Cheechoo was never the icon and clear leader of the pack like Tiger was. That's why I would consider Tiger's fall more significant... he was by far the best player in his sport and now is nowhere to be seen.
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Is Tiger Woods' decline the worst in professional sports?
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Cheechoo was never the icon and clear leader of the pack like Tiger was. That's why I would consider Tiger's fall more significant... he was by far the best player in his sport and now is nowhere to be seen.
Just the fact that you put that and then conclude he's the best ever, lol
Doc Holliday
SPOILER: Columbus finds America
Mike Tyson?
Ken Griffey Jr. was never really heard of again after that injury
Ken Griffey Jr. was never really heard of again after that injury
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
Tiger Woods didn't fall apart because of mental problems. Seriously. The guy had so much shit going on his entire life and was able to tune it out while on the course. His game completely fell apart because his body completely fell apart. Go read the navy seals stuff.
The worst actual decline would be Derrick Rose. He will be the only guy to ever win a NBA MVP at not make the HOF.
Worst non-injury related decline would have to be Prince Fielder. Dude was one of the best hitters in the league for about 5 years and now hasn't been any good at all in about 5 years (and never will be again). His rapid decline happened started before he even turned 28. Turns out being a fat fuck will diminish your skills quickly.
The worst actual decline would be Derrick Rose. He will be the only guy to ever win a NBA MVP at not make the HOF.
Worst non-injury related decline would have to be Prince Fielder. Dude was one of the best hitters in the league for about 5 years and now hasn't been any good at all in about 5 years (and never will be again). His rapid decline happened started before he even turned 28. Turns out being a fat fuck will diminish your skills quickly.
BaltimoreLarry
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Darryl Strawberry
Up until he was 29 he was a stud, but drugs took him off a cliff. His numbers from 30 on are astoundingly absent. He just couldn't get on the field.
Up until he was 29 he was a stud, but drugs took him off a cliff. His numbers from 30 on are astoundingly absent. He just couldn't get on the field.
The Albatross
Member
By 2021, I think Fielder will foment his position as the highest paid, least contributing athlete in sports history. He produced for basically one season out of his 9 season, 215m contract.
He's still being paid $24m to basically do nothing on the field. What a players union.
Iorv3th
Member
In 2015 he still won a few tournaments and was placing in the top 10. He broke course record at Quail Hollow.
Then he messed up his ankle and tore a ligament in it.
Mental aspect is a factor. 90% of the game is mental.
Not really, his decline came after his 13th year in the NBA, he avg over 20 ppg his first 13 years and then started dropping off, thats normal, father time caught up to him
Tigers decline honestly started before the horndog stuff, it started when he switched coaches and started fucking with his swing. Dude at the time was dominating folks and decided to mess with near perfection. Perfect example of breaking what wasn't broken.
CraigerGamer
Member
When Tiger won is first Masters (97, I think it was) he had the most beautiful swing. Technically, it was flawless and it was good enough beat to every professional golfer on the planet. Had he kept this swing he would still be playing today, winning regularly. But he convinced himself that in order to be truly an all-time great he had to be able to hit a high fade like Jack. Its a shot that allows you to hit the ball with more precision because it doesn't bounce much after the ball hits the ground. So Tiger began to change his swing to accommodate a high fade and in doing so made his movement very powerful and violent going through the ball. His body began rejecting the new swing once he entered his 30s. Now that he is almost 40, the damage he did is so severe that he may never recover enough to come back to the PGA tour.
Its sad really. His original swing was a thing of beauty. Changing his swing took 2 decades off his playing career. Fuck Butch Harmon.
Its sad really. His original swing was a thing of beauty. Changing his swing took 2 decades off his playing career. Fuck Butch Harmon.
crimzonflame
Member
Growing up as a fan of the NBA, I would say Grant Hill and Penny.
DeaconKnowledge
Member
Iverson's decline came faster because he couldn't admit he was nearing his twilight and wanted to play as the same guy.
Basically the typical stubborn athlete decline.
Didn't Tiger Woods become a villain, though? He was dropped by just about every sponsor because he was so toxic.
TheOrangeKid007
Member
So you responded to say you don't know how to respond to this.
SoRuffShoNuff
Member
That's completely ignoring the knee injuries he sustained doing military training which forced another swing change and rehabilitation. If he doesn't sustain those injuries he may still be playing well today.
Baseball has stories like this. Rick Ankiel forgot how to throw and he was a MLB pitcher.
And then he became a damn good outfielder. Ankiel's story is one of the strangest I've seen. I was laughing when he self combusted (was rooting for the Mets that game) but cheering so hard for him when he reinvented himself.
Barry Burton
Member
Tiger's had a pretty bad decline, but he did still come back to have a great 2013 season (albeit without winning a major). If his body would have stopped betraying him, Tiger would probably still be a Top-10 player right now and probably won a few more majors, with a shot to catch Jack.
Nothing as precipitous as the drop-offs for guys like David Duval or Ian Baker-Finch who, while not being nearly at Tiger's level, were good, major championship-winning golfers that completely lost the ability to play the game anymore. I never cared much for Duval, as he usually came across as an ass during his heyday, but it was hard not to feel bad for him after he fell so far in such a short time. I was actually pulling for him when he made a run at winning the U.S. Open in '09, I believe.
Similar things happened in baseball to Steve Blass (who could no longer throw strikes, seemingly overnight) and to a lesser extent Barry Zito, though in Zito's case he eventually got things straight and won a World Series. But he was never the same pitcher in SF that he was in Oakland.
Nothing as precipitous as the drop-offs for guys like David Duval or Ian Baker-Finch who, while not being nearly at Tiger's level, were good, major championship-winning golfers that completely lost the ability to play the game anymore. I never cared much for Duval, as he usually came across as an ass during his heyday, but it was hard not to feel bad for him after he fell so far in such a short time. I was actually pulling for him when he made a run at winning the U.S. Open in '09, I believe.
Similar things happened in baseball to Steve Blass (who could no longer throw strikes, seemingly overnight) and to a lesser extent Barry Zito, though in Zito's case he eventually got things straight and won a World Series. But he was never the same pitcher in SF that he was in Oakland.
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