Tiger Woods Inc. will be bigger than ever

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Following the apology heard 'round the world last week, people everywhere promptly suggested that the disgraced Tiger Woods' days as a marketing symbol had ended.

Don't make me laugh.

Rest assured, America, Tiger Woods Inc., the empire of the best and most talked-about golfer on the planet, is actually in dandy shape. In fact, its prospects have never looked rosier -- assuming Woods can, indeed, recover from the hubris and demons that recently drove to him to seek counseling for what has been called a sexual addiction.

Tiger Woods during his televised apology

Dr. Timothy Fong, an assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at the UCLA Impulse Control Disorders Clinic in Los Angeles, said the recovery rate for sex addicts can be in the neighborhood of 30% to 40%. While every case is unique, this remains an encouraging assessment for Woods.

"They get better," Fong asserted.

Reviled and loathed
How can I predict that Woods will be bigger than ever? Isn't Tiger reviled now from coast to coast? Don't people loathe him for his extramarital affairs? Yes, but ...

It's simple, really. Let's consider his saga. Before he had his post-Thanksgiving meltdown last year, he'd achieved universal acclaim as a championship golfer and the best Madison Avenue pitchman around.

And now? He has a new kind of status in sports and society. Woods is now notorious. It translates into even greater fame for Woods -- and Madison Avenue covets famous symbols and pitchmen. It has a lot to do with the 21st century media world, thanks largely to tabloid magazines and TV shows as well as ESPN's /quotes/comstock/13*!dis/quotes/nls/dis (DIS 30.92, -0.20, -0.64%) "SportsCenter."

ESPN is the bible of impressionable sports fans. ESPN invariably rewards bad or outrageous behavior with a blizzard of images on its "SportsCenter" broadcasts. Ultimately, all publicity is ultimately good publicity. Or, as Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones reportedly once put it: Just spell my name right.

Mr. Comeback
Woods, having fallen from grace, has a juicy opportunity to do what America loves most from disgraced heroes: Make a comeback. Celebrities in the sports world over the years have won over the public after all sorts of scandals.

Basketball star Michael Jordan had to deal with gambling hassles in the early 1990s but subsequently regained his status as the favorite son of advertisers. Marv Albert and Kobe Bryant have each had to deal with headlines related to sexual assault allegations. They've both come back. Albert, as he had been doing before the charges, handles play-by-play duties on television and radio. For his part, Bryant graces GQ's cover in its current issue.

Oh sure, it will take time for Woods to repair the public-relations destruction. The tide will turn for Woods when he begins to show more self-awareness and appeals to ordinary people. Tiger has not been able to control the message on his own terms. And now he must play ball with the media. If he's going to be bankable again, he needs to humanize himself, be a nice guy.