Tiger Woods will be the latest in a growing list of athletes to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump
A fifth green jacket? Check. The end of a long, exhausting comeback tour? Check. A presidential medal of Freedom? That's next on the list for Tiger Woods.
Woods won the Masters on Sunday, capturing the 15th major championship of his career, but his first since 2008. President Trump, with whom Woods is reportedly on good terms, was very excited to watch his friend win the tournament and it looks like he's still riding that wave.
On Monday, Trump announced on Twitter that he plans to award Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom because he came back from numerous injuries and the marital scandal that plagued Woods' personal life a decade ago.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Per The Conversation, the Medal of Freedom was established under former President John F. Kennedy, to "recognize who has made an especially meritorious contribution to" the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant endeavors.
Trump has awarded seven medals, and athletes appear to be his favorite profession to choose from. Woods will be the fourth athlete the president has chosen. In 2018, he gave medals to football players Roger Staubach and Alan Page and a posthumous award to baseball player Babe Ruth.
That's a small sample size, but the 50 percent rate certainly outpaces other presidents. Former President Barack Obama, for instance, nominated 12 athletes, but he also gave out 115 awards overall, the most by any president. Overall, The Conversation reports, athletes account for five percent of awardees.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
4 ways to give back this holiday season
The Explainer If your budget is feeling squeezed, remember that money is not the only way you can be generous around the holidays
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
4 tips for hosting an ecofriendly Thanksgiving
The Week Recommends Coming together for the holidays typically produces a ton of waste, but with proper preparation, you can have an environmentally friendly gathering.
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Europe roiled by attacks on Israeli soccer fans
Speed Read Israeli fans supporting the Maccabi Tel Aviv team clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters in 'antisemitic attacks,' Dutch authorities said
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York wins WNBA title, nearly nabs World Series
Speed Read The Yankees with face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming Fall Classic
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
South Carolina ends perfect season with NCAA title
Speed Read The women's basketball team won a victory over superstar Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Iowa's Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA scoring record
speed read College basketball star Caitlin Clark set the new record in Iowa's defeat of Ohio State
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Eight-year-old Brit Bodhana Sivanandan makes chess history
Speed Read Sivanandan has been described as a 'phenomenon' by chess masters
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Watch Simone Biles win her record 8th US gymnastics championship
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Spain beats England 1-0 to win its first Women's World Cup
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published