Governator 54 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Tiger Woods has been voted Athlete of the Decade by members of The Associated Press, his 10 years of incomparable golf outweighing nearly three weeks of a salacious sex scandal.Just like so many of his 64 victories worldwide and 12 majors dating to 2000, it wasn't much of a contest.Woods received 56 of the 142 votes cast by AP member editors. More than half of the ballots were returned after his Nov. 27 car accident which set off the sensational tales of infidelity that have tarnished Woods' image.Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor who won the Tour de France six times this decade, finished second with 33 votes, followed by tennis Grand Slam champion Roger Federer with 25 votes.Woods had more PGA Tour titles in one decade than all but four of golf's greatest players won in their careers.http://www.sportingnews.com/golf/article/2...-athlete-decade Link to post Share on other sites
JoeyJoJo 18 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I don't see why marital infidelity should matter in voting for athlete of the decade.And yes, he is definitely athlete of the decade. Link to post Share on other sites
CaneBrain 95 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I don't see why marital infidelity should matter in voting for athlete of the decade.And yes, he is definitely athlete of the decade.yeah, he is even clear of Federer.I believe it was reported today that Elin is leaving Tiger (according to the New York Post so grain of salt). Moving vans were supposedly spotted outside their house.There was a great headline on cnnsi.com labled "Sweden upset". Apparently, Tiger is now persona non grata in Sweden while Elin is some sort of folk hero. The report stated that Elin was viewed a bit like Princess Di...as two women who went from more humble beginnings to marrying royalty (Tiger is virtual royalty) I guess.In related news, the world is insane. Link to post Share on other sites
brvheart 1,752 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I'm not trying to take anything away from Tiger, especially since him being a terrible human has nothing to do with athletics, but I simply don't think he can possibly match up with Armstrong, another horrible human being by the way, in terms of athletic ability. Golf just simply isn't close to cycling in terms of the strain on a body. Tiger is dominate yes, but maybe he just has the best hand-eye coordination in history. I would put Tiger 3rd on that list. Link to post Share on other sites
JoeyJoJo 18 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 maybe he just has the best hand-eye coordination in history.Maybe Lance Armstrong just has the best stamina in history. Link to post Share on other sites
brvheart 1,752 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Maybe Lance Armstrong just has the best stamina in history.You can improve your stamina through training. Link to post Share on other sites
JoeyJoJo 18 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 You can improve your stamina through training.You can improve your hand-eye coordination too. Link to post Share on other sites
MaxStPolish 4 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I'm not trying to take anything away from Tiger, especially since him being a terrible human has nothing to do with athletics, but I simply don't think he can possibly match up with Armstrong, another horrible human being by the way, in terms of athletic ability. Golf just simply isn't close to cycling in terms of the strain on a body. Tiger is dominate yes, but maybe he just has the best hand-eye coordination in history. I would put Tiger 3rd on that list.This is the angle I'm on. I say no, and it has nothing to do with dick on the side.It's that he's a GOLFER. I mean there's a range of motion and many subtle points to the game. But I just disagree that it should even be classified as a sport. It's a leisure activity. So he's not the best athlete. He's the best hobbiest.If I'm constrained by the notion that golf is a legitimate sport....then yeah, you gotta give it to him.The most outstanding athlete in the World today is without question Bolt.This. Link to post Share on other sites
FCP Bob 1,312 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I'm not trying to take anything away from Tiger, especially since him being a terrible human has nothing to do with athletics, but I simply don't think he can possibly match up with Armstrong, another horrible human being by the way, in terms of athletic ability. Golf just simply isn't close to cycling in terms of the strain on a body. Tiger is dominate yes, but maybe he just has the best hand-eye coordination in history. I would put Tiger 3rd on that list.I'm pretty sure that the only event Armstrong has really done well in is the Tour Da France but he hasn't excelled in other cycling competitions so he's just a one trick pony in a team driven extended race.That plus the fact that cycling is such a mess of doping and cheating leaves him not on my list at all.Federer would be the only one I would put close to Tiger or maybe Flipper Phelps.The most outstanding athlete in the World today is without question Bolt. Link to post Share on other sites
serge 904 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I totally agree with this...The personal affairs of Tiger have nothing to do with him being the best athlete of the decade..However where do you guys think we draw the line with off field issues:Pete Rose(Gambling)OJ Simpson(Murder)Tiger Woods(Infidelity) Link to post Share on other sites
