Even though his personal life has, uh, taken a hit recently, Tiger Woods was named AP Athlete of the Decade on Wednesday.
From the Huffington Post:
He won 64 times around the world, including 12 majors, and hoisted a trophy on every continent golf is played. He lost only one time with the lead going into the final round. His 56 PGA Tour victories in one incomparable decade were more than anyone except four of golf’s greatest players won in their careers.
Woods received 56 of the 142 votes cast by AP member editors since last month. More than half of the ballots were returned after the Nov. 27 car accident outside his Florida home that set off sensational tales of infidelity.
Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor who won the Tour de France six times this decade, finished second with 33 votes. He was followed by Roger Federer, who won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other man, with 25 votes.
Not that anyone needed a reminder, but this just goes to show you how dominate Woods has been over the past decade. Sex scandal be damned, Tiger has done legendary things in the world of golf over the past 10 years and it’s nice to see that he got recognition for what he’s done on the course.
It’s also good to see that the media can separate a player’s personal life from his career. In a perfect world, athletes would be role models for our children because they’re always in the public eye. But we don’t live in a perfect world and therefore, the media has to be able to separate what the player does on the field from what he does off it.
That said, how embarrassing for Woods. He receives this great honor, but he can’t even fully enjoy the moment because he’s in a hell of his own making. Every time he looks back on this award, he’ll immediately be reminded of his sex scandal. What a shame.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
