Why Does Everyone Love Tiger Woods?

Tiger Woods is the most beloved athlete of all time. What makes this so?

The Most Beloved Athlete of All Time

Without a doubt in my mind, Tiger Woods is the most beloved athlete of all time. No matter if you're a golf fan or not, EVERYONE was tuning in to Tiger 2 shots back at the Masters this past Sunday and for good reason. If you were watching this weekend, you could see "patrons" disregarding the fact that Jon Rahm was teeing off on 17 and yelling at the top of their lungs as Tiger made birdie on 16. "Tiger Mania" has been a phrase thrown around in the past and it has been totally revived after his win at the Tour Championship this past year and his win on Sunday. There has never been an athlete who has been both so dominant and so important in the transformation of golf as Tiger Woods. Across the sports world there are many different options for one's favorite basketball player, football player, baseball player, etc. But... if you were to ask 100 people who their favorite golfer is, 95 would say Tiger Woods (possible Family Feud question?). So this begs, the question: Why does everyone love Tiger Woods?

1. The Sport of Golf

Golf is a game in which there are no teams, no home venues, and no one to blame for poor play other than yourself. The game also values sportsmanship, respect, and honesty. It is very common to be a fan of multiple golfers or even a fan of them all. In fact, many of the pros on tour are very close friends and love to see each other win. BUT... when Sunday rolls around and you see Woods on the leaderboard, the crowd is behind him over the field. In basketball for example, you have two sides: people that hate Kevin Durant or love Kevin Durant. Maybe he prevents your team from making the championship (the entire western conference), maybe he has made some questionable decisions (like leave OKC for a super team in GSW), or maybe he's just a really good and that pisses you off. In golf, the only reason not to root for someone great is usually the latter reason.. he's just really good and that pisses you off. The sport allows Tiger to remain the personal favorite for fans week after week no matter what.

2. Tiger the Guy

Simply put, Tiger Woods is electric on the course. In a sport where you don't see a whole lot of emotion, this guy brings it and lives for the hype. The louder the crowd gets the better he plays. He makes golf cool and not as boring and dry as most non golfers picture playing golf as.

Besides being extremely nonchalant in interviews, you can really see that he's a genuine dude who loves winning. He's the coolest guy in your friend group without trying to be anything other than himself. Despite his off the course history, people have learned to understand and sympathize. Everyone makes mistakes and has hardships, his just in the limelight and more scandalous than most. However, he has overcome these challenges (including a plethora of injuries) and it all came together for everyone to see this Masters Sunday.

Tiger with his mom (far right) and son Charlie after his win this past weekend.

3. Tiger the Story

Everyone brings up the story of his father passing, the man who meant so much to Tiger and groomed him to be the man and athlete he is today. But he truly is a great story, from child prodigy at age 3 to becoming winner of the U.S. Amateur to becoming the youngest player of his time to win a PGA tour event. He will out play you physically or mentally and has the clutch gene ingrained in his being, hitting some of the best golf shots ever recorded. He has had a bunch of special moments that we have all shared with him and I could go deeper into his entire story but that will probably be a book pretty soon. He has shown us greatness, hardships, family and the strength to overcome anything. Recently, the media has had a frenzy because there's so much to write about him and everyone wants to listen.

Bottomline: The other 5%

As alluded to earlier, 95 out of 100 would say Tiger's their favorite. The other 5% want to be different (so called 'haters'). For one reason or another they don't want to go with the crowd and enjoy the greatest of all time in action. "He's not a good person", "I'm just not a Tiger guy", "He's won too much". I have heard it all. I believe a true 1% may have decent reasons for liking other guys more but the majority of them are lying to themselves. They want him to win deep down so bad and they just don't show it. People love him for a reason and it's a pretty great one if you ask me. For those of you who fall under this category of hater on the outside and TW fanatic on the inside... it's okay. It's never too late to follow your heart and enjoy rooting for the GOAT while you can. Don't be a hater. Join the rest of us because there's so much to love about the man, myth, and legend of Tiger Woods.