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    •  August 5, 2016

    Tiger Woods speaks about Nike, pretends they helped him win the “Grand Slam”

    August 5, 2016
    Author Signature
    George Mackenzie
    Editor
    George Mackenzie
    Editor
    Author Signature

    Tiger Woods expressed his regret at Nike’s decision to discontinue their line of golf equipment. The sportswear giant will no longer produce clubs, bags and balls, focusing exclusively on golf apparel.

    Tiger joined his fellow foot-soldier Rory McIlroy and expressed sympathy for employees. The next steps for each player will be to find an alternative club manufacturer. Tiger’s agent sounded like a Brezhnev era apparatchik when he commented on Nike’s decision, “Tiger’s equipment change had no timetable,” he repeated with typical woolliness. I swear that man is pathologically incapable of speaking with precision.

    It’s widely believed that both Tiger and Rory will use Titleist, which would mean they dress head-to-toe in Nike, whilst subtly playing different clubs. Much like Jordan Spieth and Under Armour, you have a limited relationship with your equipment provider.
     

    Tiger uses the wrong word

     
    Twitter got stupid after Tiger thanked Nike for helping him win the “Grand Slam.” Purists out there were quick to remind Tiger that his four consecutive victories between 2000/2001 should not be described as a Major “Grand Slam.” Tiger did hold all four titles at once, but technically that’s not Grand Slam status.

    As any self-respecting sports fan knows, a Grand Slam can only be achieved if all the wins come in the same calendar year. The problem is we’re talking about Tiger Woods, the greatest player of all time, so should you bother saying anything when he makes a comment like that? I personally wouldn’t call him on it, but some did. The Grand Slam is a sacred term, and can’t be diluted…even for the G.O.A.T.

    Not only were people scrutinising the wording, some went on to question his equipment spec.

    Tiger’s worst kept secret, other than the obvious one, was that he allegedly used Titeist golf balls and Miura irons. Is it right to thank a brand that may have deceived a number of consumers?

    I think this situation will reflect an updated approach to sports marketing. Sidelining the golf brand is hardly new as we see more and more players minimise their club sponsor in preference for something outside of golf. In my opinion Nike’s dominant, all-encompassing approach was never sustainable without Tiger Woods at his prime. It just adds to the gravity of his career, that he could single-handedly influence Nike’s success in golf.

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