Tiger Woods and Nike end partnership after 27 years – 01/09/2024 – Sports

US golf star Tiger Woods has ended his contract with Nike after 27 years. Sponsorship was one of the most transformative in modern sport.

“For more than 27 years, we have had the honor of partnering with Tiger Woods, one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen,” Nike said on Monday (8). “We’ve watched him set records, challenge conventional thinking and inspire generations of people around the world. We’re grateful to have been a part of it. We wish him the best in the future.”

Woods signed with Nike shortly after turning pro at age 20 in 1996. His excellence on the golf course – becoming the youngest golfer to win the Masters in 1997 – combined with his passionate play and multiracial background helped him achieve global fame. By dressing Woods in his signature red polo, Nike transcended its reputation as a maker of running and basketball shoes.

At the time of Woods’ signing, golf was little more than an ancillary category for the sporting goods maker. It later began producing golf equipment thanks to the player’s popularity, and sales grew to hundreds of millions annually — but never surpassed other sports categories like football, running or basketball. Nike discontinued its line of golf equipment in 2016.

Over his nearly 28-year career, Woods won 15 major championships and tied for the most career wins on the PGA Tour. His image has weakened, especially after an infidelity scandal in 2009, but has not been diminished over the years. In 2021, he suffered serious injuries in a car accident in California that limited his return to the game.

Woods paid tribute on Monday to Nike co-founder Phil Knight, with whom he has an especially close relationship, and posted a photo of the two together with Woods’ mother, Kultida.

“I want to personally thank [Knight]along with the Nike employees and incredible athletes I’ve had the pleasure of working with along the way,” Woods wrote in X.

Throughout Nike’s more than half-century history, few athletes have been as celebrated by the company as Woods. At the company’s headquarters in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, the company’s main conference center is named after him. In Knight’s 2016 memoir, “Shoe Dog,” he praised the golfer and detailed an especially emotional moment following the untimely death of Knight’s son, Matthew, in a diving accident.

“Every Nike athlete wrote, emailed, called. Everyone, without exception. But the first was Tiger. His call came in at 7:30 am. I will never, ever forget it. And I will not allow anyone to speak ill of Tiger in my presence,” Knight wrote.

Nike’s contract with Woods, said to be worth $500 million over its lifetime, was reportedly scheduled to expire at the end of 2023, and Woods refused to give more details on next steps when asked about it last month.

Woods is still seen as an imposing figure in golf. He joined the PGA Tour’s policy council in August amid the game’s ongoing negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Along with Rory McIlroy, Woods is supporting a new made-for-television league, TGL, which is now scheduled to debut next year.

In his statement Monday, Woods said, “People will ask if there is another chapter. Yes, there will certainly be another chapter.”