BySARAH MORGAN
You ve probably heard plenty> about the fallout from Tiger Woods's heavily publicized car crash. But enough about him what about our portfolios?
Woods, of course, is big business and that means that the story, one way or another, has touched its share of publicly traded stocks. Marketers have debated the effects, both short and long-term, on companies that sponsor Woods and rely on him as a spokesperson. Here at SmartMoney, though, we decided to go straight to the bottom line and check out how some key Woods-related stocks are doing in our Tiger Trouble Index. The index looks at the stock prices of six companies associated with Tiger Woods before and after news of the accident broke to see how they ve fared since the story unfolded.
While far from scientific, our TTI shows that Tiger-related stocks have dropped from the market's close on Nov. 25 (the last close before the accident) through Dec. 1, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a modest gain. We took the average of the change in each stock s price between the market close on Nov. 25 and the closes on Monday, Nov. 30 and Tuesday, Dec. 1, to determine whether the group as a whole was taking a hit. By the end of Monday trading, the TTI had had gone down 3.2%. On Tuesday, TTI components gained with the broader market s rise, though it still lagged, posting a 2.1% drop since the accident.
See which companies have seen their names surface in relation to Woods's crash.
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Regardless of the market action, there s little question that Woods s polished image has taken a hit from the incident and the circumstances surrounding it. Woods issued a statement Wednesday, saying "I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.." The Florida Highway Patrol said Tuesday it plans to issue Woods a careless driving citation for the crash, including a fine and points against his license, and he has issued a statement saying that injuries he received in the accident leave him unable to play at the Chevron World Challenge this week, a tournament that benefits his charitable foundation. Some of his sponsors, including Nike, have said that they re standing by the golfer as he deals with the fallout from this incident.
Here s a look at the individual stocks in our Tiger Trouble Index:
Change in stock price:
- From Nov. 25 to Nov. 30: -$0.81 (-1.2% )
- From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1: -$0.30 (-0.5% )
Nike (NKE)
Tying the Nike brand to marquee athletes like Woods is a central part of the company s marketing strategy, and it is not without its risks. Even before this incident, Woods s reputation had taken a bit of a hit from his use of profanity on the golf course, says Brian Sozzi, a retail sector analyst at Wall Street Strategies. Nike has continued to keep Woods front and center, particularly in promoting their golf clubs, Sozzi says. The clubs are quality, so I think the consumers are going to by them, regardless, he says.
In an added twist, a golf club brand so far unknown played a role in the drama of the crash. Police say Woods s wife Elin Nordegren told them she used a club to smash windows of the vehicle to help him get out, the Associated Press reported.
Photos: Getty Images>
Change in stock price:
- From Nov. 25 to Nov. 30: -$0.56 (-10.6%)
- From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1: -$0.51 (-9.7%)
has no financial link to Woods, but its name became improbably attached to the saga after a gossip web site quoted an unnamed source who claimed Woods would seek a gift for his wife there. The source said Woods told him he would have to run to Zales to get a Kobe Special, a purchase he later described as a house on a finger, according to TMZ.com.
Calls placed to Zale were not returned in time for publication.
The jeweler could use a boost. Last week, the company report fiscal first-quarter aggregate sales of $329 million for the quarter ended Oct. 31, 9.6% below sales of the year-ago period.
Change in stock price:
- From Nov. 25 to Nov. 30: -$0.62 (-3.5%)
- From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1: -$0.53 (-3.0%)
sells a Woods-branded golf game called Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf. EA is holding fast to the namesake of its popular game. Our strong relationship with Tiger for more than a decade remains unchanged, a spokesman for EA Sports said in a statement. We wish Tiger a fast recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the golf course.
EA, which also publishes the Madden and Guitar Hero games, may not have much cause for concern. Football and basketball video games sales haven t been hurt by past scandals in those sports, Sozzi says. And among consumers who buy golf games, the Tour Golf is the game to own, year after year, Sozzi says.
Change in stock price:
- From Nov. 25 to Nov. 30: -$0.97 (-1.5%)
- From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1: +$0.68 (+1.1%)
Woods is a major celebrity endorser for the Gatorade brand. Gatorade Tiger promises to help consumers emulate his concentration on the golf course. The company has issued statements confirming its continued support of the athlete.
However, longer term, Woods endorsement could become less important to the brand as Pepsi (PEP)
Change in stock price:
- From Nov. 25 to Nov. 30: -$0.14 (-0.5%)
- From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1: +$0.10 (+0.4%)
Tiger Woods hosts the AT&T (T)
The company had no comment on its relationship with Woods.
Change in stock price
- From Nov. 25 to Nov. 30: -$1.60 (-2.0%)
- From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1: -$0.58 (-0.7%)
Woods was scheduled to host the Chevron World Challenge Tournament this week, an event that benefits his foundation, but has said that injuries from his accident will prevent him from playing for the rest of the year. A spokesman for Chevron (CVX)



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