Can Tiger ever again be the endorsement king?
In light of his recent “transgressions,” a major company jumped off the Tiger Woods bandwagon this week, while two others announced they’ll stay with him.
It’s pretty clear that while Tiger may return to his sport and continue to be the No. 1 golfer in the world, it’s unlikely he’ll be the King of Endorsements, as he once was. That title is probably going to pass on to Peyton Manning.
Tiger can make an endorsement comeback, because his impact on the PGA Tour when he returns from his self-imposed exile will be huge. Television ratings for his comeback will be monstrous and whichever corporation is fortunate enough to be sponsoring that tournament will benefit in a big way.
Which goes to show you that sponsoring events, rather than individuals, has always been the safest bet. Tiger was considered a low-risk, safe spokesman — up on his pedestal, safe and secure from controversy.
But no longer.
Event sponsorship, on the other hand, is dependent on a collection of people and the drama of the event itself. And as Tiger has taught us, sometimes that person up on the pedestal has feet of clay. And if he falls, a lot of endorsement money is at risk.
