I agree. I also don't think that Tiger Woods' corporate sponsors shouldn't have pulled their support either.
50 CENT cheated on his girlfriends and neglects his kids. There aren't any corporate sponsors withdrawing any support from him.
If I were in the position of Tiger Woods, I would be really angry. The way the sponsors treated him. The way the press treated him.
Because sponsorship is about image, period. They don't compare you to what another celebrity is doing, they are looking at who their target customer base is. 50 cent isn't married and talking in interviews about how great family life is, Tiger is. Tiger wasn't in tabloids before this happened. He was private and sponsors saw him as an exellent athlete with a wholesome family life and want customers to associate their product to excellence of Tiger (be it razors, watches, etc.
50 cent is a rapper, he's also a mogul that made a great business deal pitching water. He's also noted for being shot 9 times. Starting out in the music business, 50 tried to get a record deal, and record companies backed away because of the violence in his background. It took guys with controversial pasts of their own (Dre and Eminem) to sign him. They are a different brand they have different expectations of what is acceptable behavior (*cough* Dre donkey punching Dee Barnes *cough* *cough*)
The brands of 50 cent and Tiger Woods are completely different. Tiger's paycheck was as much to do with his wholesome image as much as he was a superior athlete.
When Kate Moss was photographed sniffing cocaine, all of her sponsors, contract deals, dumped her. She did rehab and came back and got deals back. I'm sure that Tiger will have a similar fate.
Sponsors have clients, if they are offended and won't buy products because their spokesperson's private life is exploding, they will protect their bottom line.
Pepsi pulled it's sponsorship of Madonna's tour back in 89 when Pepsi's consumers where offended by burning crosses and her making out with a black Jesus (Like a Prayer video). A few years ago Verizon pulled it's sponsorship of Gwen Stefani's tour because of something AKON did when he opened for her.
So Tiger is not being singled out. Initially his sponsors stuck by him, but then the number of women that had relationships (not just one stands) kept climbing. Sponsors took notice, because their consumers notice as well.
As far Tiger's apology goes, I couldn't give a rats ass. It's his marriage and whether he is genuinely remorseful or not, I don't care. It's his business, his family, his demons, his libido - that's for him to sort out, not to appease a bunch of body language experts.