Even at age 14, Tiger Woods knew he was golf's next big star.
An interview with Woods from 1990 was recently unearthed and it delved into a lot of topics, including issues with racism in golf. Woods said he believed there was a lot of racism in the sport but he believed he could change the attitude in golf, even going as far as to say he could transcend sports like Michael Jordan, who is arguably the greatest NBA player that ever lived.
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"Since I'm black it might be even bigger than Jack Nicklaus," Woods said in the interview. "I might be even bigger than him. I may be like a sort of Michael Jordan in basketball."
Much like Jordan with the Bulls, Woods became a household name in golf by winning 14 major tournaments. A young Woods said he hoped to play in major tournaments in the interview, and he not only went on to do so, but he eventually dominated.
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The eventual 79-time PGA Tour winner called his father, Earl Woods, who passed away in 2006, his hero and also said he was looking forward to his future in golf. He also touched on the downsides of the sport, saying there are definitely some racist aspects to golf.
"Every time I go to a major country club I can always feel it," Woods said. "Always sense it. People always staring at me. 'What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here.' When I go to Texas or Florida you always feel it. They say 'What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here.' And that's probably because that's where all the slavery was."
Woods then said rather than focusing on being the next Nicklaus, he set his sights on being "bigger than him to the blacks," by being similar to Jordan.
The now 39-year-old golfer overcame any racism barriers and became one of the most successful golfers of all time, and one of the highest-paid athletes ever.
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