Tiger Woods, Nike and the end of the all-encompassing marriage between athletes and brands

Photo: Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images

The announcement that Tiger Woods and Nike have ended their 27-year commercial partnership came as no surprise to anyone paying attention. It's been nearly a decade since Nike, which said in a recent earnings call that it will pursue $2 billion in cost savings over the next three years, stopped making golf equipment, including balls, clubs and bags. And Woods' limited schedule following his grueling litany of surgeries, both before and after his career-threatening car accident in February 2021, has left the 15-time champion less visible than ever.

But there's a specific finality to Monday's deliberate ...