By Field Level Media
Aug 27 (Field Level Media) - California-based Callaway Golf Company severed ties with Good Good Golf following the backlash generated by a video that was meant to promote a driver co-branded between the two companies, Sports Business Journal reported Thursday.
Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark apologized Wednesday night, saying he hopes "we can move on" from a since-deleted video that was meant to be an advertisement for the club.
Less than 24 hours after the Good Good apology,
Callaway said it was ending the partnership citing the video that "trivialized" violence against women.
The video in question was posted Aug. 21, depicting Clark running and shoving Good Good's Alexis Miestowski to the ground as she went to pull the club out of his bag. Clark then said, "Do not touch my new driver," while standing over her.
The club at the center of the advertisement is a Callaway Quantum Driver with a portion of the Good Good logo emblazoned on the bottom.
The ad drew immediate backlash with claims it depicted violence against women, and Good Good quickly removed it. The company issued an apology on Saturday, and Clark added a personal apology in a video posted to his social media Wednesday night.
"I personally want to apologize for playing a role in the skit, in this ad, at the magnitude that I did," Clark said. "And then on Good Good's behalf and on Good Good marketing team's behalf, I wanted to say an apology as well because this is not at all what we stand for, the way that this ad was received is not how Good Good is, and it's not what we stand for, once again.
"I want everyone to know that I do not support (domestic violence) abuse or any of that of any kind."
Callaway reportedly will donate $1 million to causes dedicated to preventing violence against women or entities that support women who have been victims of domestic violence.
In the statement to Sports Business Journal, Callaway said: "Over the last several days, we have listened and reflected deeply on the hurt and disappointment caused by the video we re-posted. We heard from individuals who shared personal experiences related to violence against women, and their stories were powerful reminders that this issue touches the lives of far too many people. Unequivocally, violence against women is unacceptable and should never be trivialized, normalized, or used as entertainment.
"These actions do not undo the harm caused or excuse our role in it. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt, disappointed, or offended by this incident."
The fallout from the ad has reverberated throughout the golf industry.
Golf Channel postponed the premiere of the reality show "Big Break x Good Good" by a week after a sponsor requested that its branding be removed. Dick's Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy are among the retailers to have pulled Good Good merchandise from their in-store shelves and online.
Good Good is also the title sponsor of a PGA Tour event scheduled for Nov. 12-15 in Austin, Texas. Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp was asked ahead of this week's Tour Championship whether the controversy could affect that sponsorship.
"It's a bit of a fluid situation," he said. "We'll continue to monitor the situation and see how it develops."
Good Good's statement on Saturday read: "We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand. We have since taken that content down and sincerely apologize. Good Good has always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all, and we will continue to ensure that is our mission moving forward."
Asked if the apology was sufficient, Rolapp said, "I think initially, no. I think what we saw was concerning, is clearly not aligned with PGA Tour values. We take it very seriously. I think their initial response was disappointing. It was a bit defensive and late."
Good Good CEO Matt Kendrick spoke with the Wall Street Journal on Monday.
"We fully own that we did make a mistake. ... As the CEO of the company, the buck stops with me and we should have had better processes in place," Kendrick said, noting the ad was supposed to be a spoof of the popular horror movie "Obsession."
In his Wednesday video of more than eight minutes, Clark outlined how the ad was produced, sharing behind-the-scenes footage showing that he did not strike Miestowski. She played golf at Indiana University and contributes to Good Good's women-focused YouTube channel.
Clark added that he was "cringing" once he saw the ad, and condemned those who have been sending negative messages to Miestowski on social media.
"Good Good messed up by promoting a very poor-taste ad, but, hopefully, you guys can forgive Good Good as well as myself for being a part of it," Clark said. "Hopefully, we can move on and grow the women's side of golf, because that is one of our huge, huge goals."
(--Field Level Media)
