Rumors had been swirling for months, but it wasn’t until Monday that Tiger Woods officially announced on social media that his 27-year deal with Nike has ended.
“Phil Knight’s passion and vision brought this Nike and Nike Golf partnership together, and I want to personally thank him, along with the Nike employees and incredible athletes I have had the pleasure of working with along the way,” Woods wrote on Instagram.
A subsequent Nike post on Instagram called the trailblazing partnership “a hell of a run,” and a formal statement reads: “For the past 27 years, we have had the honor to partner with Tiger Woods, one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. Throughout the course of our partnership, we have witnessed, along with the rest of the world, how Tiger not only redefined the sport of golf, but broke barriers for all of sport. We watched him set records, challenge conventional thinking and inspire generations of people around the globe. We are grateful to have been a part of it. We wish him the best in the future.”
Woods’ cryptic postscript on social says, “There will certainly be another chapter,” but he hasn’t clarified if that means golf or sponsorships or both. So the future is an open question, although he’s expected to play in the Genesis tournament, a benefit that he hosts, in Los Angeles next month. But he won’t wearing his trademark red and black outfit with the prominent swoosh.
The groundbreaking, mutually lucrative relationship may be over, but the advertising from Wieden+Kennedy will endure, so Adweek has chosen a handful of exceptional commercials from the past few decades. It’s a tough task—especially in the case of “Winning Takes Care of Everything,” a controversial 2013 spot that’s seemingly been scrubbed from the internet—but here are some of the most memorable spots.
‘I Am Tiger Woods’
Coached and mentored by his father, Earl, Woods was a worldwide role model from the moment he turned pro at 20 years old, breaking into a country club bastion long dominated by white men. His debut ad for Nike was called “Hello, World,” and as the follow-up the next year, “I Am Tiger Woods” showed just how much impact he had made in a short time. The spot starred a diverse array of boys and girls, captured his broad-ranging appeal and made a powerful statement about the future of sports.
‘Juggle’
As fresh today as it was in 1999—even though trick shot videos have become a cottage industry—the iconic “ball juggling” ad has no script or dialogue. It needs no accompaniment. The spot was directed by Doug Liman (known for Swingers, The Bourne Identity and the original Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and began as an outtake, with the commercial crew spotting Woods warming up by bouncing the ball with his club. With only about 28 seconds to work with, Woods nailed this ad on his fourth try. It’s often cited as one of the best and most fortuitous pieces of modern-day sports marketing. (Ad nerd trivia: Which ad was Woods intending to shoot that day? “Driving Range,” which turned into a classic of its own; see below).
‘Tiger Is Back’
While his competitors may have loved him to pieces, they took full advantage of his absence during the eight months he spent recovering from knee surgery in 2008. That’s according to “Tiger Is Back,” which dropped in early 2009 and starred fellow Nike pros Justin Leonard, Trevor Immelman, Carl Pettersson, Anthony Kim and Stewart Cink raking in the wins while Woods was away. Suffice to say, they were living their best lives, which couldn’t last forever. The ad—with classic pop tune “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” from Lesley Gore as its jaunty soundtrack—poked fun at Woods’ dominance and ended with him showing up in the locker room like the returning king.
‘Driving Range’
Did Woods have the kind of skill that was actually transferable? Could it rub off on those around him? At the very least, folks hacking away at the driving range shot an awful lot better when he was there to lead by example. When he left? They sliced. The spot, among the many light-hearted in the Nike-Woods repertoire, again skipped the dialog in favor of cheeky show-don’t-tell visuals.
‘Golf’s Not Hard’
While known for his composure and competitiveness, Woods could loosen up every now and then, with a solid example in “Golf’s Not Hard.” Woods showed off his preternaturally unerring style in the four-part series while trying to teach other golfers how to correct their mistakes. The results were routinely comic, underscoring the truism: He just made it look easy.
‘Greatest Ever’
In one image, Woods has collapsed to the fairway with a back injury, grimacing in pain and using his club as a crutch to pick himself up. In another, he’s just won the 2019 Masters Tournament. In typical Nike and W+K fashion, the spot melds the highs and lows of an athlete’s career into an emotional minute where dialog is unnecessary. It also reminded viewers of Woods’ lifelong ambition via a childhood clip of him throwing a little good-natured shade at Jack Nicklaus.
