General Motors announced this week that it was ending its sponsorship deal with Tiger Woods, one that reportedly paid the world's number one golfer more than $7m annually.

In a statement, GM suggested that its decision to terminate the contract, which was due to run through 2009, was partly motivated by a desire to give Woods more time to spend with his growing family. He and his wife are expecting their second child this winter. Coming just days after GM chairman Rick Wagoner went before Congress to plead for a government bail-out of the ailing automotive manufacturer, the notion that the company was looking to free Woods for more diaper duty seemed a bit of a stretch.