What Will it Take for a Tennis Star to Win SI’s Sportsman of the Year?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: December 17, 2013

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Soon after Sports Illustrated named Peyton Manning the 2013 Sportsman of the Year, debate began about worthy alternatives.

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz and New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera were among the names batted around, according to SI's Peter King (via Boston.com's Matt Pepin).

Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden even suggested Dr. James Andrews, the orthopedic surgeon whose clients include Adrian Peterson and Drew Brees. 

But what about Rafael Nadal or Serena Williams? Both had better years than Manning. 

As amazing as Manning's year has been, it's still in progress. He wasn't named league MVP for the 2012 season. In fact Manning is not even a slam dunk for NFL MVP this season.  

The Sportsman of the Year designation is starting to look more like the Heisman Trophy; an honor losing its luster. The Heisman is supposed to go to the best college football player. Instead it's awarded to the best offensive player from a major college football program. Similarly, the Sportsman of the Year appears to be reserved for the best athlete from a major professional sports team.

Forget the bogus humanitarian and social-impact criteria SI includes in its reason for selecting Manning. The criteria shifts to suit the selection every year. Last year LeBron James won. The prior year, college basketball coaches Pat Summitt and Mike Krzyzewski shared the honor. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire won in 1998. 


Manning is a future Hall of Famer. He has one of the most engaging personalities in sports. But this is not a lifetime achievement award. It's not supposed to be a popularity contest. It's supposed to honor an athlete for accomplishments within a given year.



If Nadal and Williams can't win the award after the type of seasons they had, you have to wonder, what does a tennis star have to do to win Sportsm...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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