Woods to Unveil ‘Gatorade Tiger’ in 2008 – New York Times:
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Golfweek magazine reported last month it was for five years and could pay Woods as much as $100 million, moving him closer to the $1 billion mark in career endorsements.
This reminds me of a debate I had about who was a more prominent athlete, Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. I’m a golf fan and I’m biased. I’ve also grown up following Woods’ accomplishments, starting with his U.S. Junior Amateur three-peat. I’m not a basketball fan, and thus cannot fully appreciate Michael Jordan’s accomplishments on the court.
However, Woods seems to have the edge over Jordan off of the course / court. What would be a good measure? Name recognition? That may be biased because Woods is a contemporary athlete while Jordan’s playing years are history. Who earns more isn’t a great measure, either because of inflation and other market forces.
There’s just a gut feeling that Woods is the bigger athlete. He’s consistently ranked as one of, if not the, most influential people in the sports world.
The drawback to Woods’ career, with respect to being a popular athlete, is that golf being the game that it is, Woods’ impact and image may fade faster than Jordan’s. We still see Jordan in Gatorade and Hanes underwear commercial (among other places). If Tiger remains healthy and his drive to compete continues, he could compete well into his 40s on the PGA Tour. Tiger has already played on the PGA Tour for eleven years. He’s easily got another ten to fifteen years to go. Jordan played fourteen seasons, total.
What do you think?