Tiger Woods

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American golfer who is considered one of the greatest golfers of all time. In 2005, at the age of 29, he reached the milestone of winning a tenth major golf championship, placing him third on the all time list behind Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen. Including his three U.S. Amateur Championship wins he and Bobby Jones are the only golfers to win thirteen majors before age 30. He has won more times on the PGA Tour than any other active golfer and he holds the PGA Tour record for most consecutive tournament cuts made with 142.

Controversy

Early in Woods' career a small number of golf experts expressed concern about his impact on the competitiveness and thus the public appeal of professional golf. This issue was most prominent in around 2001-02 when he was at his most dominant game level. "The question has been asked, seriously, and more than once: Isn't Tiger Woods actually bad for golf?" - commented Bill Lyon of Knight-Ridder, before going on to argue that he wasn't . At first, some feared that Woods could drive all spirit of competition out of the game of golf, by obsoleting existing courses, and having no competitors. However, Woods was unable to keep up the winning streak, and the increases in television ratings and prize money which have occurred since Woods arrived on the golf scene have discredited the negative view of his impact on the game. As of 2005 it is no longer heard. The mainstream view is that Woods' success is one of the most positive things that has ever happened to golf.

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Woods has also been mentioned in relation to certain wider controversies, including the debate about the role of sport in the aspirations of American youth, especially African American youth, which some consider to be unhealthy. Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune decried the "racially charged, money-linked sports obsession" fueled by a "fixation in which the riches and fame of such sports heroes as Michael Jordan have caused a wildly disproportionate number of young black Americans, in particular, to focus on the brass ring of professional sports at the expense of more realistic and productive career paths." Woods dropped out of Stanford after two years to pursue his golf career. Page wrote, "That works out fine for his bank account, but, for too many others it only reinforces the wrongheaded notion that academics should take a back seat to athletics." Others see the inclusion of Woods in this debate as inappropriate, arguing that his main responsibility was to make the right decision for his own career, that he had the backing of his parents, who are certainly not feckless, and that subsequent events suggest he timed his entry to professional golf appropriately. As mentioned above he has funded university scholarships and is founding a learning centre.

Related Topics:
Chicago Tribune - Michael Jordan

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Some activists have criticised him on certain social and environmental issues. Some of these criticisms concern golf in general, and the mention of Woods is a device to attract publicity by utilising the name of a top celebrity. Specific criticisms of things he has done personally have included those of his endorsement of an SUV (the 2002 Buick Rendezvous) deemed second-most-dangerous by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and of mutual funds which do not meet certain activists' ethical investment criteria. The publicity which activists are able to attract for their views about an individual are proportionate to the individual's fame, so it could be considered that this negative publicity says little about Woods' personal ethics relative to those of other golfers, or of members of the general public.

Related Topics:
SUV - Buick Rendezvous - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - Ethical investment

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