Woods is PGA Tour player of the year; Casey wins 2006 European Tour Golfer of the Year

What obscene dollar amount is his new contract for? $200 million? $400 million? Nike stock is down again today. Their fiscal first quarter profit was down 13%. The amount they pay their endorsers exceeds growth so profit falls. Stockholders and employees pay the bill for Tiger's money. General Motors could be bankrupt and they're still paying Tiger huge guaranteed money.

Tiger's all about the money! Only the media believes he doesn't care about his wallet. He gets paid at other people's expense IMO.

Steve,

I wholeheartedly agree with you in that companies are wasting much money on various players/celebrities rather than investing it in their own workforce or helping drive their profits for the gain of their stockholders. However, I don't know of any golf player out there that would turn down millions for endorsing their product? Would you turn down millions for endorsing a product? Let's not judge him because he accepted money. If he was really being paid at the expense of other people then that would fall on the shoulders of the management team that made that decision.

Saul,

Not every golfer endorses products. For some years Tom Watson did not even have a equipment sponsor. Some of the European golfer don't have many either. Still you make a good point. Most golfers would sell their name for the millions. It's the companies that buy into this celebrity obsession.

I have such issue with Tiger's GM endorsement because I don't think it's helped the company. I have some GM in mutual funds. GM talks about how Tiger helped one of their new cars sell more than expected as if it justifies his contract. First I don't even know how they can even measure that. My neighbour was laid off by GM and the company insists on paying Tiger $8-10 million to have Buick on his bag. I have no problem with it if it helps the company. Since I don't think it has, stockholders and workers have paid his bill.

Seve,

Tiger Woods may be receiving endorsement money that far exceeds his worth to General Motors, but that eight or ten million dollars wouldn't help GM if Woods returned it along with a gift ten times as large.

GM, as well as its competitor Ford, has many monumental problems, not the least of which is the contract GM signed with the United Auto Workers to pay the healthcare costs for GM retirees, many of whom retire in their early fifties, until they qualify for Medicare at age sixty-five.

GM is spending a sizable portion of its revenue on something that has nothing to do with the manufacture of cars and trucks, the marketing and selling of cars and trucks, or the people working in its plants to build cars and trucks.

It was the height of folly for GM to ever agree to such a contract. It amounts to nothing more than welfare for retirees and is unsustainable, no matter how altruistic its original intention