On April 21, 2010, an American golfer whose exploits made him a legend found himself behind a podium, defending his actions in front of a crowd of family, friends and an audience. that he had shocked. In 2009, Tiger Woods suffered the biggest blow of his career in the form of a car accident and a cheating scandal. Not only was he married with two children, but he was easily identifiable as a positive role model for children everywhere. His actions called into question core American morals and sparked a sense of contempt among the public. These next 14 minutes of defense would be Tiger's only chance to set the record straight, his only chance to rebuild his life. During his speech, Tiger used the four self-defense rhetorical techniques cited by Ware and Linkugel in the article "They Spoke in Self-Defense: On the Generic Critique of Apology." Expressing denial, empowerment, differentiation and transcendence, Tiger appealed for forgiveness in his Apologia speech. Tiger never once denies that he was unfaithful to his wife or that he betrayed his friends, fans and family. Although he took full responsibility for his actions, he denied media claims regarding his involvement in his wife's performance-enhancing drug use and actions. It seemed a bit out of character for Tiger to address allegations involving steroid use in a speech focused on apologizing for his actions, as it was a blatant distraction from the issue at hand. In addition to this, Tiger also denied any rumors circulating that his wife hit him. He said there was never “an episode of domestic violence” in their marriage. By stating this, Tiger was able to create a feeling of non-... middle of paper ...... ch. Tiger used denial in response to media accusations that he and his wife were involved in domestic violence. The reinforcement came when he spoke about his virtues through the charity he and his late father founded and the values ​​Buddhism instilled in him as a child. The differentiation was not as pronounced as the other three “modes of resolution” (275). Instead of trying to explain the meaning of his actions, he took an approach of apology and understanding. Tiger's use of transcendence shifted the issue from his own actions to a larger plateau regarding the corruption that wealth brings. Works CitedWare, BL and Wil A. Linkugel. “They spoke in defense of themselves: on the generic criticism of apologia.” Quarterly Journal of Speech 1973: 273-283. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/19/tiger-woods-speech-press_n_468880.html