OT: Most influential U.S. athlete of the past 25 years?

[Scottzer]

I have a hot take and that is while Tiger was definitely one of the most influential... did he really change golf? In my mind, Golf looks a like it did in the 90's.

Given that, it has to be MJ. I think he was the first athlete turned billionaire and his shoes are still part of the zeitgeist.

Eh, after Tiger came along, significant changes were made to real courses. Augusta - has gotten 500 yards longer, trees added, fairways narrowed, etc. Prior to that, Tiger once won Augusta by (I believe) 12 strokes. We might not be able to see the changes from the tv screen, but, the courses and how to play them have changed since Tiger.

 

[superjohn]

Has to be Tiger. He brought an entire generation of kids (and non-white kids) into golf and dominated the sport unlike anyone has ever dominated their sport before. Add in his "brand" and the commercials. The red shirt on Sunday. The iconic highlights.

I don't even see it as close.

Tiger










Everyone else.

What exactly has Tiger influenced? He was hugely popular at one time because he was so great at golf and he brought excitement but bringing the game to black America and to the inner city never materialized. As far as fashion and cultural influence he was making about $20 million per year from Nike while Jordan is making over $300 million per year from Nike. I don't see everyone wearing red Nike t-shirts and black slacks. Did he make trying to hold onto what little hair he has left cool? Did he make sleeping with adult film actresses and Perkins waitresses cool?

He was dominant at golf for a decade and then his personal life and game fell off a cliff. Golf remains a niche sport, it remains an upper class country club sport, and the "Tiger Woods effect" hasn't materialized.

 

[Deepster]

As a women's basketball fan before Caitlin Clark, it pains me to say that -- regardless of her being less accomplished than many other superstars -- she was the variable that transformed the sport from a punchline of bro comedians to a must-see spectacle for sports fans generally.

To be clear, it never should have taken a Caitlin Clark to accomplish that, but you can't deny her impact.

I’m not denying what impact she’s had. It’s still not in the same universe as Tiger Woods.

 

[uconngb]

What did Lebron influence? Besides his bank account?

Zero. He influenced zero

 

[uconngb]

Again, what has he influenced? MJ changed the way the game was played. LeBron didn't. MJ influenced fashion and uniforms. Not LeBron. And his one thing outside of hoop that anyone remembers is when he criticized those who were critical of China. That didn't seem to make folks more sympathetic to China. I guess he did make it more acceptable to go title-hunting in free agency.

LeBron is/was a novelty,….he won’t come close to the staying power of MJ. How anyone could even debate this is insane.