For broadcasters, sports brands, Tiger Woods crash forces rethink

Woods could make lots of money even if he does not return to competitive golf, but sponsors will lose a key asset, analysts say.

The car crash that severely injured Tiger Woods will force golf broadcasters and brands to face life without their biggest star sooner than they expected. Woods, 45, hasn’t been a reliable presence on golf’s biggest stage in years, and the sport has started to move on to its new crop of athletes. But everyone from CBS and NBC to Nike and TaylorMade still held out hope that Woods could regain the magic that made him one of the greatest athletes of his generation — and a magnet for millions of TV viewers. Now, after Woods sustained potentially career-ending injuries, they may have to move on without him.