Nike Golf

Despite the harsh spotlight of the 24/7 news cycle, Americans tend to be a pretty forgiving bunch. We love to build up our heroes, knock them down a peg or two and cheer them on as they redeem themselves. Woods's "press conference" didn't shed much new light. But if he plays this right, he'll be doing commercials again soon enough.

It's fair to say that Tiger Woods is hugely responsible for Nike's now-handsome share of the golf industry pie. It signed Woods to a five-year, $100 million endorsement contract in 2002 to help it break into the lucrative golf equipment market. By 2008, it had grown into nearly $725 million...