Introdction

The American creed relies on the ideals of liberty, equality, opportunity, and democracy; as such, our government is for the people, by the people. Together, these principles create the American identity that we live by, inspiring individuals to support each other and the country that we live in, offering equal opportunities regardless of one’s background. Sometimes, this idea of American creed and equal opportunity isn’t as accurate and easy as we portray it, with some suffering from poverty, racial discrimination, and other lifetime circumstances. Yet, the essence of the American creed isn’t handed out, it is created through actions and real change, through individuals’ working to bring their ideals into reality. Whether it’s through civic engagement, youth programs, or economic ventures, people across America take action to mold the ideals of the American creed into reality.

Tiger Woods

Golfing legend, Tiger Woods, embodies the American creed through his sports career and actions outside of golf. Throughout his career, Woods experienced racial discrimination as a minority on and off the course. But through determination, talent, and discipline, he broke through the barriers set before him, proving excellence in a white dominated sport. His actions alone inspired thousands of people of all ethnicities to pursue golf, representing the possibilities and opportunities regardless of race. However, Woods didn’t stop as just a symbol of the American creed, he founded the TGR Foundation, which works to provide minority and low-income youth with access to quality education and career opportunities, specifically in the STEM fields. His foundation has helped thousands live out the American ideals of equal opportunity and reach their goals regardless of their birthplace.

Oprah Winfrey

Similar to Woods, Oprah Winfrey represents the American creed through her career and impact as an individual. Winfrey created the life she desired by overcoming the immense odds, such as abuse and economic hardship, which led to her being one of the most influential media figures in the world. Her rise to fame from poverty reflects the American dream, paired with the ideals of hard work and perseverance to overcome unfavorable circumstances. Winfrey’s career isn’t the only representation of the American creed, her impact extends way further. She uses her platform to give voice to social injustices and work to create change through her influence in the media. The Oprah Winfrey Foundation has donated millions of dollars to various educational programs and youth leadership opportunities. Winfrey uses her fame and money to help young women from ethnic backgrounds rise to the ideals of the American creed, providing them tools and opportunities to level the playing field that they need to succeed.

LeBron James

Basketball star Lebron James is another individual who is taking action to bring the aspirations and realities of the American creed closer together. Like Winfrey and Woods, James came from a somewhat challenging upbringing with hardships to one of the greatest athletes to ever live. Apart from inspiring millions to play and watch basketball, James never forgot where it all started, Akron, Ohio. In 2018, James opened the I PROMISE School in Akron to support children and families who needed it. James’s school worked to help develop a secure educational ground for kids in need for free, offering free meals and even scholarships when they go off to college. James gave back to the community that turned him into who he is today and encourages the principles of the American creed to those whom he hopes to inspire.

Conclusion

What connects key figures like Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, and LeBron James is their upbringing and their belief in the power of opportunity through action. They dedicated themselves outside of their careers to making sure others can access these opportunities despite their situations, expressing the American creed, and tying it one step closer to reality. As individuals, they expressed that the American creed isn’t about motivational speeches or advertisements, it’s about using your voice and influence at hand to create a real, lasting change in your community. They understood that success and fame carry accountability: to give back, to lead for the future generations and those who are suffering, and to help build a society with equal opportunities.

Relating to this, expressing the American creed is through action, working to make the ideas of a nation a reality for everyone. You don’t have to be a big shot like Tiger Woods to make an impact; pursuing the American creed is through your tireless efforts and uplifting others along your journey. However, they serve as a model that America isn’t perfect and the American creed is just a concept; however, as leaders in our community, they represent that each of us can take action in our own ways to help bring the ideals that America creates into a reality.

Introductio

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (1852) was more than a novel, it served as a catalyst for a better change in the United States. Stowe wrote the novel to convey sympathy for African Americans; her strong depiction of the realities of slavery and racism led to widespread awareness of the subject and eventually abolitionist sentiments. Published during the era of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, the novel fueled more questions surrounding its morals and caused many to fight against the unjust law (“Uncle Tom’s Cabin”). The novel continued to spread awareness of the unjust morals behind slavery and racial segregation, selling over 300,000 copies within its first year of publication in the U.S. (“Uncle Tom’s Cabin”). The novel served as a literary inspiration toward retaliation against slavery in the U.S., helping shape history for the better. Stowe’s life experiences that led to the creation of her novel, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” serve as an important factor determining its contents and the long-lasting legacy it left behind.

