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One way to tell that you are dealing with a special athlete is when that athlete becomes the standard by which all other athletes in the same sport, and even in others, are measured. For example, Michael Jordan was this kind of athlete. When Jordan was in his prime, we would hear other athletes referred to as "the Michael Jordan of [insert sport here]". When younger players came up through the NBA, we would sometimes hear the really great ones, such as Kobe Bryant or Vince Carter, referred to as "the next Michael Jordan." Right now, as far as the NBA is concerned, we will probably witness LeBron James ascend to the pinnacle of the sport. From now on, NBA general managers will be on the lookout for "the next LeBron James." Golf's Tiger Woods is another such athlete whose greatness transcends his own sport, and impacts all those who watch him.

Neither my husband nor I are golf fans. In fact, my husband generally abhors what he refers to as the "stick and ball" sports, preferring all forms of racing instead. I don't have anything against stick and ball sports; I just happen to think that golf is pretty boring to watch on TV. So it is truly a testament to the widespread appeal of Tiger Woods that my husband and I will spend an entire Sunday afternoon in front of the TV to watch Tiger play the final round of whatever tournament he happens to be in. It's better for us and more exciting if Tiger is near the top of the leader board and has a chance to win, but we usually watch even if we're reasonably certain that he won't win. There's just something about the way he plays the game that makes golf -- yes, golf-- compelling to watch.

Tiger went through what was for him a pretty long slump between winning major championships. This led the media to analyze his swing to death and to speculate that maybe he had peaked as a golfer and would decline from here on out. To put this in perspective, many good golfers may go through their entire careers without winning a major, and many more only win one or two. Tiger Woods, who is not even 30 years old yet, has already won 9 majors. That's an incredible statistic, and makes it almost unfair to compare him to other golfers.

There's no question that Tiger Woods equals better TV ratings, higher fan attendance, and increased amateur participation in golf. In these ways, he is invaluable to the sport. We, as fans, are very lucky, too. We get to see one of the greatest golfers of this or any generation compete in his prime. Even those who ordinarily don't like golf can't help but stand in awe when they watch Tiger in action. But the best part of Tiger's legend is that now a golfer has become a benchmark of athletic excellence. Who will be the next Tiger Woods?