The Best Sports Story of 2005: Golf's Jason Gore

Great sports stories transcend sports. They warm the heart and inspire the soul by telling the tales of athletes who have overcome adversity and reached success despite the enormous odds stacked against them. It is true that every professional athlete has overcome tremendous odds to reach the professional level and that each of their stories is noteworthy. However, the best stories in my opinion, are the ones of athletes that did not find success right away. Stories of athletes that tried and failed, tried and failed again, and yet continued to pursue their dreams. Much like aspiring and struggling actors, these athletes were forced to work common jobs and had to face the potential reality that they would go through their entire lives as “average Joes“. And yet, somehow, they did not abandon hope and continued to fight for their dream despite their bleak chances of success. For these athletes, success must taste a tad bit sweeter because they were not drafted directly out of college, or high school, and immediately signed to multi-million dollar contracts. The best sports story of 2005, in my opinion, deserves to be called a great sports story.

In recent years, there were a few great stories that have stuck with me. Kurt Warner was not drafted by the NFL, so he played in the Arena Football League before going on to become both a Super Bowl MVP and a two-time NFL MVP. John Starks was bagging groceries at a supermarket before he posterized* Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player in the history of the game, with “The Dunk” at Madison Square Garden. Starks went on to become an NBA All-Star. Rich Beem was selling cell phones in Seattle, and had abandoned his golf career entirely, before resuming it and eventually beating Tiger Woods by one stroke to win the 2002 PGA Championship. All of these athletes’ stories are remarkable and inspirational. I believe this story is equally special.