brvheart 1,752 Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 You can improve your hand-eye coordination too.I wasn't aware of this.I'm pretty sure that the only event Armstrong has really done well in is the Tour Da France but he hasn't excelled in other cycling competitions so he's just a one trick pony in a team driven extended race.That plus the fact that cycling is such a mess of doping and cheating leaves him not on my list at all.Federer would be the only one I would put close to Tiger or maybe Flipper Phelps.The most outstanding athlete in the World today is without question Bolt.His team was never anywhere around him when they got in the mountain stages. It absolutely dominated in the mountains and made everyone else look average. He has never been a sprinter. Link to post Share on other sites
wildspoke 2 Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I'm pretty sure that the only event Armstrong has really done well in is the Tour Da France but he hasn't excelled in other cycling competitions so he's just a one trick pony in a team driven extended race.That plus the fact that cycling is such a mess of doping and cheating leaves him not on my list at all.Federer would be the only one I would put close to Tiger or maybe Flipper Phelps.The most outstanding athlete in the World today is without question Bolt.I have no problem with Woods winning the award. But to say that all Lance does is win the tour de france is like saying all the Yankees do is Win the World Series. In cycling, even though the Tour is in the middle of the cycling season, it is the premier event. Armstrong won the event 7 times in a row. That's 7 years of racing in an event which lasts 23 days and covers almost 2500 miles. He had two bad days through his entire 7 year run. That alone is mildly mind boggling. Also, he retired from the sport took 3 years off then returned this year to finish third at 38 years of age. He was so dominate in the event that it wasn't a question of whether or not he was going to win but by how much. What if Tom Brady and New England Patriots won the Super Bowl 7 years in a row? The amount of superlatives that would be hoisted upon him would be staggering. (And let's not forget that Armstrong came back from a little thing called cancer.) I think Federer is in the equation but he was so workman like in his dismantling of other players I think he loses a little bit of mojo. I think the guy who should get serious consideration is Phelps. 14 Olympic golds, 23 World Championship golds, 37 World Records. Are you kidding me? He trained for four years leading up two week event. What he did is awe inspiring. Bolt is a man among boys but like Phelps he doesn't have the stage Woods does. Also he wasn't king of the sport for a decade. He's the 'man' right now but where was he 8 years ago. As for the comment about cycling being a sport mired in drugs. What sport isn't. Cyclists as a percentage are tested more than any other athlete. Is there a doping problem in cycling? Yes. But it exists in EVERY sport. Find me a sport that doesn't have some sort of performance enhancing taint. (yes, I said taint.) Link to post Share on other sites
BigLebowski 0 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I'm pretty sure that the only event Armstrong has really done well in is the Tour Da France but he hasn't excelled in other cycling competitions so he's just a one trick pony in a team driven extended race.That plus the fact that cycling is such a mess of doping and cheating leaves him not on my list at all.Federer would be the only one I would put close to Tiger or maybe Flipper Phelps.The most outstanding athlete in the World today is without question Bolt.Lance was a stand-out triathlete in college and will be competing in the Triathlon World Championship 2011 in Kona. Many of the top pros in the world expect him to finish in the top 50 out of the 1700 athletes who have to qualify to get there. He also ran a open 2:46 marathon in 2007 at NYC. As far as athletic prowess goes, Tiger isn't even in the same league. Very competitive in douche-ness though. FWIW, I was a <5 handicap for a long time and now do endurance events and there just isn't a comparison when talking about "athletic" achievements. Golf is not an athletic activity...period. It only has that status in America where there is a little bit of an obesity problem. With all that said, I would have to say Phelps deserves serious consideration as well. He won everything in sight in every competition he entered. He was on another level of unstoppable than Tiger and Federer. The fact that he gets ready for a 100 yard race by swimming a 10,000 yard warm up is fairly comical when you think about it. Link to post Share on other sites
CaneBrain 95 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 The most outstanding athlete in the World today is without question Bolt.If an American ran a 9.69 or whatever absolutely nonsensical time he threw up on the biggest stage in the world, it would be the biggest sports story of the year. Bolt had all his.....thunder stolen by Phelps' 8. Link to post Share on other sites
Jam-Fly 8 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 As far as sportsmen go, Woods and Federer are quite ahead of any others imo. I think swimming, running and cycling are somewhat different to sports like golf, tennis, football, basketball etc. Swimming, running and cycling is 95% endurance and stamina with very little skill. Sports like golf, tennis etc. have so many more elements than the likes of cycling. This is taking nothing from Phelps, Bolt or Armstrong, because they truly are amazing, but I think the reason I would not give any of them this award is because at any given time in history, there has always been a superlative in these sports (I know Phelps succeeded in 8 different events in swimming, and Bolt is the fastest man in the world for several differences etc.). When Phelps or Bolt race, it's a given that they will win, just by how much.With Federer and Woods, they took their respective sports to a different level. NEVER before has someone dominated golf like Tiger has. There have been great Tennis players in the past, but again, Federer took the dominance of men's tennis to a whole new level. I think the selectors got this fairly spot on. For no. 1 spot, no one can really compete with Tiger. As for runners-up, I would personally have Federer second and Armstrong third. Link to post Share on other sites
