His return to the links should convince sponsors to stick around despite the downturn.
| Tiger Woods |
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Tiger's back, and none too soon for golf.
No matter that he's out of Accenture Match Play Championship. The return of the king after a year off for knee surgery couldn't come soon enough for the sport, as beleaguered financial giants like Wachovia
With Woods back on tour, golf stands a chance. The game derives most of its revenue from sponsors seeking a television audience, and no other player in any sport--ever--has been as crucial for building an TV audience. Since turning pro in 1997, about 1.6 million more households have watched major tournaments in years Woods has won them than in years he didn't, according to Nielsen.
Ratings for the 1997 Masters, Woods' first, shot up to average of 10.9 million households from 7.3 million the year before. The four Masters tournaments Woods has won since then have averaged 9.8 million households, the eight others have averaged 7.8 million.
For the U.S. Open, it's 8.9 million and 6.3 million, respectively. Throw in the British Open (4.9 million vs. 4 million) and the PGA Championship (6.3 million vs. 4.7 million), and it becomes clear just how much Woods is carrying the sport.
It all explains why Woods' $115 million annual income more than doubles that of his runner-up, Phil Mickelson. Only two modern athletes have transformed interest in a sport at a clip close to Woods: Michael Jordan and Chris Evert.
From 1986 to 1998, Jordan's heyday with the Chicago Bulls, NBA playoff ratings averaged 6.9 million households per year (that excludes the 1994 playoffs, when Jordan was on his minor league baseball hiatus). The number edges up to 7.1 million in the six years the Bulls went all the way to the title. In all other seasons since then (1994 and 1999-2008), the playoffs averaged 5 million households. Kobe and LeBron may be great, but there's only one Michael.
Chris Evert was the first television star on the women's tennis tour. From 1972 to 1982, as Evert grew up in public, Nielsen ratings for the U.S. Open averaged 4.7 million households in years she reached the final, compared with 3.9 million when she didn't. Since 1982, U.S. Open ratings have dropped to 2.9 million households, on average (other majors like Wimbledon and the French Open have had less variance in viewership over the years, so it's safe to say Evert's appeal was mostly American). It's also safe to say that athleticism isn't the only appeal to an audience.
"She brought a glamour and sex appeal," Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing expert with Baker Street Partners in San Francisco, says of Evert's popularity. Translation: more male fans suddenly gaining interest. Woods' legacy, too, is bringing a whole new set of fans to his sport. Figure marketers to stick with him--and golf--for as long as he's around.
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