%

 

Q12. Do you have a positive opinion on Tiger Woods?

N=1,538

 

General

Population

Men Women
Yes, I do 40% 46% 35%
No, I do not 29% 27% 30%
Don’t know/No opinion 31% 27% 35%

 

Q13. How likely, if at all, would you be to buy a product endorsed by Tiger Woods?

 

N=1,538

 

General

Population

Sports

Fan

Non Fan Avid

Fan

Casual

Fan

Likely 25% 38% 9% 52% 32%
Not likely 51% 45% 60% 34% 49%
Don’t know/No opinion 24% 17% 31% 14% 19%