Tiger Woods vs. The Sponsors

It is no secret that, since his indiscretions became public in late 2009, Tiger Woods has lost numerous tournaments and with them numerous endorsements. But were these losses somewhat correlated? Lets look at the numbers. When Tiger Woods was winning he was endorsed by a multitude of companies. Nike, General Motors, Titleist, TAG Heuer, and numerous others all wanted a piece of Mr. Woods and were willing to pay dearly to get that piece.
Now let’s skip ahead to November 2009 when word of his infidelity was revealed. He was still #1 in the rankings but his endorsers did not want to be associated with an adulterer. Tiger’s stock had gone down. TAG Heuer and several other companies dropped him completely, while other companies like Nike, significantly reduced his monetary value. Tiger had lost his family, his fans, his endorsements, and now his ranking. By November 2011 he had fallen to #58 in the rankings after a 107 weeks winless streak. But things would turn around. In November 2011, Tiger Woods was offered an endorsement by FUSE Science and is now powered by FUSE. One month later Tiger would go on to win his first tournament in 2 years. While he is still not back to the old Tiger we grew to know and love, he is back to #4 in the rankings, with another win in May 2012.

So did this turn of events have anything to do with his new sponsors? We can’t be completely sure, but it sure looks that way. Just look at the psychology behind the situation. People inherently want to be believed in and admired. Other people’s belief in us helps to drive our confidence. When he lost his endorsements he lost some belief in himself, which led to insecure playing. Now someone believes in him again. FUSE is a relatively unknown company, however that is probably for the best. Tiger is getting the support to rebuild his confidence, without the pressure of a huge company staring down his back.

This endorsement was of great benefit to both parties involved and more small companies should jump on the bandwagon. Despite Tiger’s reputation he is still a household name. Go to an inner city school and ask children to name a golfer and they will say Tiger Woods. The majority of middle and lower class Americans are not as familiar with golf as they are other sports, but almost everyone is familiar with Tiger Woods. Small companies will benefit from the big name and the big name will benefit from the small support. If fans see companies jumping back on the Tiger Woods bandwagon maybe they will too and with all this confidence we will see our old Tiger back in action.

Briana Scales