How Tiger Woods and Nike’s Epic Partnership Fell Apart

How the amazing partnership between Tiger Woods and Nike failed

Why didn’t the TW brand take off like Jumpman?

It seemed impossible for Tiger Woods to get a Nike sponsorship. That is until April 3, 2022, when Woods, standing 6 feet tall and weighing 200 pounds (including pins and nails), took to the driving range wearing FootJoy shoes.

“It’s an absolute disgrace for a company like Nike,” said Jordan Rogers, the company’s former director of brand marketing. Hindsight may be 20/20, but the seemingly impromptu decision ultimately marked the beginning of the end for one of the most iconic brand-athletics partnerships in the history of the game. On the morning of January 8, 2024, Tiger Woods and Nike each confirmed what they had suspected. “Those years were filled with many wonderful moments and memories,” Zholbarys wrote. “If I call you, you might disappear forever.”

Ten years ago, the 2013 PGA Tour season ended, and Woods won five times that year. After an infamous cheating scandal in 2009, he signed deals with Gatorade, AT&T, Gillette and Accenture, but Nike stuck with him after two winless seasons. Now Tiger is back on top of the world, and his reward is a 10-year, $200 million extension, the most lucrative contract in golf history. How did you get from there to January 8th? The answer is, like many things