Rory McIlroy Is the Superstar LeBron James Only Wishes He Could Be

If you were to take Rory McIlroy and put him next to LeBron James, there would be no way you could compare the two from a physical standpoint.

McIlroy stands at an average 5'10", 160 pounds and speaks with an Irish accent that he acquired from his small hometown of Holywood, Northern Ireland.

James, on the other hand, weighs in at a behemoth 6'8", 250 pounds and hails from Akron, Ohio.

There is one similarity between these two athletes, though.

As of yesterday, Rory McIlroy propelled himself into a category that LeBron has been barely holding on to, but these three powerful words are where the similarities will end.

The Chosen One.

Rory McIlroy dominated the field at the 2011 U.S. Open in such a way that many are already considering him to be the next greatest thing to happen to the sport of golf.

He became the youngest major champion since the last greatest thing, Tiger Woods, with an eight-stroke win. In the process he shot four straight rounds in the 60s, set 12 records and finished an unbelievable 16-under par.

If McIlroy even plays like half the golfer he was at the U.S. Open for the rest of his career, we very well could be witnessing one of the best ever.

He had me on the edge of my seat and ready for more, and I think it’s important to note that in no way was I someone you could consider to be a fan of golf. But after watching McIlroy play, it’s almost as if I have a hunger for the game now.

I want to watch more, and as long as he is in the field, I can guarantee you from now on my TV will be dialed in to any tournament that he is playing.

In four short days Rory McIlroy converted me into a full blown golf fan, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who was mesmerized. I think he may be deserving of such a lofty title.

On the other hand we have LeBron James.

James is the self-proclaimed king of basketball. He is “The Chosen One” for the NBA and will win not just one title, but two-three-four-five-six-seven and so on.

James, like McIlroy, has been hyped up to the extreme and has faced the pressure of being a superstar.

Unlike McIlroy he collapsed under the weight of his own hype.

Even looking at issues outside of the athletic arena, it’s easy to see the differences in the two.

James turned on his own hometown in the pursuit of his greatness. James has an entourage of “yes men” and is seemingly more concerned with his public image and his “kingdom” than he is putting effort into his own flawed game.

McIlroy, on the other hand, is a proud citizen of Northern Ireland and seems to carry the town of Holywood on his sleeve wherever he goes. McIlroy has had the same coach from an early age, and has stuck with him through the fame. Finally, McIlroy has been routinely seen just like any other ordinary guy, hanging out at the pub and drinking a Guinness. He’s just an ordinary guy.

Even though McIlroy has every reason to act like a king, he seems to be more than content to just be Rory McIlroy, which brings me to my final point.

McIlroy is extremely likeable.

At just 22 years old he still has that teenager haircut and boyish looks. He seems to be personable, and it looks like he is thoroughly enjoying the game and the experience of being a majors winner.

He’s a guy that you would want to root for.

Conversely, James has painted himself out to be the villain of not just the NBA, but in sports overall. He comes across as cocky and arrogant. He says things with no regards to their actual meaning, and simply put, he acts like he cares about nobody else but himself.

More people seem to hate LeBron James more than they want to see him succeed. In fact, when he loses, people seem to find their own victory in it.

If LeBron James is everything bad about sports and the superstar culture, than Rory McIlroy is everything good about it.

Rory McIlroy is the superstar that we wanted LeBron James to be.

McIlroy bounced back from personal defeat in a mighty way, and all the while captured the hearts and attention of the sports world in a seemingly effortless and humble way.

James has suffered shame and defeat all the while crumbling under the pressure of his self-given title, and he has been anything but graceful during the process.

It’s still yet too early to determine if McIlroy is truly as great as we think he might be, but from everything I see he has all the intangibles to be golf's chosen one.

The best part about that is he actually earned that title, and he waited for us to give it to him.

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports