So, it’s official. Gatorade has ended all endorsement deals with Tiger Woods. I’m sure none of you see this as a surprise. Gatorade discontinued the Tiger Woods branded drinks way back in November, long before any of the recent ‘issues’ arrived on the public scene. The formal announcement solidifies what we already knew was coming.
The Gatorade deal is just the latest major sponsor to drop Woods over the past little while. AT&T and Accenture have already given Eldrick the heave-ho.
A Gatorade spokeswoman commented on the developments:
“We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship…We wish him all the best.”
The good news here (if there is any), is that Gatorade is standing by their commitment and relationship with the Tiger Woods Foundation. Good on ’em. The Foundation does a lot of good work, and taking sponsorship monies away from such a good cause would be a huge gaffe … at least in my opinion.
There’s no doubt that Gatorade wishes Woods the best, as he’s made them a lot of money… and vice versa. Still, one has to wonder if Woods will ever regain sponsorship contracts like this one in the future. If he can get his personal life back in order, and get his golf game up to the level we’re used to seeing, maybe Gatorade will give him another look, sign him, and release a new beverage:
Redemption.
[Via: PGATour]
