Concerned, NASCAR Watches Sponsors Downshift

Swiss watch firm ends sponsorship deal after sex scandal

(NEWSER) - If you thought the fallout from Tiger Woods' sex scandal had long since ended, well, you'd be wrong. Tag Heuer has become the sixth firm to end a sponsorship deal with Woods following the revelation of his many affairs , the Telegraph reports. The Swiss luxury watch maker reportedly exited the partnership following the expiration of his current contract. The deal was said to be worth some $10 million; Woods has already lost $25 million in deals with Accenture, AT&T, Gatorade, Gillette, and Golf Digest. More»

TAG Heuer backs scandal-plagued golfer; Golf Digest backs off

(NEWSER) - Golf Digest has distanced itself—temporarily, the magazine says—from Tiger Woods, in a sign that his escapades have seriously damaged the golfer’s cachet. Woods’ name will remain on the masthead, but his instructional columns will be on hiatus as long as he is. The move is shocking because a beleaguered athlete’s own sports community is usually a main source of support, the Los Angeles Times observes. More»

Consulting/outsourcing firm cites 'circumstances' in ending deal

(AP) - Global consulting and outsourcing firm Accenture is ending its sponsorship of Tiger Woods, saying the golfer is "no longer the right representative" after the "circumstances of the last two weeks." Today's announcement was the company's first statement since allegations of Woods' infidelity surfaced. The company is the second key sponsor to pull away this weekend: Gillette said yesterday it won't feature Woods in its ads for an unspecified period. More»

Marketers say she could up viewership, sponsorship

(NEWSER) - If Danica Patrick switches gears from open-wheel racing to NASCAR, she could provide a much-needed boost to the recession-scarred circuit, experts tell Advertising Age. “Every TV rating for every race will increase” if Patrick makes the shift, says a sports marketing exec. Track attendance would rise, and women’s interest in the sport would “skyrocket,” he says. Not to mention $50 million in new sponsorship funding. More»

(NEWSER) - “Golf, with its traditional fat-cat image, is an easy target for abuse, some of it deserved,” John Paul Newport writes in the Wall Street Journal. But the recent hubbub over Northern Trust’s sponsorship of a PGA tourney—that bank received $1.6 billion in TARP funds—threatens “effective business practices” and “the entire microeconomy of golf.” And the events weren’t “particularly lavish,” either. More»