Tiger Woods:

Tiger Woods won the British Open today, another major championship in his illustrious golfing career.  I'm a Tiger Woods fan, no doubt about it.  Tiger Woods handles himself well with the press.  He's intelligent and articulate.  And I appreciate all that.  But those qualities are not primarily what make me a fan of Tiger Woods.  I'm a fan of Tiger Woods because he pursues and personifies excellence--consistently, persistently, and continually.   A person who does that in his chosen field is worth admiring.

 

When Tiger speaks, I listen.  I figure any man who has achieved what he has achieved is worth hearing.   What's his mindset?  How does he go about approaching the tournaments in which he plays? How does he keep his performance level at such a consistently high rate?  Any secrets he has are worth knowing.

 

Some people wonder if it's good for the game of gold to have one player that is so dominant.  Who are you kidding?  Would you prefer mediocrity?  I have no doubt that Tiger Woods' consistently high level of play has motivated a number of players to improve.  How can that be bad? 

 

Yes, Americans often like to be for the underdog; but we're also drawn to dynasties, too--the Boston Celtics, the New York Yankees, the UCLA Bruins--all these dynasties have had their appeal for different groups of sports fans in different eras.  Tiger Woods is good for golf.  He's good for America.  He's great for young people who are learning how to achieve.  He's the athlete of his era, and we can all learn a lot from him about doing our best in our chosen endeavors.