Muhammad Ali and the top 5 culturally significant athletes ever

4. Tiger Woods

Golf is a sport that has been historically a white person’s game. Other African-American players had success in golf before him, but no African-American did more to change the sport of golf than Tiger Woods. Tiger was golf’s first major African-American star. Much like Jackie Robinson, Larry Dobbs, Jack Johnson and Earl Lloyd before him, Woods proved that race didn’t matter in his sport.

Woods’ career has fizzled out, and he is a shadow of his former self. That doesn’t mean that anyone should undermine what his accomplishments mean to society. For one thing, he is known for helping make fitness in golf more mainstream. Most golfers aren’t considered athletic. Woods proved that wasn’t a rule.

He also made golf more popular because he expanded its market to include more African-Americans and minorities. Say what you want about Woods as a person, but when he teed off, people watched. He was a ratings booster. Woods expanded the reach of golf in a way that very few, if any, golfers before him had. Ask any professional golfer about Tiger and they will talk about how great of an influence he has been on them. Jason Day is a terrific example and so is Jordan Spieth.

Next: 3. Jackie Robinson