If the world were a fair place, we would all possess charisma. It is not, and only a fortunate few are so blessed, no one more than Tiger Woods. He transcends sport to appeal to people who have no interest in putters and pitching wedges. Whenever he plays golf, television ratings surge. People love him, whether for his boyish enthusiasm, his charm, his athleticism, or the combination of all three. Which, of course, explains why Nike, the undisputed heavyweight of sportswear and sporting equipment, has a five-year endorsement contract with him worth $US100 million - and why he is dogged by those purporting to represent that company's Asian workers.
The protesters are aggrieved that Woods earns $129,000 a day while workers in Nike's Bangladesh factories earn $2 a day. They rail against a company that last year finally admitted its role in worker exploitation, and promised to do better. Becoming the global symbol of sweatshops has done Nike's image, and sales, no good whatsoever.
Yet that is only part of the story. What the protesters choose to ignore is that Nike employs 500,000 workers. Many would have no job if it were not for the company, and Tiger Woods. Every person Woods entices to golf - and there will be many captivated by his play this weekend at Paraparaumu Beach - or even to sporting apparel equates to more jobs, often in regions where such opportunities are rare. In that light, his role in the explosion of the game over the past few years hardly warrants ogre status.
It is especially ironic that Woods should be singled out for such protest. His mother, a Thai, now lives the American dream through her son's exploits. It is relevant to ponder the Asia she left behind and that of today. A generation ago, largely subsistence-based populations struggled to live above the poverty line. Most of the change over the past couple of decades has been for the better. There is a far greater prospect of adequate food, clean water, safe sanitation, decent housing, reliable healthcare and at least a basic education. Life-threatening disease is less prevalent, and people have a greater opportunity to advance themselves. Factories making products for the likes of Nike, Gap, Reebok and some New Zealand companies have contributed to that, particularly in stimulating economic growth.