Woods Named Top Athlete, Most Powerful

Dec. 13 -- The honors and endorsement deals keep rolling in for Tiger Woods, who on Tuesday won two prestigious sports awards and renewed his contract as a global spokesman for American Express.

The world’s No. 1 golfer is Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year,” becoming the first two-time recipient in the 46-year history of the award. He also received the honor in 1996, when he turned pro and made a spectacular splash on the PGA Tour.

It marked the sixth time a golfer has received the award. Prior to Woods, Jack Nicklaus was honored in 1978.

Also on Tuesday, Woods was named the most powerful person in sports for the year 2000 by The Sporting News. The publication picked Woods ahead of the commissioners of the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Nike CEO Philip Knight.

“Tiger’s charisma, along with his dominance on the Tour, have captured the hearts and minds of sports fans [fans of all sports] and, in turn, the wallets and checkbooks of corporate America like nobody since … well, since [Michael ] Jordan,” wrote The Sporting News’s Michael Knisley.

Unprecedented Year for Woods

Perhaps fittingly, Woods is the first athlete since basketball legend Michael Jordan, who topped the list in 1997, to ever head the top 100 chart. Jordan is No. 52 this year.

Other athletes making The Sporting News’ top 100 list were short stop Alex Rodriguez (43), tennis player Anna Kournikova (76), wrestling gold medalist Rulon Gardner (80) and Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal (90).

Woods will be profiled in the Dec. 18 issues of Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News.

Woods had an unprecedented year, winning nine times on the PGA Tour for the most victories since Sam Snead won 11 tournaments 50 years ago. He also won three straight majors and became the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam. The 24-year-old phenom, who turns 25 on Dec. 30, won the U.S. and British opens by record-setting margins and earned an unprecedented $9,188,321 in 2000.