serge 904 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Happy Birthday Tiger Link to post Share on other sites
speedz99 145 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I'd give it to Federer. Tennis requires much more athleticism, and he won more majors. You can improve your stamina through training.Armstrong is so successful because he's a freak of nature. Sure, training helps, but cyclers/runners/etc are born more than made. I could explain why, but that would take some effort...just take my word for it. Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Speaking of Tiger, I went to the Torrey Pines golf tournament in San Diego today, and a plane was flying around towing this sign all day:We miss you Tiger. Deja Vu ShowgirlsFor those of you not hip, this is a strip club in San Diego Link to post Share on other sites
CaneBrain 95 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Roger Federer has made 18 of the last 19 Grand Slam FINALS. That's just a ridiculous stat. I am starting to think that Federer was absolutely robbed of this award by Tiger. It's really an odd dynamic. Tiger is a captivating athlete whereas Federer comes off as boring. Tiger's...captivatingness...is the reason why golf went from a fringe sport to a mainstream sport with big time money (both for prize pools and endorsements....the two biggest endorsers in the world are Tiger and Mickelson). Meanwhile, tennis has lagged. As a result, Tiger's dominance seems better because golf is a bigger sport than tennis. But the only reason golf is bigger than tennis is Tiger. Weird.Anyway, Federer is the athlete of the decade. His consistency is incredible. Link to post Share on other sites
Balloon guy 158 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Roger Federer has made 18 of the last 19 Grand Slam FINALS. That's just a ridiculous stat. I am starting to think that Federer was absolutely robbed of this award by Tiger. It's really an odd dynamic. Tiger is a captivating athlete whereas Federer comes off as boring. Tiger's...captivatingness...is the reason why golf went from a fringe sport to a mainstream sport with big time money (both for prize pools and endorsements....the two biggest endorsers in the world are Tiger and Mickelson). Meanwhile, tennis has lagged. As a result, Tiger's dominance seems better because golf is a bigger sport than tennis. But the only reason golf is bigger than tennis is Tiger. Weird.Anyway, Federer is the athlete of the decade. His consistency is incredible.Tennis is it's on worst enemy. I've gone to some tennis matches, the entire crowd acts like they are elite just by being in the crowd and 'knowing' the rules.No movement, do not make any noise, want to get up from your seat on the top of the stadium 400 feet from the players? Then you must wait until there is at least 20 minutes of down time just in case your movement causes the tennis players to miss a ball because of distraction.At our country club, which hosts the Davis Cup and has over 29 courts including clay and grass, the tennis only members are always upset that their parties are smaller and less 'important' than the golf members, even though golf members pay $65K to join, and Tennis pays $4.5K to join and their dues are 1/5th the amount of the golf dues each month.Oh but Tennis is a more difficult sport that requires actual skillsyou want Tennis to be bigger than golf? Force those tennis players to quit being debutantes. When was the Tennis Hey Day?When Connors was cussing out the line judges and when Bobby Riggs was yelling for women to stay in the kitchen! Link to post Share on other sites
CaneBrain 95 Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Tennis is it's on worst enemy. I've gone to some tennis matches, the entire crowd acts like they are elite just by being in the crowd and 'knowing' the rules.No movement, do not make any noise, want to get up from your seat on the top of the stadium 400 feet from the players? Then you must wait until there is at least 20 minutes of down time just in case your movement causes the tennis players to miss a ball because of distraction.At our country club, which hosts the Davis Cup and has over 29 courts including clay and grass, the tennis only members are always upset that their parties are smaller and less 'important' than the golf members, even though golf members pay $65K to join, and Tennis pays $4.5K to join and their dues are 1/5th the amount of the golf dues each month.Oh but Tennis is a more difficult sport that requires actual skillsyou want Tennis to be bigger than golf? Force those tennis players to quit being debutantes. When was the Tennis Hey Day?When Connors was cussing out the line judges and when Bobby Riggs was yelling for women to stay in the kitchen!It's not so much that I disagree with you but I feel compelled to point out that Tiger's caddy's #1 job is to get in the face of anyone who dares fart during tiger's backswing.just saying, golf is not exactly full of tough guys.I do like the US open best because of the rowdier crowds. Link to post Share on other sites
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