As I got older I started hearing more and more about a kid named Tiger Woods that played golf at Stanford University. Everyone raved at how amazing he would be back in the mid 90's, and man did he prove everyone right, as he was just named the greatest athlete of the decade. What is more remarkable is the award comes weeks after Tiger life and career came crashing down.
It's a shame that an athlete of Tigers caliber would actually put everything he has worked so hard for since the time he was born for some secret affairs with multiple women while trying to keep his perfect family image intact. It's sad that the only person that could and did stop Tiger from becoming one of the greatest role models in sports history was himself.
It all started with a late night car accident outside if his home in Jupiter, Florida were he was rushed to the hospital after being freed from the car by his wife. When Tiger failed to comment how the accident took place, the media started digging into his personal life, and man he had enough skeletons in his closet to fill a graveyard. All of a sudden the worlds best golfer and most liked athlete in the world had mistresses from all over coming forward giving up information and voice recordings that Tiger left on one's voicemail.
After a couple of weeks went by and world got to see Tiger in a new light, he finally came forward on his Website about his infidelities and promised he would try to become a better husband and person. He then followed that by later saying he would be taking a leave from golf to try to fix all of his family issues at home.
Fearing the backlash from what just happened to Tigers image some of his sponsors starting pulling out of endorsement deals with him. Even consultant firm Accenture cut ties with him even though he is responsible for making the companies brand a household name. But not all the companies ran for the hills, Nike and Upper Deck have agreed to stand by him while others are still deciding his fate.
With all the trouble surrounding Tiger, it must have been difficult for members of the Associated Press to do the right thing and name Tiger Woods the best athlete of the decade. If the award was for the greatest role model of the decade given his current circumstances he would of not even placed in the top 100. His personal life has no meaning on the award, it's all about what he accomplished on the golf course and what he did was simply amazing.
Out of his 13 years on the PGA tour Woods has shattered and broken many of golf's records in his brief career and only remains four wins behind the legendary Jack Nicklaus in all time major wins in PGA history.
If you look at what Tiger did in his sport it's hard to argue that he is undeserving of the award. He has amassed 56 wins in this decade alone, which is about one in every three tournaments he enters. If that was not enough he has held the 1st place ranking the whole entire decade except for 32 weeks. To put it clear Tiger Woods became sports first billionaire, something that not even basketballs great Michael Jordan has yet to accomplish.
For now Tigers infidelity will play a huge role in how he is perceived on a personal basis, but on the
