The Years of the Tiger
So there you have it. Though their efforts are indeed awe inspiring, all of these contenders must give away to Tiger Woods. In capturing his third green jacket this past weekend (not quite sure why the winner has to put on that hideous jacket, just give the man his check), Tiger showed that he will probably continue to roar and bear his claws for some time to come. When all is said and done, I fully expect that he will eclipse the marks set by Jack Nicklaus. He will win the most Masters, the most Grand Slams, the most Tiger Slams, and whatever other benchmarks there are for him to accomplish. He most certainly will earn the most dough. Yet ultimately, what anoints him as the world’s greatest athlete is the level of attention and the amount of new fans that he draws to golf. I never watched more than ten straight minutes of golf prior to Tiger’s emergence on the scene, and I know I am not the only person who can make such a claim. Tiger has done for golf what the rivalry between Magic and Bird followed by the grace of Michael Jordan did for basketball. Previously, the sport was barely in our consciousness. Now it is officially on the map. If Tiger is not in a tournament, many casual golf fans don’t even bother to watch, just as casual basketball fans could care less about games that did not feature # 23. When Tiger is in a tournament, all eyes (including that of the cameramen) are on him. Like Michael Jordan, Tiger has no true rival in his craft. When he enters the field of play, his only real opponent is the record book he plans to write his name all over. Question: Who is the world’s second greatest golfer? Answer: Who cares? Whoever he is, he’ll probably need to make a purchase directly from Tiger if he wants one of those ugly green jackets any time soon.
Who is the world’s most athletic person? This might be easier to answer if one of those marvelous multi-league athletes like Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson was around to astounding us year round. Since
Latest Articles