Getty
A young Tiger Woods often went to Michael Jordan for advice.
It’s never been easy for superstar athletes to stay on the right path when the media and fans are watching their every move. It’s crucial for them to build a strong support system and find mentors who can offer wise advice because they’ve gone through similar experiences. For Tiger Woods, he found that support with sports icons Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter.
When Woods burst onto the golf scene in 1996, he was just a wide-eyed 20-year-old who had no idea of the fame and fortune that awaited him. That quickly changed when he won the 1997 Masters by a record 12 strokes, going from an up-and-coming talent to the biggest star in golf.
Around that time, Jordan was in the midst of his dynastic run as the superstar of the Chicago Bulls and the most famous athlete in the world. As for Jeter, he was on a similar trajectory as Woods after winning the 1996 Rookie of the Year award and leading the New York Yankees to four World Series titles in his first five seasons in the MLB.
Naturally, the uberfamous athletes gravitated to one another when they weren’t competing.
Tiger Woods routinely sought advice from Michael Jordan & Derek Jeter
GettyMichael Jordan and Derek Jeter helped Tiger Woods navigate the lifestyle of a superstar athlete.
Woods rapidly reached a level of fame and fortune that he wasn’t prepared for, and no one in his life at the time was capable of helping him navigate that lifestyle change. So, he sought advice elsewhere.
In a Golf Channel clip from the upcoming ‘Tiger Woods: 30 Years of Influence,’ which premieres on Saturday, Feb. 7, Woods explained how Jordan and Jeter were the only peers he could trust to talk him through the whirlwind.
“The only two people that really understood kinda what I was going through was obviously MJ—what he experienced with the Bulls in all those years, and just the mania with the Bulls, and then winning all those championships and just the mobs of people,” Woods said. “And the other one, who’s about my age, that made his major league debut in ’96, was Jeets. So, Jeets and I and MJ, we would meet up, whether the Bulls were playing in New York, I’d come by, and we’d go to a Yankees game, or we’re going to a Bulls game or whatever it is, and we’d all hang out and kinda chit chat.”
Those chit chats helped Woods transition from aspiring pro golfer to worldwide superstar.
Woods credits Jordan & Jeter for helping him adjust to fame
“Jeets and MJ.”
The only two people who Tiger could understand the craziness of Tiger-mania.
Appointment viewing: The first episode of ‘Tiger Woods: 30 Years of Influence’ airs this Saturday @TGRFound 👀
People would pay good money to know what actually went on during those secret meet-ups, but for now, Woods offered a simple description of how they went.
“I was picking their brain,” he said. “I was like, ‘What is going on here? You’re in Chicago doing your thing, MJ, and it’s crazy around the league. Jeets, you’re in the biggest media market in the world. How are you handling this? You’re a little bit older than I am, but still, this is all new to you. How are you dealing with it?’ Jeets and I would kinda figure it out at the same time. It was cool to bounce stuff off of those two guys at that particular time.”
Talk about a strong support system.
Jack Dougherty Jack Dougherty is an established sports journalist covering professional golf, Penn State football and the NFL with a focus on the Philadelphia Eagles for Heavy.com. His work has been featured on GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, the Associated Press, Sportscasting, Sportmoney, Pro Golf Now and Yardbarker. More about Jack Dougherty
More Heavy on Golf
Loading more stories