I was shooting the bull with some friends at work and a question came up.

Both Lance and Tiger showed up a few blocks from eachother for autograph signing. Who would have the longer lines?

Please explain why you chose your answer?

I know in "our" cycling world it doesn't get bigger than Lance even if you don't like him, he is a giant in the sport. But really, how big is he? Tiger is quite the star but Lance has the whole Livestrong/Cancer support network thing going on that brings a lot of non sporty people on board.

Being a giant cycling fan, I would still have to say Tiger by a landslide.

I guess it depends on where in the country but here in Long Beach, it would be Tiger. I'd be in the Lance line by myself.

Tiger. He smiles.

No question Tiger is much more popular overall. But being a hack golfer and a Fred cyclist myself, I am more impressed with what Lance has done.

Where's the line?

Having finally seen firsthand the throngs cheer for Tiger even when he was two holes away, I'd say there isn't a bigger draw in golf than him. The cross-section of society that follows him around the course is flat-out amazing. He also hasn't been accused of doping, and at least in the US, more people understand golf than would praise a single cyclist in (what I consider to be) a team sport.

In this country, I might vote for Tiger getting the longer line. If I were at such an autograph session myself, I'd get into whichever line was shorter, then go to the other line.

The line for Tiger would be much longer.

Golfers are fat and slow.

I'd bother neither. Just because they're rich & famous doesn't mean they don't deserve some privacy. And what's the point of getting an autograph anyway? So you can sell it on ebay? Or bore people at cocktail parties with the retelling of how you shook Armstrong's/Tiger's hand? Pft.
However, if I saw Hinault waiting in line at 7-11 with pork rinds and 44-ounce malt liquor, I might wave and give him a thumbs-up though.

Tiger what?

Lance Armstong is a superstar, but Tiger Woods is the biggest athlete in the world.

I thought this was going to be a thread about who uses more PEDs....

Tiger, he is on TV much more often than Lance. Tiger is seen on several weekends during the year on broadcast TC. Lance is typically seen only during the TdF on VS. Golf is much more of a main stream sport than cycling. With all that, I personally would not need the autograph of either person.

I don't think I'd need either guy's autograph, either.

The most interesting part of seeing Tiger play two weekends ago wasn't anything he did (although he did have the closest approach shot at the hole we were watching). I saw a lot of golfers do some really cool stuff, like drilling a ball 300+ yards straight down the middle of the fairway or recovering from the rough by depositing the ball smack on the green. At that level, they all don't suck.

What amazed me was the size of the crowd that followed Tiger around -- and not just followed him, but preceded him at every hole. Several thousand people would skip parts of the course to go find a spot ahead of him at any hole that wasn't already crowded. My friend and I did the same, honestly -- we went to the end of 9's fairway and waited about an hour (we also had to bail early to pick up her phone from the "tech valet" outside the course -- no cameras, phones, etc allowed at all -- before it inconveniently closed). If they could see his shirt, no matter how far away he was, they watched him play. He was two holes over and people were glued to their binoculars, hoping they would catch a glimpse.

Even before he started playing the hole, the people within just ten feet of me represented every corner of the DC area. Everyone from country club denizens to hamburger flippers. I've never seen a crowd like it at any sporting event, ever. Like I said in my earlier post, I was simply amazed. I don't think there's a bigger draw in sports in the US than him.

On the other hand, I saw a random Livestrong bracelet on some guy walking down the street at lunch. And there are stars elsewhere such as Cristiano Ronaldo, who's likely going to be the highest-paid football player in the world.

Ronaldo was BIG in the UK but is even bigger at his new club. If he walked down any street in the US- I doubt that many would recognise him.

Now with Lance and Tiger- Who is getting the TV coverage at present? That is who will be more popular- Unless you are in France. Golf is played- but the Main sport in France is the TDF. Not just cycling- it is the TDF. The TDF is THE Event within a Cycling nation.

So for a Francophile- Tiger Who?

Depends on the "few blocks from each other" neighborhood.