About The Author

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811, in Litchfield, Connecticut (Michals). She was born into a very religious family as the seventh child of minister Lyman Beecher and Roxana Foote Beacher (Michals). Stowe would go on to receive her education at the Litchfield Female Academy, which would endow her with courses similar to men’s academics at the time, leading to her inclination toward writing and academia. Eventually, Stowe would move with her father to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she ended up meeting many famed abolitionists and reformers, including her husband, Calvin Stowe, a professor at the Lane Seminary, where her father worked (Michals).

Despite all this, Stowe’s career in writing didn’t catch on until the death of her son in the cholera epidemic, which led her to sympathise with all the mothers who lost or got separated from their children due to slavery (Michals). The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act infuriated her at this time, causing her to publish her famous novel, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” in 1852 (“Uncle Tom’s Cabin”). This was her attempt to inspire northerners to revolt against the law. The publication of this novel sparked Stowe’s fame and gave her the power to travel around the U.S. and petition against slavery (Michals). Her influence was so wide that President Lincoln referred to her as “the woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” (Michals). Stowe continued to inspire racial equality in the U.S. up until she died in 1896.

About the Book

Uncle Tom’s Cabin revolves around Uncle Tom, a very religious and compassionate slave, whose faith supports him through the tragedies of slavery and his suffering. The novel traces the path of Tom as he is sold from the Shelby plantation and is transported, where he saves Eva from falling in the water, his good deed is admired by her father, Augustine St. Clare, who decides to purchase him. During this time, Tom builds a good relationship with the family, and St. Clare decides to set him free, but before he does, he is stabbed to death while attempting to settle a fight. Due to this, Tom is sold to a cruel plantation owner named Simon Legree. During this time, Tom inspires two of Legree’s slaves to escape and is eventually beaten to death for not revealing their whereabouts.

Though Uncle Tom is the main focus of the story, the story follows the perspective of other slaves and their journey toward freedom, helping the story convey multiple perspectives of the life slaves have to experience, as well as the effects on those who decide to tolerate slavery. Stowe blends realism with sentimentality, leading to more emotion and significance within certain events and relationships. Stowe highlights the themes of Christian faith, the immoral slavery, and the strength of family. Through these different themes and styles, Stowe inflicts readers with the brutal reality behind slavery.

Legacy

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” had an outlasting effect on slavery and future equality. The novel’s portrayal of the horrors of slavery sparked antislavery sentiment across the North and brought attention to the morals behind slavery. As such, Stowe was seen as one of the main catalysts behind the Civil War (Michals).

Stowe achieved this success through her methods of portraying slavery. David S. Reynolds, in his book, claims that Stowe created more sympathy for slaves by humanizing them as regular people who share family bonds and faith, rather than just tools. This notion allowed Stowe to make slavery seem even more terrifying in the regular American’s eye. Furthermore, Stowe uses common stereotypes to represent both the enslaved and the oppressors. This led to a more standard view of what slaves experienced in the South, such as timid people unwilling to go against slavery and evil people who find enjoyment in the abuse and torture. This expression of reality led to some criticism; however, it served as a standard of what enslaved people had to deal.

Straying away from the topic of slavery, Stowe’s novel represented the power of literature as a whole, not just politically, but emotionally and historically. Stowe demonstrated the ability to change the world without political power, but rather with “domestic and religious transformation,” according to Marissa Bouska. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” represents this form of influence and works as a blueprint to take moral action without violence or debate, but through literature.

Works Cited

Bouska, Marissa. “Working within the System: The Sentimental Tropes of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin Imitated in Catharine Maria Sedgwick’s Married or single?” Coe College, MJUR 2017, no. 8, 2017.

