This month, news stories said that Tiger Woods might quit Nike and the Swoosh might stop doing golf altogether. It would be the end of one of Nike’s biggest athlete endorsement deals ever and a relationship that has been going on for more than 25 years if Woods did move on. It’s hard for even the most casual golf fans to picture Woods without his Sunday red Nike shirt.
In the same way that Nike was a much smaller business before Michael Jordan, the Swoosh wasn’t very well known in golf before Tiger Woods. This month, businessman Joe Pompliano said on his show “Joe Pomp Show” that Nike Golf’s annual sales went from $30 million to $300 million in just two years.
Footwear News is looking into Tiger Woods’ past Nike contracts in light of the shocking report that was first made by the “No Laying Up” golf show in early December.
Tiger Woods’s First Deal with Nike
In the same way that Nike was a much smaller business before Michael Jordan, the Swoosh wasn’t very well known in golf before Tiger Woods. This month, businessman Joe Pompliano said on his show “Joe Pomp Show” that Nike Golf’s annual sales went from $30 million to $300 million in just two years.
Footwear News is looking into Tiger Woods‘ past Nike contracts in light of the shocking report that was first made by the “No Laying Up” golf show in early December.
There was no stopping Woods from being PGA champion after the year 2000. Between June 12, 2005, and October 30, 2010, he was the world’s number one player for a record 281 weeks in a row. He won 12 of the 15 Majors he played in that decade. Woods was the best player in the world for a record 683 weeks. Most people thought Woods would beat Jack Nicklaus’ mark of 18 Majors while he was in charge.
The deal was made in the same year that Woods’ first golf shoes, the Air Zoom TW and Air Zoom Sport TW, came out. It would present Wood’s first image a year later; it is known as the “yin-yang.”
In 1999, Woods juggled a golf ball for 28 seconds, including between his legs and behind his back, in one of the most famous ads of all time for Nike. He then hit the ball cleanly while it was in the air. Woods famously only needed four tries to get the trick shot right.
A Record-Setting Second Deal
It was worth $105 million, and Woods signed it in 2001. This made him the highest-paid sports endorser of all time. Also, the famous “TW” mark was made public for the first time at this time. That same year, Nike opened the Tiger Woods Conference Center at its world headquarters in Oregon.
At the start of his time with Nike, Woods only wore clothes with the Swoosh logo on them because the company wasn’t making golf gear yet. The first Nike golf balls were made in 1998, but Woods didn’t start using them until 2000. Nike made its first golf clubs in 2001, and Woods started using them the next year. He did so until 2016, when Nike stopped making golf gear.
From 2000 to 2005, Woods won eight Majors during his second deal, which was the best time of his career. Many golf fans think that his performance at the 2000 U.S. Open, where he ended 12 strokes under par and won by 15, is the best ever. A “Grand Slam” of four straight major wins, in 2000 and 2001, made him the only player in history to do so.
Woods’ Third Nike Contract
In 2006, Woods and Nike signed a third contract. The deal was said to be worth $20 to $40 million a year. After the scandal over Woods’ extramarital affair in 2009, Gatorade, AT&T, General Motors, and other companies all cancelled their contracts with him. Nike was one of the only companies that stuck with him.
During this time, Woods would win four more Majors: the Open Championship in 2006, the PGA Championship in 2006 and 2007, and the U.S. Open in 2008. Woods played with two stress fractures and a torn ACL in his left knee during that last win, which is the best of his career. But Woods wasn’t able to win another one until the 2019 Masters because of injuries and the shame of the scandal.
The Fourth and Possibly Last Contract
Woods renewed his deal with Nike in 2013. The deal was said to be worth up to $200 million.
When the deal was signed, Cindy Davis, president of Nike Golf, said in a statement, “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Tiger.” He is one of Nike’s most famous players and has been an important part of the growth of Nike Golf from the start. We can’t wait to share many more of the amazing and exciting sports moments that Tiger is known for making in golf.
Additionally, we will keep using his ideas to create the most cutting edge goods that help golfers reach their full potential.
In 2017, when Woods was nabbed for driving while drunk, Nike stood by him again. For his win at the 2019 Masters, which was his first major in 11 years, Nike put out another ad with video of him with a putter when he was only 3 years old.
