More Than Just An Athlete: Tiger Woods (Part 5)

Just because Woods is not the most vocal voice when it comes to social issues is hardly an indication that he does not want to affect change. In fact, Tiger has addressed publicly the issues of race in golf, the participation of minority youth in the growing game and how he sees himself fitting in to each of these issues. Tiger does not deny his almost godly position in our society. But he also does not see much success in sacrificing his golfing career to make sudden and radical changes to golf’s racial landscape. Responding to the question of why there are not more blacks on Tour, Tiger noted that:

One, it takes time, and two, it’s all about building a bigger base. Like
I’ve said, it’s a pyramid effect. So the bigger the base, the better
chance you have of having somebody make it and that takes time because golf
wasn’t always that popular. I remember when I was in high school, golf was
a wussy sport. You weren’t cool if you played it. That stereotype is
changing, it’s evolving and more kids are trying out for golf teams. It
takes time.[1]

To be sure, though he may not speak out as much as some would like, Woods is doing quite a lot to increase the size of golf’s base and to change the golfer’s stereotype. In 1996, with the help of his father, Tiger founded the Tiger Woods Foundation. The main focus of the foundation is to provide disadvantaged youth the chance to become better people through golf clinics, grant programs, and college scholarships. Woods also created the Tiger Woods Learning Center which opened in 2006 in Anaheim, California. The Center is a 35,000 square foot educational center with its goal being “to get students thinking about the role education plays in their futures.”[2] The Center provides thousands of underprivileged students annual access to courses in math, science, technology and language arts. Tiger has also partnered with and donated millions of dollars to Te First Tee , which is the PGA Tour’s initiative to give inner-city and disadvantaged youth the chance to get involved in the game. “It’s about helping the next generation have a better future. I will be a leader for everybody,” Woods said when speaking of his philanthropic ventures.[3]

Woods’ charitable contributions are greater than any other player on Tour and they have had measurable effects. It is estimated that in the past ten years, the number of golfers in America has risen approximately thirty-percent to thirty-five million golfers. In that same time, the number of African-American golfers has more than doubled to an estimated 820,000. Moreover, in 1996 there were only 100 junior golf programs in the US. Now there are over 700. While it might be an exaggeration to say that Woods is responsible for each new golfer and each new program, it would be safe to say that Tiger’s leadership has played a substantial role in golf’s proliferation. In response to a reporter’s question on how Tiger saw his social work developing, he likened himself to the great Arthur Ashe:

Some people remember Arthur Ashe because he was a tennis player. But there
are some people all around the world who don’t know that he won Wimbledon but
remember what kind of social impact he made, what kind of leader he was.
That’s the role I want to play. ‘Yeah,’ people might say, ‘he was a good golfer
at one point. You know, he won some tournaments here and there. But
what he did socially had a real impact.’[4]

As this quote makes clear, Tiger wants his legacy not to be built around his golfing achievements, but by his greater societal contributions. Tiger has said that this is a long process and that for now he is still focused on golf and becoming the game’s greatest player. But considering how involved he currently is in “building a bigger base” and giving youth opportunities all in the midst of focusing on golf with the idea of expanding his social influence once he has left the game, one can only expect that Ali and Ashe-like efforts and effects are only in the not-so-distant future.


Tiger Woods’ influence on the game of golf has been profound, and it is only likely to become more so. He has wowed the golfing world with his skill and determination to become perhaps the game’s greatest player. Furthermore, despite calls from critics to be more outspoken, Tiger has done much to extend the game to those whom it may never have reached through selfless charitable ventures. Certainly, most would have to agree that Woods’ impact on the game has been resoundingly positive. Yet, despite all that Woods has done for the game he remains a remarkable example beyond being a great golfer and a generous philanthropist. In many ways, the story of Tiger Woods goes past the game, the tournaments he has won and the records he has broken. A more nuanced analysis can help explain and illuminate some of America’s social transformations in the twentieth-century.

[1] Woods, quoted in Corrigan, “Dawn of the Tiger”
[2] Information found at TWLC.org (Tiger Woods Learning Center website)
[3] Woods, quoted in Smith, “Tiger on Course for Billionaire Status”
[4] Woods, quoted in Wayne Coffey, “Decade of Tiger: 10 Years Ago, Tiger Woods Changed the Face of Golf at Augusta National,” Daily News (New York), (April 1, 2007)