Tiger Woods recently pulled off one of the most impressive feats in golf. No, scratch that, Tiger Woods pulled off one of the most impressive feats in all of sports. Many people will tell you that the U.S. Open is the most complete test of a golfer's skill that there is on the pro tour. Being such a thorough examination, it certainly isn't possible for somebody to win it unless they are fully healthy.
Of course, Tiger isn't just any normal golfer. Only two days after beating Rocco Mediate in an extra 19 holes, Woods announced that he would be having season-ending knee surgery. It turns out that he has been playing for the last 10 months with a torn ligament in his left knee. On top of that, he also had a double stress fracture in the same knee that he suffered just a couple weeks before the event. After all that, he still walked 91 holes to beat every other golfer in the competition, on a knee that grew worse with every step. If you're still not impressed you may want to check yourself for a pulse.
Yes, what Tiger did was absolutely impressive. He won a major championship when he should have been on crutches. The question now is: Should he have been on those crutches instead of playing on the damaged knee? Did Tiger risk too much by playing in the U.S. Open? Other athletes have had to face to same decision, for some it worked out and became the stuff of legends. For others, it's a sad end to an illustrious career.
In 1988, Isiah Thomas' Detroit Pistons faced Kareem and Magic's Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. During game six of the series, Thomas fractured his ankle. He continued to play on the ankle for the remainder of that game, as well as the following game seven. Despite the injury, Thomas set a finals record by scoring 25 points in one quarter. Unfortunately for Thomas, the Lakers would go on to win that game as well as the final game of the series to take the NBA championship. He would eventually end his playing career after suffering an Achilles' tendon tear in 1994.
Michael Jordan had a situation similar to Tiger's, in which he played through a disability and still tasted championship glory, during the 1997 finals. While he did not have an injury like Woods', Jordan did play with a severe illness in game five of that series. In the game that became known as the infamous "flu game," Jordan played with a fever and stomach virus. During that game he put up 38 points, including the game-winner. With only seconds left in the game, Jordan would collapse into teammate Scottie Pippen's arms, exhausted.
Leave a comment 0 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.