The findings of a Harris Interactive poll released Tuesday show Lakers guard Kobe Bryant tied along with golfer Tiger Woods as the favorite American Sports star. Woods had held the position alone since 2006, but the Los Angeles Lakers guard moved up from fourth last year to grab a share of the top spot.
The poll results reveal more about the fickle nature of sports fans than it really shows about the player himself. On one hand we see that Woods dropped in popularity after reports surfaced about numerous affairs preceding his struggles on the course and on the other hand Bryant jumped from four to a first-place tie after winning his fifth NBA title.
Bryant’s image had taken a beating for several instances like the Colorado incident in July 2003 where he was charged with sexual assault, his tension with Shaquille O’Neal and the perception that he couldn’t lead a team. However since then, the Lakers have appeared in the last three NBA Finals and have won the last two. Even though questions were raised about Bryant’s game due to his age and injuries, the poll results clearly shows that winning cures all ills.
Meanwhile, the poll results showed Yankees captain Derek Jeter was third followed by Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. For Woods, it was another moment of disappointment as he has to now share his No 1 spot with Bryant.
Popularity: 4% [?]