Michals, Debra. Biography: Harriet Beecher Stowe, 2017, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/harriet-beecher-stowe. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Reynolds, David S. Mightier Than the Sword: Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Battle for America. W.W. Norton & Company, 2011. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or, Life Among the Lowly. Signet Classics, 2008.

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Stowe Center for Literary Activism, www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/harriet-beecher-stowe/uncle-toms-cabin/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

In the modern capitalist society surrounding us, the rich get richer and the poor stay poor. The working class continues to use the tools of the higher classes to make a living, while simultaneously expanding upon the wealthy’s income. This paradox has created a great divide between the two classes, building upon different ideals, traditions, and guidelines that each follows. The fictitious guidelines created by each class have led to missed opportunities within relationships and businesses.

These ideas directly disturb Rachel Chu’s love life in Crazy Rich Asians, directed by John M. Chu. After meeting the love of her life, Nick Young, Rachel travels to Singapore to meet his family for the first time. However, Rachel is met with the richest family in Singapore. Being from a lower-class household, Rachel is rejected by Elenor Young, Nick’s mom, due to her bourgeoisie ideology. Rachel Chu’s struggle to gain Eleanor Young’s approval defines the clash between the ideologies of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, as Eleanor desires to keep status and wealth within the young family, rejecting those of the lower class.

A Peek into Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians occurs primarily in modern Singapore, where the Young family resides. Rachel Chu, a Chinese immigrant who worked her way up the social ladder and became an NYU professor, is invited by her boyfriend, Nick Young, to visit Singapore for a summer with him, where she will attend his best friend’s wedding and meet his family. Rachel soon finds out during her trip that Nick Young is the heir to the wealthiest family in Singapore.

Throughout her trip, Rachel battles against the jealousy and judgment of both Nick’s peers and family members. As Rachel struggles to fit into the elitist society within the Young family, she is met with more obstacles and objections from the family and its following. In particular, Nick’s Mother, Eleanor Young, rejects Rachel due to her poor upbringing, even going to the extent of exposing her background of having a toxic father and a single mother.

However, Nick declares his willingness to give up the Young family’s wealth and follow Rachel back to America. As a result, Rachel invites Eleanor to play a game of mahjong, where she folds a winning hand to show Eleanor that she is willing to give up Nick on behalf of the Young family. This eventually leads to Eleanor giving Nick her ring to propose to Rachel as a symbol of her approval.

What is Marxism?

Chris Barker, in The Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies, notes that Karl Marx divided our society into two classes: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Barker highlights that at the top of the capitalist food chain are the owners or bourgeoisie, who own the means of production. On the other end, Barker describes the proletariat as the working class people within our society who use the bourgeoisie’s means of production to make a living while simultaneously building upon the bourgeoisie’s wealth. According to Barker, Marx depicts that this paradox within capitalism creates a gap between the two classes, furthering the difference between their wealth and altering their ideology.

However, Barker notes that as our society has advanced the gap between the two primary classes developed another class that we call the middle class, or the white-collar workers. Barker explains that the middle class is defined by its name, and people of this class are socioeconomically in the middle of the two classes, not owning the means of production, but also not working hard manual labor to live.

Ideology: Proletariat vs. Bourgeoisie

Considering the drastic difference in wealth between the two primary classes described by Karl Marx, we have to infer that they share a different ideology. Mary Klage, in Key Terms in Literary Theory, points out that Louis Althusser describes ideology as something that manifests through a particular person’s actions. Furthermore, Klage notes that Althusser determined that someone’s ideology is intertwined with their material customs; this translates to the concept of how our class and possessions reflect upon our treatment of other people and our money. Concerning this interpretation of ideology, Murguía Salvador Jiménez, in the Encyclopedia of Global Religions, defines conspicuous consumption as a term developed by Thorstein Veblen that relates to the purchasing of goods to enhance status and portrayal of wealth.

These Marxist concepts highlight Rachel’s struggle for approval and acceptance into the Young family. These concepts establish the various barriers set by the bourgeoisie to protect their place in society, underscoring the effects of wealth on both Eleanor and Rachel’s ideologies.

