London ( CNN ) -- I remember well the shock when in 2000 Alex Rodriquez signed a 10 year , a quarter of a billion dollar deal ( $ 252 million ) to play baseball with the Texas Rangers . It was beyond reality , and it did n't work out for the Rangers . He was later traded to the Yankees who happily increased the deal . Good for Rodriguez . But at least he was being paid to work . Rory McIlroy has now become Nike 's poster boy -- certainly there will be a lot of strings attached ; but he 's not being paid by Nike to swing a club . He 'll get millions more to do that . Read more : Nike unveils Rory McIlroy : Tiger 's heir apparent . Good for McIlroy . It 's a better deal from Nike than Woods got . His baseball cap now switches from Titleist to the Nike tick . TV ads have already been shot . Now , I wonder which stable of Nike 's sports stallions will he join ? Will he join Roger Federer and Michael Jordan at causing little or no offenses on or off the field of play ? Will he join Lance Armstrong and one day cause a massive scandal putting his Nike contract in jeopardy ? Or will he join the middle rank of bad boy athletes who 's off the field scandals do n't cost them their Nike deal ; think Kobe Bryant or of course , Tiger Woods . What 's the difference ? Lance Armstrong is accused of cheating his fans and his beloved sport and cashed in on that cheating . But remember , Nike actually stood by Armstrong for months in 2012 , when all others headed for the exit . It seemed to have taken Nike 's top brass some time to realize the evidence was too strong to ignore . His upcoming 'confession ' will hopefully clarify his involvement in doping . Tiger has never been accused of on-the-field cheating . Still , he lost many of his sponsors while Nike hung on . The others could not stand the heat . For Nike , it 's not just about celebrities endorsing products . It 's about products themselves . Air Jordans are sold through jumpman23 , a fully fledged subsidiary of Nike . It includes endorsements from good guy athletes like CC Sabathia , Derek Jeter and Josh Freeman . Kit sold through Federer and Woods are not subsidiaries of Nike , but you ca n't miss the connection . In November , Forbes Magazine said Woods `` delivered '' 50 % more ( $ 6 million ) for his brands than McIlroy in 2012 . I wonder if it will be the same will be in 2013 , as McIlroy will undoubtedly remain World No . 1 in golf rankings this year and now shoots near the top as a global sports brand .
In November , Forbes Magazine said Woods `` delivered '' 50 % more for his brands than McIlroy in 2012 . For Nike , it 's not just about celebrities endorsing products . It 's about products themselves , writes Boulden .