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Volume CXXXII, Number 8 |
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History repeating: Tiger and Alcindor
J.P. BOX
COLUMNIST
Pop quiz: What do Tiger Woods and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have in common?
(A) Both revolutionized their respective sports.
(B) Both dominated like no other athletes before them.
(C) Both were black men.
(D) The rules of the game changed in an attempt to limit their influence.
(E) All of the above.
The correct answer is (E). Although Abdul-Jabbar starred as a rookie in the NBA in 1970 and Tiger Woods entered the PGA in 1996, their early careers have been, in part, defined by a powerful force: institutional racism.
Before Kareem dazzled the NBA with the skyhook, he was known as Lew Alcindor, a talented 7'1" center at UCLA who dunked at will. In his first game as a collegiate athlete, he dropped in 61 points against Washington State's man-to-man defense. He then led the Bruins to the first of three straight national championships.
However, after Alcindor's sophomore season in 1967, the NCAA banned the dunk-a regulation that lasted until 1976.
Alexander Wolff, a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, explains the ban in his book entitled Basketball: A History of the Game: "Many people considered the rule the last desperate act of a grounded majority frustrated at watching basketball become an increasingly high-wire, black game."
While NCAA basketball argued that the new rule would limit injuries and protect equipment, Wolff notes that it was "probably also to limit the incipient dominance of 7'1" UCLA center Lew Alcindor."
Unable to take advantage of his dunking ability, Alcindor improved his all-around game and perfected his famous skyhook. The NCAA's racially motivated rule change backfired, as Alcindor raised the bar and increased his dominance.
Three decades later, another sport is supposedly being threatened by the ascendancy of a black athlete who is redefining the game. The sport is golf, his name is Tiger Woods, and the PGA is employing strategies to curb his dominance-just like the NCAA did to Alcindor in 1967.
The trademark courses of the Professional Golf Association, including the fabled Augusta National Country Club, are in the midst of being "Tiger-proofed." Golf purists argue that Woods' unparalleled length and accuracy off the tee changes the way the game is supposed to be played. Although they are too politically correct to admit it, they feel pressured by a black man's rise to stardom in professional golf.
After winning his first of two green jackets at the Masters played at Augusta, course officials and members decided that the course was too short. Due to his uncanny ability to control long irons and place his long drives consistently on the fairway, Tiger was simply dominating the tournament.
In 1997, Woods shot a course-record 18 under par to earn a 12-shot victory. In 2001, he again humbled his opponents by recording a two-stroke victory with a 16 under par aggregate.
In an attempt to neutralize Tiger's advantage off the tee, Augusta lengthened nine holes in 2001, adding a total of 285 yards to the course. Despite this attempt at Tiger-proofing, Woods recorded his third Masters title in 2002, becoming the second youngest player to win the tournament three times.
Woods' ascendancy and the course changes are not coincidental events for the exclusive country club.
Although the first Masters took place in 1934, a black golfer did not play in the tournament until 1974, and a black man was not allowed membership until 1990. In the year 2002, Augusta still refuses to extend membership privileges to women.
Considering Augusta's reluctance to allow African Americans access to the course-as well as their ongoing denial of women's rights-it doesn't take a genius to realize that the traditionally racist and sexist club would react negatively to Tiger's rise to stardom.
However, like Alcindor, Woods' overall game continues to improve, and his dominance permeates the sport despite Tiger-proofing. Every Major tournament is his to lose-unless he falters, his competitors don't stand a chance.
At age 26, Tiger Woods has solidified his status as the greatest golfer of his generation. To top it off, he's doing it all in a sport that has traditionally barred minority access to the game. Not only has he broken through a racial divide, he's the world's number-one ranked player.
Decades later, history has repeated itself. Only today, we don't call it "racism." We call it "Tiger-proofing."