The Proletariat: Rachel

Rachel’s background is rooted in proletariat history, coming from an initially poor working-class mother and an absent father figure. The proletariat heritage of Rachel has impacted her beliefs and ideology. Her somewhat proletariat ideology is displayed throughout the film, she often reflects on the price of certain things like the flight she and Nick take to Singapore when she declares, “We can’t afford this.” Rachel’s concern for the price of the airline ticket that Nick had purchased displays her frugality and value of materialistic items. This identifies with Rachel’s current status in the middle class, where she has worked her way up from the proletariat to one of the many white-collared workers.

Nick’s response to Rachel's questioning of how he was able to afford such an expensive ticket also identifies their difference in class as he calmly states, “We’re comfortable.” This understatement highlights the different classes’ perspective of materialistic things such as a plane ticket. Rachel with her proletariat ideology was seemingly blown away by the expensive ticket and the amenities provided along with it. Meanwhile, the bourgeoisie, in this case Nick, blows off the price tag like it’s nothing. Rachel serves the role of displaying the proletariat ideology as opposed to the bourgeoisie.

The Bourgeoisie: Eleanor

Eleanor is the exact opposite of Rachel and possesses the innate ideas of the bourgeoisie, belittling Rachel and seeking for her son to find someone with wealth to carry on the family honor. However, Rachel, despite her poor background, was able to achieve considerable success, eventually becoming a professor at NYU. Despite Rachel’s success in America, Eleanor Young continues to deny Rachel her approval. This displays the high standards and ideology that the bourgeoisie possesses.

Furthermore, Eleanor continues to highlight her desire to shape her son's perfect life, built upon wealth and avoiding imperfections like Rachel and her proletariat background, when she says, “Well, your mother is very open-minded, not like here, where parents are obsessed with shaping the life of their children.” This underscores capitalism and its effects reiterated by Klage, highlighting its ability to uphold the ideas and concepts of the bourgeoisie as they push for ideologies sustaining their wealth and power. The strong bourgeoisie ideology that Eleanor sustains throughout Crazy Rich Asians creates a struggle for Rachel and Nick to make their relationship work, leading to many instances of drama and attempts to find approval.

Conspicuous Consumption

The difference between Eleanor and Rachel’s ideologies and lifestyles is represented frequently throughout the movie. Eleanor and the rest of the Young Family are the embodiment of conspicuous consumption. Eleanor’s need to display their vast wealth is seen often, particularly in one event in the film where she throws a huge cocktail party with lavish food, drinks, and even a rare Tan Hau flower that only blooms at night. This “irrational economic behavior” of Eleanor highlights the bourgeoisie ideology within her to almost belittle Rachel with her vast wealth, showing Rachel that she is not fit for her son.

However, Rachel is oblivious to the wealth and traditions of the family. Before she departs for the party she meets up with her college friend Peik Lin, who explains to her that the family is “posh and snobby, they’re snoshy,” and insists that Rachel must wear a designer dress or she won’t fit in, highlighting the materialism of the bourgeoisie. This alienation that Rachel experiences accentuates the large gap between the upper and lower echelons socioeconomically.

Bridging Ideological Gaps

Despite the large margin between Rachel and Eleanor in terms of wealth, Rachel hopes to bridge this gap and gain Eleanor’s approval by not changing the person she is, but by displaying her unique features. When Rachel plays Eleanor in mahjong towards the end of the movie, she folds a winning hand displaying to Eleanor her charisma and intelligence, implying that the difference in their wealth doesn’t matter. This connects to Karl Marx’s concept that if the people of the proletariat unite against capitalism it would crumble, as described by Klage. Rachel refuses to conform to the bourgeois ideology of Eleanor, underlining the proletariat and their resistance.

Rachel is also seen bridging the gap between the two classes at Nick’s friend’s wedding when she sits by an actual princess and sparks a conversation. Like the mahjong match, Rachel decides to use her charisma and scholarship to prove her character, not her wealth or relationship with Nick. Rachel’s display of intelligence to the princess makes her feel comfortable, leading to Rachel and the princess discussing microloans and economics. This show of character from Rachel underscores the irrelevance of class or wealth in building relationships and connections, slowly filling the void between the two classes and their separate beliefs.

