Tiger Woods Watch: New Nike Commercial Embodies Best of American Sports

Call it what you will: a marketing ploy, an insincere attempt to capitalize on sentimentality or a gross misrepresentation of truth. It may be all of those things. But more than anything else, it is a moving and meaningful reminder of the humanity of Tiger Woods, and a stark illustration of the redemptive power of a father's love.

The newest Nike commercial features a black-and-white Woods staring into the camera as his late father's voice asks him, "Did you learn anything?" View the spot here .

The audio is, of course, taken out of context. Earl Woods died in May 2006, of a heart attack, and as far as anyone knows, never knew of his son's illicit extra-marital affairs. The elder Woods' words, reprinted below, were spoken instead with regard to Tiger's golf game, and how the two would go over the younger man's day on and off the course:

"Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are, and did you learn anything?"

That hardly matters, though. What matters, is that the spot shows real remorse on Woods' part. In fact, it shows a far more tender and meaningful remorse than any of his public apologies or press conferences have. Woods, who personally approved the ad, demonstrated in doing so that he understands the way his actions affected his family, including and especially the memory of his father.

The relationship between father and son was well-known, and extraordinarily close. Earl was his son's long-time coach, closest confidant and biggest fan. Tiger, in return, seemed always to be focused most clearly on pleasing his father, above even winning tournaments. It was Earl's death that caused the first of what now stands at three extended hiatuses from the game by Tiger during his illustrious career, and it was the one (of the first two, anyway) from which his game took longest to recover.

Yes, Nike and Woods each stand to gain significantly from this advertisement, especially if it meets the difficult task of repairing Woods's image in any high degree. But anyone who contends that Earl Woods would not have gladly lent his support to his son has little memory of the father he was.

More importantly, the commercial delivers a strong and poignant message about the tragic lives of American heroes, and the salvation that can come from honesty and determination. The mystique of Woods, his infallibility on and off the golf course, is gone for good. But his journey toward becoming the greatest golfer of all time is far from over, and if he reaches that pinnacle, this implicit plea for forgiveness will ensure that the man on the mountain can stand tall.