Something rotten in the state of Tigerland.

I suppose I could have said something about Nike's latest "controversial" ad featuring Tiger Woods earlier, but I was following events in the real world, like Kyrgyzstan.

There's a been coup people and another dictator may be drawing unemployment checks pretty soon. Cheer if you like free, democratic republics. Boo if you like repressive, tin pot dictatorships.

So now that there's a lull in the action and before Russia presumably invades the central Asian republic let me share a few thoughts.

First off kudos to Nike for a buzz job well done. Judging by the reaction from the advertising industry, the mainstream media as well as the world of sports they certainly got way more bang for their buck than they could ever have planned. Yes I know, Tiger did too.

But why is everyone getting their knickers in a twist over this? Although I should point out that I did like what Barbara Lippert had to say on morning tv. Especially loved her line about Tiger being "too big to fail" as far as Nike is concerned. Apparently a few of the floozies he was poking on the side felt the same way if you believe the stories in TMZ.

Here's the thing. If this is what passes for controversy these days then what a bunch of prudish pansies we are. Now if the Vatican cut a commercial in which they defended their child-molesting priests on the grounds they never tampered with baby animals then that would be controversial. Actually Nike could probably have made the same claim about Tiger too.

And don't for one minute think that Nike didn't anticipate all those parodies out there. Here's my favorite. I bet it's how they conceived the social media portion of the campaign. Hell, they probably cut most of them. I would have.

As for the commercial itself, this is what came to mind while watching it. Tortured son hears words from his dead father. Sounds familiar right. But Hamlet it ain't. Hamlet's problem was that he was paralyzed by inertia. Tiger's problem is that he could have done with some.

Shakespeare introduces Hamlet's father to help clarify his son's destiny. Nike or is it W&K, exploits Tiger's father to help change his son's image. Big difference between destiny and image.

Soon after hearing his father's haunting words Hamlet sets about avenging his father's demise. Soon after hearing his father's hollow words, given his own personal history, we see Tiger play a round of golf.

A clever creative director once told me that a commercial, like a story can only become powerful if it speaks to some kind of truth. There is nothing remotely true about the Nike ad other than it's cynical intention, which is to make sure that a select group of people continue making millions of dollars.

And the really, really worst part is that I'm not one of them!