Eye of the Tiger

Everybody loves a winner. Why else would someone sport a Tampa Bay Rays hat or a Kevin Garnett jersey? Jumping on the bandwagon is what makes sports fun (hence rooting for the Arizona Cardinals, EVER). Teams always want to be on top. But where’s the balance in sports these days? Unless it’s your team doing the dominating, winning can become pretty disgusting. Tom Brady with his three rings, the Red Sox winning two World Series titles this decade, and the Steelers’ six Vince Lombardi trophies make me sick. However, there is one champion who will continue to draw crowds, amaze audiences, and blow the minds of fans everywhere.

Tiger Woods will go down as the greatest champion in golf history. Unbelievably, the more he wins the more people root for him. The 14-time major champion has the game of a god and the heart of a lion. His competitiveness is unrivaled and his grit grows with every swing. No matter what event or who is in the final group that particular Sunday, fans want Tiger to win. You can’t blame them either.

His passion for winning is contagious and you can see the determination in his eyes. He is the only athlete making over $100 million a year on endorsements alone and still loved by everyone. Last year in the U.S. Open he proved his dominance with grace as he sank that putt on 18 that had 15 men in my house screaming like teenage girls at an *NSYNC concert. Through excruciating pain he walked an extra 18 holes on Monday just to prove that he was the best.

Now we wait. Tiger hasn’t competed since June 2008 thanks to an ACL surgery and if he makes it back for the Master’s in April it will have been 10 months since he suited up for a PGA event. But chances are Tiger will only enter the tourney if he thinks he can win. Woods is the greatest golfer because of his ability to perform under amazing amounts of pressure, and he is the greatest champion of all time because of his need to win. When he does return, I, along with the rest of the world will watch in awe as Tiger blows us away — again.

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