Where Would the World be Without the Various Elements of Entertainment?: The Rise and Fall of Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is the face of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) and has been since his first win in the year 1999. With his second Masters victory in 2001, Tiger became the first ever to hold all four professional major championships at the same time. He is the career victories leader among active players on the PGA Tour, and is the career money list leader.

In the last decade, PGA tour prize money has risen from $157 million to $275 million thanks mostly to Tiger Woods’ success.

Within the golf profession, an athlete’s earnings are generated through endorsement deals and their winnings. Woods, reputed to be the world's wealthiest sports star, made $769,440,709 from 1996 to 2007, and according to Golf Digest, by 2010, Woods would have passed one billion dollars in earnings. His endorsement deals alone equal an estimated $100 million a year. The prediction seemed reasonable, until the most admirable golf professional’s squeaky-clean image turned scandalous on the early morning of November 27, 2009, when Tiger Woods was involved in a car crash near hos Orlando, FL home.

Prior to the infamous car crash, there were speculations about Woods being unfaithful to his wife but the media failed to capitalize on those allegations. After the crash, the media chose to further analyze the possibilities of the infidelity claim being factual information. As the story unfolded, various women from Tiger Woods’ past came forward with more allegations of infidelity. Once the stories were proven to be true, the highest paid, most endorsed athlete’s image became tainted and every company/product brand he associated with, their image became tainted as well. There were 120 affairs reported by Tiger to his now ex-wife Elin.

Soon after, the brands that trusted in Woods’ pure and reliable image, as the top professional golfer wanted nothing to do with him. His fall from grace was the fastest and most unexpected occurrence to hit the golf profession. In total, Tiger Woods lost $22 million in endorsements (Gatorade, PepsiCo, Inc., AT &T, Proctor & Gamble and Accenture) but managed to keep a few brands' loyalty, such as Nike. The scandal and loss of endorsement deals cost his management company (IMG) $4.6 million. He and his wife would get divorced and his golf/public reputation has not been the same. He has let a lot of people down, including himself.