Tiger drives ratings up like no other

0 Comments | USA TODAY, March, 2008 | by Michael Hiestand

Here's what usually moves TV sports ratings for networks: Down-to-the-wire games.

It also helps to have famous teams, or one from big TV markets, be your winning teams and, of course, superstars on such teams.

But, not many superstars can really move the numbers. Arguably, there are only two in modern TV history -- Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

Woods' fame, presumably, hasn't even peaked yet. But ratings for weekend coverage of last year's golf tournaments -- excluding the sport's majors -- averaged 2% of U.S. TV households when Woods was not entered. Ratings rose 50% (to 3%) when he was entered.

Now consider the 1992-93 NBA regular-season, when Jordan had secured his superstardom on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team but hadn't reached the...