Nike announced Wednesday that it is getting out of the golf equipment business, ditching any future in clubs, balls and golf bags.Were committed to being the undisputed leader in golf footwear and apparel, Nike Brand president Trevor Edwards said in a statement. We will achieve this by investing in performance innovation for athletes and delivering sustainable profitable growth for Nike golf.Nike Golf finished fiscal 2016 with $706 million in revenue, its worst year since 2011, when the division generated $623 million.Nike spokesman Brian Strong said the company has no plans to sell its golf equipment business as part of the transition, and that where there are products being made, production will continue to completion, which Strong says will take place over the next few months.Aside from a challenging marketplace that never fully recovered in the economic downturn that began in late 2008, Nikes prime golf endorsers have struggled.Tiger Woods, who re-signed with Nike in 2013 to a deal of undisclosed length, hasnt played golf for an entire year and missed cuts at three of the four majors in 2015.Rory McIlroy, who signed with Nike in January 2013, hasnt won a PGA Tour tournament this season and missed the cut at the past two major championships.Tiger continues to be a staunch and massive brand ambassador for Nike, his agent, Mark Steinberg, told ESPN.com on Wednesday. Tiger and I will put together a plan on the hard goods side of the business and will discuss working with new companies.Steinberg would not disclose what Nikes exit from the equipment business would mean for Woods financially.Winners of the past eight majors were not Nike endorsers, the longest drought since a nine-major run from 2003-04.Nike entered the golf ball business in 2000 and the golf club business in 2001. Even though Nike had insisted that Woods contract didnt force him to use their equipment, he eventually fully transitioned.Wednesdays announcement comes three months after Nikes competitor Adidas said it would enter into negotiations to sell off its golf division, including TaylorMade, Adams and Ashworth.In 2014, after years of too many products in the marketplace and heavy discounting, Dicks Sporting Goods laid off more than 500 of its in-store PGA professionals.Its unclear what Nikes liquidation plan is or how it will work with retailers, but Dicks was discounting Nike clubs by up to 60 percent online on Wednesday.It is also unknown how Nikes contracts with its endorsers, including Woods, McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Jhonattan Vegas, will change now that there wont be a club or ball business to promote.We dont discuss the details of our athlete contracts, Strong said. We will work with each of our athletes to manage the appropriate transition.Nike says it will focus on golf footwear, but that also has its challenges. Many retailers were put off when they bought a new Tiger signature shoe last year and Woods never wore it, instead preferring an old model.In a statement released Wednesday, Bob Philion, the president of Nike competitor?Cobra Puma, called Nikes announcement surprising, adding that at Cobra Puma Golf we believe we have the right strategies to continue playing offense while others are clearly playing defense.Meanwhile, golf club manufacturer Mizuno tweeted that it would hold open tryouts for Nike endorsers.? . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- There is an argument to be made that the AFC West is the best division in the NFL.There is little argument to be made that the Chiefs are the class of it.After dispatching the Raiders on a frigid night at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs are tied with them for the lead at 10-3 with three games left in the regular season. But they hold the tiebreaker thanks to two head-to-head wins over Oakland, which could loom large down the stretch.For the division title, sure. But also for a first-round bye in the playoffs.Every division game has got to be a playoff game. Its going to be something more, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said after the 21-13 victory on Thursday night, especially with a team like Oakland thats at the top of the charts on offense and defense.Well, they had been at the top of the charts heading into the showdown.The Chiefs knocked them down a peg.It was their fifth straight win against the Raiders and their ninth consecutive victory over division foes, the third-longest streak in franchise history. Along the way are not only the two wins over Oakland this year, but also a win in Denver -- the other divisional team in the thick of the postseason hunt heading into the Broncos game Sunday at Tennessee.The Broncos visit Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas night.Its all about us. Its not about who we play, said star pass rusher Justin Houston, whose return from offseason knee surgery has given the Kansas City defense a big midseason lift.We just need to stay focused, he said. This win means a lot to us, but the seasons not over. We need to put this game behind us, stay focused, and finish the rest of the season strong.Thats because there is still plenty on the horizon.The Chiefs havent won the AFC West since 2010, when they finished 10-6 in a division that it seemed nobody wanted to win. Their many deficiencies showed when they were routed 30-7 by Baltimore in their first playoff game, which they hosted because of their division title.Their last two playoff trips have started on the road as wild cards.Three years ago, they went to Indianapolis and built a big early lead before their defense melted down in the second half. And last year, they went to Houston and came away with their first playoff victory in moore than two decades, only to lose at New England the following week.ddddddddddddSo to say that a first-round bye and a home playoff game in the second round are crucial would be an understatement. They are more like necessities for a team dreaming of a Super Bowl.Its good right now, Chiefs running back Spencer Ware said, but we cant get comfortable. Weve got to keep our eyes on the prize and stay focused on the main goal.That goal became a little more challenging when the Chiefs lost Derrick Johnson, their veteran linebacker, to a ruptured Achilles tendon in his left leg. Johnson went down untouched late in the first half Sunday and, it seemed, knew right away his season was over.Still, the Chiefs rallied around their fallen leader. Their defense repelled Oakland throughout the second half, even when their own offense was stumbling, and did enough to keep Derek Carr and Co. out of the end zone late in the game to preserve the critical victory.The result? The Chiefs assured themselves a second straight 10-win season, something the club has only accomplished two other times in franchise history. And that nine-game win streak of division foes is currently the best in the NFL, though Houston can match it with a win over Indianapolis on Sunday.But the Texans are only 6-6 overall. The Chiefs are 10-3 and barreling toward bigger things, their future looking the brightest it has all season after their Thursday night win over Oakland.Were trying to get to our ultimate goal, Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters said, so we have to win, individually, each game. So were going to prepare for our next opponent and just keep moving on.Game notes Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Friday that general manager John Dorsey is poring through options to replace Johnson, but no decisions have been made. We know we have a few guys that can play, Reid said. We havent made any decisions, dont have anybody coming in as of yet. ... Reid didnt have any update on DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who left with back spasms, or DE Kendall Reyes, who sprained his wrist.---For more NFL coverage:
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