AT&T dumps Tiger, but how much has this all really cost?
by Jay Busbee
“As the worst year of his life drew to a close, Tiger Woods got one last kick in the teeth on New Year’s Eve when AT&T announced it would no longer be sponsoring Tiger Woods.
AT&T joins Accenture as companies cutting ties with Woods in the wake of his revelations of infidelity. AT&T offered no comment on the reasons for its decision, and also gave no indication as to the value of the contract, which was signed earlier in 2009 and billed at the time as a “multiyear” deal. However, Woods’ name has become toxic to at least a portion of the American public, and companies which had traded on Tiger’s pristine image are now obviously trying to distance themselves from him.
While Tiger had not been a major part of AT&T’s advertising campaigns, he had displayed the AT&T logo on his golf bag, one of the most prized sections of real estate on any golf course.
Of more concern is the role that AT&T will play in sponsoring the AT&T National, the PGA event Woods has hosted every year since it began in 2007. AT&T indicated that it will continue to sponsor the event, and the Tiger Woods Foundation will continue to benefit from it under a contract that extends through 2014. Woods is currently on “indefinite leave” from golf, so he may or may not be back in time for this year’s tournament, currently scheduled for July 1-4.”
Read the rest of the article here.
Jay Flemma will return from bereavement leave in the middle of next week.