Furthermore, Nick’s proposal to Eleanor at the end of the movie embodies Rachel’s hope to bridge the gap in ideologies, ignoring the barriers that wealth had previously created. This shows the possibility of creating an equal society where the bourgeoisie don’t rule over the proletariat but reside alongside them as equals. The change in Eleanor’s outlook on Rachel highlights that there can be a change in our society too.

The Takeaway

Crazy Rich Asians demonstrates the clashing ideology of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, represented by Rachel Chu and her struggle to gain acceptance into the Young family. This highlights the wealthy’s need to stay in power over the poor proletariat. Through this, capitalism is defined as an imbalanced system put in place by the bourgeoisie to keep their power and grow their wealth.

This societal divide created by the modern capitalistic society defines not only the trajectory of our society but our lives as well. As wealth gaps widen, the dynamics of our different classes alter along with their paired ideologies. However, Rachel displays the abnormality that we can all create, connecting the ideologies between the rich and the poor and reaching a mutual medium.

In a sense, Crazy Rich Asians serves as a platform to challenge the separate ideologies that capitalism has created, advocating for a future with socioeconomic equality among individuals.

Additional Sources Used in this Article

Chris Barker. “Class.” The Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies. 2004. Found on Credo Reference.

Chris Barker. “Marxism.” The Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies. 2004. Found on Credo Reference.

John M. Chu, director. Crazy Rich Asians. Warner Bros. Pictures. 2018.

Mary Klage. “Althusser, Louis.” Key Terms in Literary Theory. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.

Mark Klage. “Capitalism.” Key Terms in Literary Theory. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.

Mary Klage. “Ideology.” Key Terms in Literary Theory. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.

Salvador Jiménez Murguía. “Consumer Culture.” Encyclopedia of Global Religions. 2011. Found on Credo Reference.

Tiger Woods has altered how we see golf by introducing discipline, athleticism, and charisma into the world of golf. These features prompted him to be the modern-day golf idol, inspiring new generations and innovations. Golf has had plenty of stars rise throughout its time as a sport. However, Woods was one of the few who helped shift the sport from a leisurely game to a competitive sport with a thriving industry. Woods was also one of the first mixed-race golfers to experience success on the golf scene, bringing a more diverse audience to golf. Acknowledging Woods as one of the key figures who spurred golf into the modern era helps us understand the current playstyle and trends in the sport.

The Swing

Before discussing how golf arrived at its current state, we must establish how Tiger Woods expanded on the golf swing and its fundamentals. Woods’ swing has influenced many modern tour players, who have mimicked many of his movements to achieve a similar ball-striking capability and distance to Woods. Bill Pennington, a New York Times journalist, highlights that Rory McIlroy, one of the longest pound-for-pound drivers of the golf ball, was heavily influenced as a kid by Tiger Woods and his swing. Many of golf’s longest hitters, like Mcllroy and Woods, develop their power from their lower body, using their hips and glutes to maximize power.

According to a post on Rotary Swing’s website, during Woods’s downswing, he implements a movement known as the “Tiger squat,” which is apparent in many other professional golfers and competitive long drivers’ swings. Rotary Swing explains that the Tiger squat involves a squat motion where a golfer squats and rapidly stands up, firing their glutes; this sets up the downswing for a controlled yet powerful contact with the golf ball. Furthermore, Woods has a wider backswing, where he rotates his hips more. Johnny Miller from Golf Magazine compares the length of Woods’ swing to that of a professional long driver. Miller acknowledges that this wide swing effectively allows Woods to turn more around the spine, creating a lot more momentum for when he unravels his spine on the downswing. While Woods’ effective swing allows him to generate distance with pinpoint accuracy, Woods’ athletic capabilities allow his golf swing to be so effective.

