Gatorade Dumps Tiger Woods

Sports News - February 27th, 2010 - Written By John

Gatorade has decided to join the ranks of companies to end their endorsement deal with Tiger Woods.

The iconic sports drink company has decided to cut off it's marriage with the golf star just seven days after his tearful apology to the public for his adulterous relationships.

"We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship," a Gatorade spokeswoman said. "We wish him all the best."

Although ESPN could not confirm whether the decision to drop him was due to his public image, Gatorade had already been slowly waning it's relationship in November by discontinuing his specialty drink "Tiger".

It is the third major company to drop him since December, when the affairs went public, joining AT&T and Accenture.

"We have been in discussions with Gatorade, and while we are disappointed they have decided to not continue with Tiger in their marketing plans, we appreciate their continued involvement with Tiger through his foundation," Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg said in an e-mail obtained by ESPN.

It leaves only seven major companies still supporting Woods.

Nike and Electronic Arts have recently confirmed they will still back the golfer while he continues to attend rehab in Mississippi, along with Golf Digest, NetJets, Tatweer, TLC Laser Eye Centers and Upper Deck. During his televised speech, Woods said he plans to come back to the PGA in the future, but no time table has been set.

Several Sportsbooks wondered aloud in prop betting what time of the year he would return to professional golf in their PGA Odds, although those bets have since disappeared.

It is possible that Woods will regain sponsorships once he regains the confidence of his fans, as well as critics. He hasn't appeared in a PGA event since winning the FedEx Open in October.

With the help of sponsorship money, Woods became the first athlete to bag over a billion dollars in earnings over the course of his career, according to Forbes Magazine.

Other companies have not fully separated themselves from Woods, although some like Gillette and Tag Heuer will use him less in media advertisements.