Winning takes care of everything. Or so says Nike. 

The sporting goods giant posted a quickly contentious image on its Nike Golf Facebook and Twitter accounts this week in the wake of Tiger Woods’ record-tying eighth victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational showing the newly-(re)crowned world No. 1-ranked golfer sizing up a putt. The slogan, “Winning takes care of everything,” a favorite saying of Woods since 2009, is front and center. At the bottom, of course, is Nike’s famous swoosh—alongside the word, “Victory.”

Nike says the statement references Woods’ perseverance to return to the top of his sport and is a salute to his athletic performance. But everything? Please. Sports fans weren’t the only ones who devoured every titillating detail of Woods’ personal life when it was exposed following his late 2009 admission of multiple extra-marital affairs.Continue reading...

A week after the United States Anti-Doping Agency let loose a thousand pages of painful details about how Lance Armstrong and pretty much every other top American bicycle pro of the last decade doped, Nike has finally released its own news on the matter.

Following a protest at its Beaverton, Ore., HQ yesterday, Nike this morning confirmed it's dropping the athlete with two terse paragraphs, serving up a serious financial blow to Armstrong even though still continuing to support the Livestrong philanthropic brand he founded. The sports giant just released a limited-edition collection to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Livestrong, which promotes cancer awareness and healthy living, as part of a licensing deal that will continue.

Just as Joe Paterno's name was scrubbed from the Nike campus, Armstrong will also see his name removed from the fitness center on the Nike campus in Oregon, as CNN is reporting that Nike will remove his name from the building. In tandem with Nike's news, the disgraced cyclist also announced this morning that he was stepping down from his role as chairman of Livestrong.

The news prompted a mass exodus from Team Armstrong. On the heels of Nike's announcement, sponsor Anheuser-Busch announced it's dropping the cyclist when his deal as a Michelob Ultra brand ambassador ends on Dec. 31st. The Giro brand, which produced a custom $15,000 bike helmet for Armstong's 2010 Tour de France race and a branded line of helmets, also quit Team Armstrong, along with the Honey Stinger brand and, as the Wall Street Journal reports, RadioShack .

In all, Bloomberg estimates that Armstrong stands to lose $30 million as his sponsors flee.Continue reading...

Americans are known as a forgiving people. In the latest test of that maxim, Michael Vick plans to launch his own clothing label, with the backing of celebrity clothing-line mogul Ruby Azrak and designs commissioned "to Vick's specifications."

It could be said that the star quarterback long ago put his past as a criminal dog abuser behind him. Nike last year picked up the endorsement deal with him that it previously had dropped, and Fuse Science started one. The Philadelphia Eagles committed as much as $100 million to him in a new contract. And he has been accepted on the speaking circuit by the Humane Society and other animal-welfare causes.

But Vick himself previously set the bar for complete restoration of his personal brand at the point where he could launch a successful apparel line. "Just like when you envision yourself having a shoe as a young kid, you also envision yourself going a step further and having a clothing line," he said, according to the Wall Street Journal. He also told WSJ he thinks his brand has been restored up to 75 percent of its previous status.Continue reading...

America loves a winner with a redemption story. Well, at least marketers think they do. That would explain how Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Michael Vick, who spent nearly two years in prison for his part in an interstate dog-fighting ring, has managed to get another endorsement deal.

His hometown Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Vick, treated like a complete pariah when he was released from jail two years ago, has added to his post-prison endorsement deals by signing a new contract this week with a nutritional-supplement company, Fuse Science.

As part of the deal, the parent company of Fuse, Double Eagle Holdings Ltd., has a new equity partner. You guessed it: Vick.

"He's a changed man," Fuse Science CEO Adam Adler told the Associated Press.Continue reading...

Apple is #1 on Fast Company's list of 50 most innovative companies.

Apple's new iPad subscription policy begins signing up magazine titles, with Elle, Nylon and Popular Science agreeing to terms.

Archie Comics go digital with Graphic.ly.

CBS revenue is up, while CBS College Sports channel to be renamed CBS Sports Network.

Cisco will help city of Barcelona with '2020 Vision' for sustainable urban and economic growth.Continue reading...

It used to be that the celebrity endorsement game was mainly played in an arena wired with TV, radio and print. Now, with Facebook and Twitter at brands' and celebrities' fingertips alike, the rules of that game have changed. Witness the uproar over paid tweets, as CNN highlights above.

It's a tricky area, which has created an opportunity for firms such as Ad.ly to help brands and celebs navigate the choppy seas of celebrity endorsement in a highly social, visible and transparent era.Continue reading...

The Associated Press last night gave Michael Vick its NFL Comeback Player of the Year award — the first time in the honor's 12-year history that it has gone to a player following a prison sentence. Vick also recently started signing endorsement deals again. 

Michael Vick's first endorsement deal following his jail term for dogfighting charges was for a Nissan dealership in Woodbury, NJ, which released a spot (above) in December. Today comes word that the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback has signed a two-year endorsement deal with Unequal Technologies, the maker of the football pads he wore most of his last season.

"We're real excited about it," commented CEO Rob Vito about the deal with Vick, the company's first celebrity endorser, to the Associated Press. "Michael is good people. He paid his dues. President Obama reached out to him. He deserves an opportunity. This is what makes America so great. He's moved forward. He's a whole other person."