Tiger’s Athletic Ability

Tiger Woods’ efficient swing contributes to his distance and accuracy, but his athleticism is the base that supports these different skills. The correlation between Woods’ athleticism off the course and success on the golf course is evident. This has inspired countless other adamant golfers to follow in his footsteps and pursue the stature of an athlete. Jim McCormick, writer for Florida Today, claims that Woods approached golf with strict discipline, beginning his mornings with a four-mile run and following that with a weight-lifting session. McCormick claims that after this intense training session, Woods would work on his golf game for countless hours. McCormick further notes that Woods believed this intense regimen gave him a competitive advantage, and his tournament results have supported this theory. David Urmacher, a blogger on Next Gen Golf, implies that these different traits allowed Woods to push a new image of the professional golfer. Woods’ success on the PGA Tour, partly credited to his athleticism, inspired a more health- and fitness-conscious professional golfer. McCormick notes that the PGA Tour now issues a “Player Performance Center” to push for more athletic professional golfers like Woods. Woods played a drastic role in shifting the typical view of the professional golfer. He helped transition away from the impression of golfers being overweight, intoxicated, white men to athletic, able-bodied golfers with diverse backgrounds.

Golf’s Publicity

The remarkable success that Tiger Woods achieved throughout his golf career led to him amassing a huge fanbase and following. The extensive following that Woods brought to golf, subsequently, resulted in a substantial growth in golf’s publicity. The popularity that Woods developed made him one of the most influential players of his time. Woods’ influence on golf’s popularity as a sport is visible on golf courses internationally. Pennington states that it’s often common to see golfers sporting their red outfits on Sundays or even celebrating hard putts with flashy fist pumps as Woods has done on television.

Researcher Timothy Mathews and his colleagues at Kennesaw State University point out that the PGA Tour purposely paired Woods against his top competition at the time, Phil Mickelson, to appease their current audience and attract new viewers. This deliberate showcase of Woods and his skills against the second-best at the time displays the impact that Woods has had on the PGA Tour’s viewership. Woods not only inspired people of his time to golf but also motivated future generations to take up golf. Urmacher points out that Woods’s unforgettable legacy prompts these future golfers to challenge his outlandish records. Furthermore, Venita Roberson, a researcher at Grambling State University, describes that Woods’ ethnic background has also led to an increase in golf’s publicity. The publicity that Woods has brought to golf has broadened the sport’s global appeal while increasing the opportunities available in the sport, changing the game forever.

Golf and Diversity

Woods’ success displayed to the world that golf was a sport that anyone could play and enjoy, which inspired a more diverse player base and broader audience following golf. During Woods’ professional career, he racked numerous victories under his belt, many of which defied previous prejudiced standards in the golf community.

Larry Dorman, New York Times journalist and golf enthusiast, reports that Woods would be the first person of a mixed-racial background to claim the number one spot in the Masters Tournament at Augusta, Georgia, arguably the most prestigious tournament in all of golf. Furthermore, Woods would also become the youngest person in history to win the Masters. According to Dorman, this obliterated any previous ideas surrounding minority golfers being inferior. In addition, Roberson notes that Woods’s first victory at Augusta in 1997 was by a landslide, which piqued African American and other minority races’ interest in golf. Woods’ shattering of these false ideas helped attract a new following of minorities to golf. As an effect, the PGA Tour is now composed of many other minority athletes who have racked up similar feats to Woods, pushing golf away from its previous stereotypes.

Though golf’s diversity has changed under Woods’s inspiration, the lack of accessibility to the sport has prevented many from ever receiving an opportunity to play golf. Karen Crouse, a New York Times journalist, claims the high costs associated with competing and the lack of golf courses have resulted in many minorities being deterred from the sport. Despite the inaccessibility of golf for lower-income households, Woods has created multiple programs under the Tiger Woods Foundation to provide grants and coaching to minority golfers, which has helped lead to a slow but steady increase in youthful minorities playing golf, according to Crouse.

Golf’s Economy

The economy of golf today is very different than the economy that fueled it before Woods’ debut on the golf scene. Today, golf’s economy is prospering with innovative companies inspiring to improve the game of golf. Woods is given partial credit for the large improvement in golf’s economy. The large fanbase that Woods brought with him helped increase sales and opportunities surrounding golf, making him the ideal brand endorser.

