Brand expert weighs in on Tiger Woods and Nike split

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)- Tiger Woods and Nike have been together for the last 27 years, that’s now over.

It was announced that one of the most successful athletes of all time would be ending the partnership with Nike.

It was a shock to many. The ALL INDIANA crew talked with Joshua Butler about the split.

Butler is Golf Brand and Fashion Expert at J Butler Golf.

Nike has almost been synonymous with Woods, from when he first went pro in 1996 to his Masters win in 2019, his first major tournament win in 11 years. Even though a sex scandal drove sponsors such as Gatorade, AT&T and Accenture away from Woods – losing him an estimated $20 million – his relationship with Nike stayed intact.

In 1996, Nike launched the iconic “Hello World” commercial, based on Woods’ professional debut at the Greater Milwaukee Open, where he began the press conference with, “I guess, hello world, huh?”

Woods signed a five-year endorsement contract with Nike in 2000. It was worth an estimated $85 million, making it the richest endorsement contract in sports history at the time.