If you were born between 1980 and 1995, then Tiger Woods is your favorite golfer baring you don’t have blood relation to Phil Mickleson or Vijay Singh. Even if you don’t like or follow golf, Tiger Woods is still your favorite golfer.
And no, you can’t count MJ.
Why is Tiger your favorite golfer? Because he transcended sport like Agassi and AI and dominated like Ali and Serena. Certainly not as brash or bold as the aforementioned athletes, his Sunday red is still more signature than black Jordans in the playoffs and his fist pump more synonymous with pop culture than any cast member of the Jersey Shore.
Breaking barriers while breaking records, Tiger transcended pop culture with skill that was astronomical paired with competitive exuberance that was still relatable. Eventually the face of brands like Buick, Gillette, Gatorade and EA Sports [Editor’s Note: All respect to Golden Tee, but can you really imagine people playing — more so buying — a golf video game if it weren’t for Tiger Woods?], it was his five-year, $40 Million Nike deal in 1997 that broke the mold for both the sport and the brand.
Still serving signatures styles with the Swoosh despite injury, scrutiny or activity, Tiger and Phil Knight’s partnership brought athletic branding and performance innovation to a game that’s always been a hot bed for dollars but far from sporty or progressive when it came to style. Dri-Fit polos, TW marked hats and Zoom Air driven spikes became synonymous with the star, while tagline t-shirts and awesome ad campaigns came from the same minds that made Penny and Griffey household names.
From a sneaker standpoint, Tiger may not have collectible kicks like his basketball brethren on the brand or ever crossover success quite like his cleated comrades like Vick or Ronaldino. Closer to Kobe, the young prodigy challenged the mental and physical boundaries of what it meant to be a competitor and brought out genre changing product just the same.
Most importantly, by winning the 1997 Masters at age 21 exactly 20 years ago today, the Stanford standout made history and made golf cool.
Thanks, Tiger.
Lead image by Steve Munday/Allsport via SB Nation
