Athlete of the Decade

Jim Thorpe must be rolling around in his graving laughing at the most recent popularity poll by sports writers. Tiger Woods, a golfer is the athlete of the decade. Tiger Woods no doubt is one of the greatest golfers to ever grace the links but to put him on a pedestal with real athletes such as Roger Federer, Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps and Tom Brady is ridiculous. It's a sham to even think Tiger Woods is a greater athlete than Peyton Manning, Albert Pujols, or Kobe Bryant.

Golf is one man with state of the art equipment against the elements. It's a very tough sport no doubt but pales in comparison to a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning who for 60 minutes once a week must look into the eyes of 300 lb lineman and 250 lb muscle bound linebackers that are trying to knock them out of the game while trying to complete 10 yard outs where they must throw the ball on a line 30 yards to avoid having speeding defensive backs from intercepting the ball. By the way the athlete of the half century former professional baseball player, football player and Olympian Jim Thorpe was a defensive back so you know those guys are great athletes. All this while having 70,000 screaming fans heckling, jeering, and taunting them. If you scream or heckle in golf your kicked off the course or at the very least you have Tiger's kiwi goon Steve Williams threatening to kick your ass for taking a picture. If it snows during a football game, you play, if it rains, you play in golf those conditions stop play until the sun comes back out. Well not that extreme but you get the point.

So for all of the mental toughness needed by a golfer an NFL quarterback goes through calling plays, making snap decisions, all under the threat of bodily injury on every play. Tiger Woods is mentally tough but not even comparable to an NFL quarterback and then there is the physical aspect of football compared to golf. Walk 18 holes taking 65 - 80 breaks per round, forget about it! Lance Armstrong is pedaling his bike up and down mountains at high speeds trying not to go over a cliff, Roger Federer is doing wind sprints for 2-4 hours per match while having to hit and place a tennis ball in a defined area, Kobe Bryant is running up and down the court for two hours trying to stick a ball in the hoop with a 6'5" guy that can leap small buildings and chase down cheetahs than he has to turn around on every possession and defend that great athlete 80-100 nights per year.

The goofiest thing about naming Tiger Woods the athlete of the decade is there was no mention of one single hockey player. Hockey players actually make superb golfers as guys like Jeremy Roenick, Grant Fuhr and Brett Hull are regulars on the leader boards at celebrity golf matches. While not playing golf hockey players have to skate around on slippery ice at high speeds while controlling a puck and having to deal with 220lb guys on skates slamming into them for three hours a night. Not nearly as dramatic as football but they do have to listen to 20,000 jacked up fans yelling and screaming their lungs out while trying to concentrate.

Tiger Woods has elevated the game of golf probably more than any other individual in the decade has done for their respective sport. The problem is this is athlete of the decade and golfers are barely making the argument that they are athletes. There is never an argument about basketball, football, tennis or hockey players. They have to do what athletes do push themselves physically for hours every time they compete while the golfer walks 350 yards sometimes than takes a break. The game of golf is great as just about anyone can play the sport. Let's just try to remember what type of physical and mental specimen that makes up an athlete.

Last but not least think of the competition for the athletes. Tom Brady squares off with 6'7" 310 lb Mario Williams who can run 40 yards in just over 4 and a half seconds. Tiger is competing with a guy that can eat 4 bags of skittles in 4 and a half seconds and finish that off with a pack of camels. If all sports competitors are athletes than maybe Ernie McCracken should have received some votes because no one gets a bowling crowd riled up like the entertainer himself "Big Ern".