Marketing professor Kevin Chung and his colleagues report that during Nike’s ten-year endorsement with Woods, they took in a profit of $103 million in golf ball sales alone. Chung states that this recovered nearly 57% of Nike's investment in Woods with just golf ball sales. Furthermore, Chung highlights that Woods’s impact on the economy is notable through Nike’s growth in market share; within only eight months of their endorsement of Woods, Nike’s share of the golf ball market increased by 2.9%.

In 2009, Woods faced many personal challenges, suffering from a car crash and a cheating scandal, according to Craig Davis and his colleagues at the University of Ohio. Davis claims these events marked a low point in Woods’s career, tarnishing his public image. Despite this setback, Rolex decided to endorse Woods. Davis and his colleagues imply that Rolex’s endorsement of Woods in 2009 was an investment in his brand, not Woods himself. Throughout Woods’ professional golf career, he represented a character of discipline, focus, and hard work, claims Davis. These characteristics defined Woods as a brand, and many companies like Rolex saw these traits as ideal to represent their company. Given this, Woods would endorse many other companies, continuing to attract buyers who aspire to reach Woods’ level of talent.

Tiger and Nike’s Rebranding of Golf’s Cosmetics

In addition to Woods’s contribution to Nike’s economic success, he contributed to the meaning behind the brand. Nike labeled its brand after the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, representing what the brand strives for. Ian Stonebrook, a Staff Writer on Boardroom, claims that Woods’ success directly correlated to the visual of Nike being a brand for winners, like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Stonebrook highlights that this potentially caused Nike’s popularity among sports fans to jump, by fans wanting to wear a brand representing the victorious athletes they may aspire to be.

Together, Nike and Woods would alter the uniform previously known to golf by forming the brand “TW.” Stonebrook claims that Nike decided to transform the previous “country-club attire” aimed towards golf into athletic apparel fit for athletes, using Woods as the face of this shift. First, Nike would release the Nike Air Zoom TW; according to Stonebrook, this shoe was the future of golf shoes, which held cushions normally seen in running shoes, providing a cushy base and more support. Furthermore, Stonebrook notes that Nike would release thinner, more breathable golf clothing under Woods’ brand. The steps that Nike and Woods have taken to modernize golf have expanded and are still present today, which is often visible on the golf course with the majority of the players on tour wearing dri-fit, more breathable clothing and supportive shoes to ensure stability and comfort.

The vast influence that Tiger Woods has had on golf stretches towards every horizon, altering golf from the traditional sport it used to be to the modern athletic sport it is today. Woods’ outstanding career will remain legendary in golf’s Hall of Fame, setting new standards and playstyles. Woods’ influence has created precedents for up-and-coming golfers to strive for as well as records to be broken. As we continue comprehending Woods’ significance to golf’s legacy as a sport, we will hopefully continue to innovate and expand the sport from where it is now, competitively and economically.

Additional Sources Used in this Article

Kevin Y.C. Chung, Timothy P. Derdenger, and Kannan Srinivasan. “Economic Value of celebrity endorsements: Tiger Woods’ impact on sales of Nike golf balls.” Marketing Science. 2013. Found on Gale Academic OneFile.

Craig Davis, Jim Kahler, Patrick Moran, and Xiyuan Liu. “Tiger Woods now wears Rolex.” Journal of Case Studies. 2013. Found on Gale Academic OneFile.

Timothy Mathews, Soiliou Daw Namoro, and James W. Boudreau. “The Impact of Organizer Market Structure on Participant Entry Behavior in a Multi-Tournament Environment.” Games. 2023. Found on Gale Academic OneFile.

Jim McCormick. “fitness in golf: How Tiger Woods exerted influence on.” Florida Today. 2021. Found on ProQuest.

Johnny Miller. “Tiger’s Swing is a Cut above.” Golf Magazine. 2014. Found on EBSCOhost.

Venita Roberson. “African American Culture and Physical Skill Development Programs” The Effect on Golf after Tiger Woods.” Journal of Black Studies. 2003. Found on JSTOR.