The currently much-talked about Tiger Woods sex scandal ‘translates into big money issues for the greatest product endorser in sports history’ because Woods, with his erstwhile squeaky clean public image, is a ‘money machine.’ This soon-to-be-billionaire athlete earns his big bucks not only from golf tournaments but largely from ‘commercial endorsements and ventures that bring in 90 percent of all his money. He’s made an estimated $1 billion in endorsements in his 13-year career, the most of any athlete ever, far eclipsing Michael Jordan’s athlete-as-mega-business model of the 1990s; Sports Illustrated estimates he’s now bringing in almost $100 million a year pitching products.’
What happened between Tiger and his wife, Elin Nordegren, goes far beyond just another case of a philandering husband caught in an incident of domestic violence. ‘Enormous financial issues are at stake. Even if Tiger takes a 10 percent hit on his endorsement income going forward, that’s $10 million a year, or $100 million over the next decade.’
‘Tiger Woods has become the $100 million-a-year man not only by consistently winning major championship titles, but also translating that into a winning image off the court. He was one of the most recognized faces on the planet, without a whiff of scandal in his wake.’ Tiger’s formerly squeaky clean public image brought him enormous wealth.
Nike, Tiger Woods’ biggest moneymaker, as well as Gatorade, Gillette, and AT&T are just some of Woods’ commercial endorsements that may be affected by the golfer’s freshly tainted public image.
Via The Daily Beast
