Nike Comments on Partnership with Tiger Woods: ‘We Are Grateful to Have Been A Part of It’

Nike has officially released a statement on the departure of Tiger Woods from its brand, thanking him for the 27 years of a partnership that was up, down, and everything in between.

Golficity received a response from Nike spokespeople, who commented on the end of its partnership with Woods, which was confirmed on Monday:

“For over 27 years, we have had the honor to partner with Tiger Woods, one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. Throughout the course of our partnership, we have witnessed along with the rest of the world, how Tiger not only redefined the sport of golf, but broke barriers for all of sport. We watched him set records, challenge conventional thinking and inspire generations of people around the globe. We are grateful to have been a part of it. We wish him the best in the future.”

While Tiger’s cryptic post left many scratching their heads (except that he will be playing at Genesis in early February), Nike left nothing to misinterpret with a post on Instagram:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Nike (@nike)

In the post caption, Nike states:

“Tiger, you challenged your competition, stereotypes, conventions, the old school way of thinking. You challenged the entire institution of golf. You challenged us. And most of all, yourself. And for that challenge, we’re grateful.”

There’s no question that Nike has been at the center of some of the most historic moments in golf, including the past 27 years of Tiger Woods’s career. With that, it’s crazy to imagine that Tiger will no longer be donning the Swoosh in future golf competitions.

That said, the Nike-Tiger announcement isn’t taking place in a vacuum. Indeed, last month, Nike announced that it was implementing a $2 billion cost-saving plan that will, hopefully, increase profitability. Among the changes was “streamlining” operations, which not only means looking for efficiencies but, more relevant here, cutting loose some baggage.

And while “baggage” doesn’t accurately describe Tiger Woods’ value to an apparel brand, there’s no ignoring that Nike’s golf brand (and its partners) has been a victim to this new corporate strategy, as demonstrated by Jason Day and Matthew Wolff also recently stopped wearing the Swoosh.

With Nike’s announcement, and the recent exit of three golf athletes, many wonder if Nike’s days in the golf sector are numbered. And while it seems that the brand is taking a more cautious approach than when it exited the equipment space in August 2016, it seems that the absence of any new players screaming to “Just Do It” signals that Nike is, for better or worse, planning to step away from the fairways.

Cover Image via Deadline