Snaike:
cappiest: Love him or hate him.....golf needs Tiger Woods,
No, it doesn't. The jock-sniffers and hangers-on need him, but golf doesn't
You say golf may not need him but all the current players readily admit they owe him a ton of gratitude. No single person since Arnold Palmer 50 years ago has had anywhere near the same impact on viewership, ratings, and purses.
Here's some stats on tourney purses pre and post Tiger.
In 1997, the total PGA Tour purse was $70,800,800.
In 2007, it was $272,300,000. That’s a percentage increase of
284.60%—not quite the cited 300%, but close enough. If adjusted for inflation you are still looking at nearly a 200% increase.
I love seeing the growing the numbers of talented players on the tour these days, but every sport NEEDS a superstar. So golf may not need Tiger Woods, but every single network executive under the sun will tell you they need him, or at least need 1 or 2 players step up and run with the torch.