OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
10:40 AM – Monday, January 8, 2024
Tiger Woods has announced that he is ending his partnership with the world’s largest sportswear brand, Nike, after 27 years.
On Monday, Tiger Woods, who is popularly known as a professional golfer, announced that he is ending his longtime partnership with Nike after 27 years, concluding one of the most well-known brand collaborations in professional sports history.
“Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world,” Woods wrote on X. “The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories, if I started naming them, I could go on forever. Phil Knight’s passion and vision brought this Nike and Nike Golf partnership together and I want to personally thank him, along with the Nike employees and incredible athletes I have had the pleasure of working with along the way.”
Ever since becoming a professional in August 1996, Woods has worn Nike swooshes from head to toe. 15 major championship wins, 82 PGA Tour victories, and multiple comebacks from injuries and personal setbacks were all part of the partnership.
For more than a quarter-century, Woods’ go-to Sunday uniform of a black hat, black pants, and a red Nike shirt has come to represent men’s professional golf.
Reportedly, Woods’ contract with Nike was once worth up to $20 million annually. Over the course of almost three decades, he has signed a number of agreements with the company, the most recent of which is a 10-year agreement valued at approximately $200 million that was initiated in 2013.
According to several polls conducted over the years, Woods is among the most well-known athletes in the United States, with three times more public recognition than the typical athlete.
Surveys additionally showed that while positive opinions among the public are down compared to his prime-time, sports enthusiasts still have a more optimistic view of him than the common athlete.
Nike wrote a farewell statement on Instagram in response to Woods’ announcement, saying, “it was a hell of a round, Tiger.”
“Tiger, you challenged your competition, stereotypes, conventions, the old school way of thinking. You challenged the entire institution of golf. You challenged us. And most of all, yourself. And for that challenge we’re grateful,” Nike added.
Additionally, Woods responded to several people asking if there would be another chapter with Nike in the future.
“People will ask if there is another chapter,” Woods wrote. “Yes, there will certainly be another chapter. See you in LA!”
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