Tiger Woods

[klunderbunker]

With the Masters two months away and Tiger on the prowl towards his knee being rehabbed, I got to thinking: where does he rank on the list of worldwide athletes? Is he an athlete or a golfer?

I'd think he has to rank in the top 5 at worst. There is no one on the planet that dominates the sport they play like he does. He goes out and makes it look easy. Winning a major is difficult in its own right, but on a broken knee and a torn ACL? He has his own page on ESPN.com, which no other single athlete does. I know he's a superstar here in America, but what about elsewhere in the world?

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

Im biased because Tiger is my favorite athlete in the world. Im partial to him cause Ive been golfing since I was 10 years old and up until Tiger came on tour golf was looked at as a "dorky" sport or "old man's game". I remember all my friends would rip on me cause I golfed but once Tiger got big everything changed. Now you see people of all ages and races golf, its not looked at as being "your grandfather's game" or anything like that, he has almost made it cool to golf which is something that nobody would have thought 20 years ago.

Anyway to answer your question if golf is considered a sport and him an athlete he's got to be top 5 because of how dominant he is over his peers. He dominates his sport more than any U.S. athlete outside of Phelps. And to settle the age old debate whether golf is a sport or not I think it is especially if you walk. On your average PGA round these guys probably walk 5+ miles up and down terrain many times in 90+ degree heat. They have to have superior hand eye skills and precision. Most of the top players are in good physical shape as well, and you can thank Tiger for that because he changed the mentality of the average player. I hate when I hear people say "It's not a sport because my grandpa can still play it" well just cause he can play it doesnt mean anything. You see senior softball leagues, does that mean baseball isnt a sport? What about the old out of shape guys you see playing basketball at the Y, is basketball not a sport cause those guys play? Shooting 100+ at a municipal course while riding in a golf cart is obviously not the same as playing on tour which is what people with that mentality need to understand.

So to sum it up he is definitely top 5 and maybe the most influential athlete to come along in a long time. I really cant think of another athlete that has had that much of an impact on his sport. I already brought up the popularity he has brought to the game from your public hacker but from a media standpoint as well. Purses have skyrocketed thanks to him as well as overall media coverage. Not to mention the TV ratings, when he plays and is in contention ratings usually almost double over the times he's not which is remarkable. So when you add up accomplishments, dominance and overall impact he has on his sport you can make a strong case for him being number 1 and top 5 at the very least.

Oh yeah by the way congrats to Tiger cause his wife just gave birth to a baby boy yesterday. Maybe we got ourselves a Tiger Jr. now.

 

[Starchild]

On the list of current athletes, I'd have to say he's near the top if not #1. The only other one that even competes with him in terms of sheer dominance would be Michael Phelps who has no equal in the water just as Tiger has none on the golf course. It could be argued that Roger Federer was up there before the rise of Rafael Nadal, but that is no longer the case. Nadal himself may soon find himself in the discussion though.

Now what I like to think about it where he ranks on the all-time list of athletes. I think most would agree that Tiger is the best golfer ever even if he retires right now and never gets the record for majors. Jack Nicklaus was great and a true legend, but I think all-around Tiger is better and it's really not that close. Now you have to look at some other dominant athletes that we have seen in various sports..
Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Pele, Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Sampras, Jim Brown, Richard Petty, Sugar Ray Robinson, and for the sake of this being a wrestling forum we'll include Hulk Hogan.

I think all of these guys have a case and I won't even try to rank them as it would require more thought and research than I have time or patience for, but Tiger's name definitely belongs among them. Where exactly is debatable. The rest of these guys dominated their respective sports like no other as well. Now transcending just sports some of these other guys did much to give than just to their sports. Not that Tiger doesn't, but he often doesn't want to be viewed in a bad light so he doesn't speak on controversial issues..he just does he thing, his endorsements, and gives to charities but that's all. Nothing is wrong with that, but the issue has to be included.

All that being said, I think Tiger's name belongs right along with the top 3-5 athletes of all-time, or at least it will by the time his career is over. Some of these other guys set records that for their time were incredible, but most of which will be broken (other than some of Gretzky's which may never be). Tiger imo, will completely obliterate all the major golf records and sure there could be another, but I just don't think anyone will be able to even sniff his records much less break them. So for that he belongs in the top echelon of great athletes.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

Just to add another thing, I know this technically doesnt mean he is the best but its just something that got me thinking after making my first post. Has there ever been an athlete that has transcended or been more influential towards his sport than Tiger Woods is for golf? I really cant think of any. I mean the guy is arguably the most recognizable and famous athlete in the US, and is far and away the wealthiest in the world according to Forbes magazine. Who would have ever thought a golfer would hold that honor?

Before he came along golf was somewhat popular but it was really only popular to the people that played golf or the die hards. It didnt get a ton of media coverage and the purses were way smaller than what they are today. Tiger came along and it brought in different fans from all walks of life. Just look in the galleries now and see how many 18-30 year old's you see out there, you didnt see those people before Tiger. Or look at how many African Americans you see again those are people you didnt see before Tiger.

From a media standpoint and financial standpoint for the PGA Tour he did wonders as well. Before he came along no player ever earned 2 million in a season because purses were small, now you can make that in 2 tournaments and you can make 10 million just by winning the fed ex cup. You can thank Tiger for that because TV ratings and sponsorships SKYROCKETED once he came around.

And its not just his impact on the PGA Tour its his impact on golf period. More and more people play golf because of him. Rich people, middle class people, old people, young people, white people, black people, they all play now. So you if you look at what he did for the game in terms of media coverage, sponsorships/financial issues and what he did for the game outside of tour and how he got people from all walks of life to play I dont think I think of any athlete in history or atleast in my lifetime that has done more for their sport.