Thursday, May 24, 2001
Woods signs deal with Upper Deal for memorabilia
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
Tiger Woods, tired of seeing golf items for sale with a signature
that isn't his, agreed to a five-year deal Wednesday with The
Upper Deck Company that gives it rights to produce his autographed
memorabilia.
“I want to insure my fans are getting high quality, authentic
products,” Woods said in a statement announcing the deal.
Terms were not disclosed.
In addition, Upper Deck will distribute the only authorized trading
cards of Woods and dozens of other PGA Tour players. Jesper Parnevik
recently signed a deal with Upper Deck and wears its logo on the
flipped-up bill of his hat.
Woods, who won the Masters last month for an unprecedented sweep
of the major championships, is one of the biggest stars in sports,
and his autograph and collectibles are in high demand.
Upper Deck, the only company licensed by all four major league
sports to produce trading cards, has a trademark hologram that
prevents its cards from being counterfeited.
The company expanded to autographed sports memorabilia in 1992
and backed the authenticity with a patented five-step process,
which includes an Upper Deck employee witnessing each autograph
from its stable of stars.
Woods said the authenticity process was a big reason he signed
with Upper Deck, along with its support of federal efforts to
stop forgeries.
“No other manufacturer routinely audits the marketplace for
phony and unlicensed products,” he said.
Professional autograph seekers try to get Woods and other stars
to sign memorabilia that is later put up for sale. At the Byron
Nelson Classic in Dallas two weeks ago, a dozen of them were at
the golf course by 8 a.m. with briefcases packed with memorabilia.
One man was so intent on getting Woods' signature at Pebble Beach
in February that he tripped up Woods, causing him to hyperextend
his left knee.
But just as many collectibles, particularly involving Woods, have
forged signatures.
“There is far more unauthorized merchandise floating around
out there, and you can't do that with Upper Deck,” said Mark
Steinberg, Woods' agent at IMG. “When I look at things like
a Top-Flite XL ball, and my 9-month-old daughter can sign his
name better than that, that's stealing from people. Individuals
and corporations that do that ... sicken me.”
Steinberg said the deal with Upper Deck will not keep Woods from
signing autographs, which he does a couple of times a week while
briskly leaving the golf course, but he will be more selective
with what he signs — hats, programs and slips of paper instead
of pin flags from the Masters or glossy photographs.
“He's already got a pretty good knack for who is a fan and
who is a broker,” Steinberg said.
Other athletes under contract with Upper Deck include Ken Griffey
Jr., Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning and Michael Jordan, who signed
with the Carlsbad, Calif.-based company 10 years ago.
“Tiger is one of those rare athletes like Michael whose popularity
and public appeal transcends sports,” said Richard McWilliam,
founder and chairman of Upper Deck. “You don't have to be
a golf fan to be a Tiger fan.”
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