2015 Sportsman of the Year running thread

[Dick Whitman]

Steph Curry has to be near the top of this conversation. In only about a 10 month period he led Team USA to the Gold Medal at the hoops World Cup, led the Warriors to their first NBA championship in four decades, and won the League MVP Award (and also won the 3 point contest at the All Star game). A year can't get much better than that.

That said, I fully expect SI to give it to the horse (and if not the horse a woman's soccer player), because SI is always trying out-clever itself with a "unique" angle on these things.

Is it really that clever and unique to give it to a Triple Crown winner or a World Cup team? They gave it to the jockey of the last Triple Crown winner and the last World Cup winner.

There's an NBA MVP every year.

 

[BTExpress]

SI is always trying out-clever itself with a "unique" angle on these things.

Frankly, that's what a lot of other people do on these threads, too.

"That pick showed no IMAGINATION!!"

Yeah, probably because it was so forking obviously the correct one.

 

[Stoney]

There's an NBA MVP every year.

But it's not every year that the NBA MVP also leads his team to the NBA championship and wins a gold medal in either the Olympics or World Cup (essentially conquering the highest height at all three levels--top individual honor, top professional team honor, top international honor). In fact, there's only two other times in history when a basketball player's hit that triple crown--Michael Jordan in 92 and Lebron James in 2012 (both of whom were SOY winners, btw)--so I think it safe to say that Curry's year has been more special than the typical MVP year.

 

[Songbird]

Riley would be on the cover.

 

[da man]

Watch for Spieth as "the kid who saved golf" in the post-Tiger era.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

But it's not every year that the NBA MVP also leads his team to the NBA championship and wins a gold medal in either the Olympics or World Cup (essentially conquering the highest height at all three levels--top individual honor, top professional team honor, top international honor). In fact, I believe there's only two other times in history when a basketball player's hit that triple crown--Michael Jordan in 92 and Lebron James in 2012 (both of whom were SOY winners, btw)--so I think it safe to say that Curry's year has been more special than the typical MVP year.

Nobody cares about basketball's World Cup.

People care about horse racing's Triple Crown. They do care about a tennis Grand Slam.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Watch for Spieth as "the kid who saved golf" in the post-Tiger era.

Just after Rory saved it last year.

 

[Vombatus]

But it's not every year that the NBA MVP also leads his team to the NBA championship and wins a gold medal in either the Olympics or World Cup (essentially conquering the highest height at all three levels--top individual honor, top professional team honor, top international honor). In fact, I believe there's only two other times in history when a basketball player's hit that triple crown--Michael Jordan in 92 and Lebron James in 2012 (both of whom were SOY winners, btw)--so I think it safe to say that Curry's year has been more special than the typical MVP year.

Yeah, but he probably ruined his SI SOY chances by bringing his kid to the pressers...

 

[BTExpress]

Steffi won the Golden Slam in 1988 (Grand Slam plus Olympic gold), and SOY went to Hershiser.

 

[da man]

Just after Rory saved it last year.

Rory's a dang furriner. That don't count.

This kid's from Texas, by God. He's the perfect All-American Boy.

 

[Songbird]

Steffi should've won just for her legs.

 

[bigpern23]

No tennis player, including Roger damn Federer has won it since Arthur Ashe in 1992. Serena won't be the pick this year, either.

The winner has come from basketball four times in the past 12 years (Duncan/Robinson, 2003; Wade, 2006; Coach K/Summit, 2011; LeBron, 2012). My guess would be Steph Curry or American Pharoah, unless someone like Bryce Harper wins League MVP, the World Series and WS MVP. U.S. women's soccer team deserves some consideration, but ultimately, they won't sell magazines and, thus, they won't win it.