Woods is a golfer, not an athlete
Doug Robinson
"Tiger Woods is the greatest individual athlete ever." — Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN Sports.
"It's time to contemplate that we're not talking about the greatest athlete in the history of golf. We're talking about the greatest athlete, period." — Chicago Tribune editorial.
Now that everybody has rushed for the hyperbole in the wake of Tiger Woods' latest greatest feat, could they please take a deep breath and calm down.
Woods' heroic U.S. Open win incited an old debate and a hasty rush to crown him World's Greatest Athlete (WGA). Bloggers, editorial writers, columnists and reporters have been hyperventilating to make the claim.
Let's get this piece of business out of the way first. What Woods has done is incredible and probably even more difficult than what Michael Jordan accomplished. Think about it: One man against hundreds in a game that requires a perfect storm of events to come together at precisely the point of impact, with the tiniest variation resulting in water and woods.
But World's Greatest Athlete? No.
Even if Woods is a great athlete, we'll never know how great.
Because he plays golf.
You knew that's where this was going, didn't you?
The problem with including a golfer in any argument about athleticism is where do you draw the line?
If a golfer is to be considered WGA material simply because he dominates a sport or a game, then it follows that performers in bowling, darts, sailing, bass fishing and billiards could be considered, and does anyone really want that?
Athleticism should include all or most of the following: running, jumping, speed, quickness, coordination, endurance, reflexes, strength, exertion.
Does that sound like a golfer?
Golf is about skill, not athleticism. It is more game than sport. People note that golf is a difficult "sport" to support their claim that it is an athletic event (which would make Woods the WGA). No one who has ever tried to hit a ball with a club will argue that it's difficult, but difficulty by itself does not make it athletic. Laying tile is difficult.
Woods doesn't run, doesn't jump, doesn't use quickness. He walks. He swings a club. He doesn't even carry his own equipment. If you want to see how much athleticism golf demands, look at his opponents — portly Craig Stadler and beer-gutted, chain-smoking John Daly. Rocco Mediate, who took the gimpy Woods into a playoff at the Open, is 45 years old.
Recent comments
Thanks so much for this article! I totally agree! golf is not a sport...
JJ | July 24, 2008 at 11:28 a.m.
I can speak from personal experience with Mr. Robinson that HE is...
EdM | July 4, 2008 at 10:54 a.m.
Dougy, I would call figure skating the greatest athletic event of...
Anonymous | June 27, 2008 at 11:42 a.m.
