Woods saga voted story of year

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Tiger Woods’ humbling return to the public eye, from his televised confession to a winless season on the golf course, was voted the sports story of the year by members of The Associated Press.

The fallout from Woods’ admission of infidelity edged a very different sort of story: The New Orleans Saints winning their first Super Bowl championship, giving an emotional boost to their hurricane-ravaged city.

It was late 2009 when Woods’ pristine image unraveled after he crashed his SUV into a tree outside his home, unleashing salacious revelations of extramarital affairs. The story was a late addition to last year’s voting and wound up fifth.

But the twists and turns weren’t over for Woods. Many more developments were still to unfold in 2010.

There were 176 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP’s membership. The voters were asked to rank the top 10 sports stories of the year, with the first-place story getting 10 points, the second-place story receiving nine points, and so on.

The Woods saga received 1316 points, with the Saints’ title getting 1215 and the NBA free agency frenzy coming in third with 1085.

Major League Baseball’s ongoing travails with performance-enhancing drugs was the top story last year.

On the list:

2. SAINTS WIN: New Orleans residents loved their Saints for not abandoning the city after Hurricane Katrina, but it was hard to imagine the team bringing much joy on the field after 42 mostly losing seasons. Then Drew Brees and Co. upset the mighty Indianapolis Colts in their first Super Bowl, to the delight of French Quarter revelers and fans nationwide who adopted the Saints.

3. FREE AGENCY FRENZY: NBA fans were captivated by the mystery of where MVP LeBron James and other marquee free agents would land. Few would have guessed that three of them would sign with the same team: the Miami Heat, who became basketball’s Evil Empire by adding James from Cleveland and Chris Bosh from Toronto to Dwyane Wade.

4. WORLD CUP: A World Cup of firsts ended gloriously for Spain and for Africa. South Africa hosted the continent’s first World Cup without the pitfalls many predicted. And the Spaniards brought home the first World Cup title to the soccer-mad country with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in extra time.

OTHERS: 5. The San Francisco Giants win the World Series. 6. NFL concussions leads to crackdown on dangerous hits. 7. Jimmie Johnson wins his fifth straight NASACAR title. 8. Vikings quarterback Brett Favre struggles. 9. The Connecticut women’s basketball team’s second straight title and long winning streak. 10. UCLA basketball legend John Wooden, who coached 10 champions, dies at the age of 99.