SI Sportsman of the Year

So it's a large-scale Lady Byng? Who cares then?

 

When Roger Federer failed to win it last year, it became obvious that this honor was a FRAUD.

That is all.

Carry on.

 

All the people who've come on here to either trash the pick or praise it, for starters.

 

Well, keep on truckin' then, I suppose. I thought the award had some sort of significance.

 

I considered adding those to my list, but thought I'd keep it to on the field accomplishments and the influence he has had within the league.

You're absolutely right to bring those up though, since they'd have to be involved in the story.

 

It's a travesty that Federer hasn't won. As sc said, they probably should have given it to him last year.

 

Agree with GB and Jemele here. I don't care for Dungy's politics, but as a coach, I think he's all class. Picking him would have been a nice contrast in a year when the Pats might go 19-0 with a man at the helm whose ethics are as disposable as the sleaves of his hoodie.

It was clear last year that Dwyane Wade was picked as a marketing decision, not an actual sportsmanship/editorial decision, and I wonder if that played a role again for Terry McDonnell. I like Favre, I think it's a safe pick, but Dungy would have been more interesting.

 

Benoit never played a sport.

Fair or not, Dungy's teams have been perceived as playoff underachievers until last year. It's a pretty high bar for a coach to be named and in no way can you argue that Dungy has been a more successful (or better) coach than Belichick. Not even close.

So all you are left with is the fact that he is by all accounts a very good person, he has overcome tragedy and that he's the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl. Even though minority coaches are underrepresented in proportion to the percentage of players, it's hard to see how a coach immediately hired by another NFL team after he was let go from the Bucs has faced any significant institutional barriers worthy of this selection.

 

Pretty solid choice... Federer should have won it last year, but SI picked someone who would sell magazines... Dwyane Wade is a great guy and a great player, but that may have been the biggest reach for a Sportsman of the Year ever...

They have to love the Favre choice because they know it will sell magazines, plus, it's legitimate...

 

People posting on something here is not a good criterion. We got more responses on what the plural of clitoris should be.

 

The thread last year was much, much longer, but that was mostly because there were a lot of people bitching about the selection...

Time has given "Man of the Year" to people like Hitler and whatnot, but I don't think SI really wanted to give it to Bonds. Beyond that, it was probably a Federer, Tiger, Favre and Tom Brady discussion.

Tiger has already won it at least twice. I think Brady has won it. Federer won't sell issues and Favre's been the best story in the NFL this season. It's hard to argue with the selection.

 

Really no love for Roger Goodell? Ask Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson and Chris Henry how big an impact he had this year ...