Tiger Woods gets Support from Poll to Play for U.S. in Olympics
Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) — Tiger Woods would have the supportof 69 percent of Americans if he represented the U.S. in golf atthe Olympic Games, a survey found.
Just less than a quarter of respondents to the Seton HallUniversity sports poll weren’t in favor of the golfer playing ona U.S. team, while 75 percent of men and 63 percent of womensaid they’d have no problem with him being included.
“Tiger still has work to do to win back the public,” RickGentile, the director of the poll, said in a statement. “Butthe Tiger camp should be pleased by the strong number supportinghis being a potential member of the team.”
Woods, 34, last week apologized in a live televisionaddress for his marital infidelity and “repeated irresponsiblebehavior.” the world’s top-ranked player in December said hewas taking an indefinite break from the sport after thepublication of often-lurid details about his private lifefollowing a one-vehicle car crash outside his Florida home onThanksgiving night.
The International Olympic Committee voted in October toinclude golf in the program for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiroand the following edition four years later.
Golf’s proposal called for 72-hole men’s and women’scompetitions played over four days, with medals being awarded tothe three lowest scorers. the sport was last in the Olympics in1904.
Woods has won 14 major golf championships, second to JackNicklaus’s tally of 18, and has amassed 71 U.S. PGA Tour titles,to trail only Sam Snead’s 82.
NBC Games Coverage
In other poll findings, NBC Universal inc.’s coverage ofthe Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, was given apositive rating by 72 percent of respondents, while the sameproportion said coverage of American athletes was the “rightamount.”
The Olympics were watched by 79 percent of respondents ontelevision at night, while 10 percent viewed daytime coverage.the Internet accounted for 8 percent of users and 2 percent gottheir information on the Games from newspapers.
“Newspapers are sending teams of journalists andphotographers to the Games and trailing badly in importance,”Gentile said. “Four times as many people get their news onlineas from hard-copy newspapers.”
The poll was conducted this week by randomly dialing 760adults aged 18 and over in the U.S. the margin of error is +/-3.6 percentage points.
To contact the reporter on this story:Nancy Kercheval in Washington at nkercheval@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: February 26, 2010 00:01 EST