SI Sportsman of the Year — Who is it?

Must be from St. Louis.

 

Naw, I'm just needling Hoops and his undying devotion to KC.

 

I'd guess that none of the profiles that are already up on SI.com will end up being the choice.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing SI name "The Fan" Sportsman of the Year one of these days.

I know it would come across to some as pandering, and, in reality, it probably really is pandering, but think about it. It seems with every passing year, sports become more and more detached from ordinary fans. Yet without fans, none of these guys, not Federer, not Pujols, not LaRusa, not O'Neill, not anybody, has any relevance in society.

I envision the headline --

2006 Sportsman of the Year: You

Underneath, for cover art, is a 4 inch-by-4 inch piece of reflective material, so when the subscriber picks it up and looks at it, he sees his face.

Around the reflective material is a collage of portraits of various fans. Story package includes a main bar focusing on how sports become less fan friendly every year. Inside the issue are four or five sidebars on people who exemplify what it means to be a fan.

 

Best post on SJ ever, good job.

 

Not a bad choice, but a little too inside baseball.

I like the choice of Federer -- but all accounts, he's a class act. I wondered if they would give it to Andre, but Gary Smith already did the definitive piece on him.

Mybe something New Orleans related? Reggie Bush or the Saints? Nah.

 

Federer. I'm not a tennis fan at all, but he's the Pujols of the sports world in that he's so good, everyone wants to give the MVP-esque honor to someone else. Federer being Swiss shouldn't matter, but it unfortunately does.

Bet Tiger will win it and the photo will be the crying ones from the British Open victory. Wah!

 

3 folks I'd consider:

Dakoda Dowd
Jason McElwain (J-Mac)
Romney Oaks

Better yet, maybe all three...as examples of how kids and teens can carry themselves while facing adversity, and what they can accomplish...

 

After typing Federer in, Daemon's choice seems like a good one to me, too. Federer or Tagliabue would be my top choices.

 

My gut reaction picks:

1. Tiger (Lance got SOY at least 2-3 times. El Tigre is a money shot.)
2. Federer (Dominant on the court.)
3. Buck O'Neil (Sentimental)
4. The City of New Orleans (it's an out-of-the box pick, but the folks there would get a nomination before I'll give it to the team and the players.)
5. J-Mac (the most obvious reason)
6. Tags (for his tenure as Commish and the state of the NFL)
7. Lance Armstrong (if SI can't find someone to pick, so he's the default choice.) [/sarcasm]

Tiger, Federer, and New Orleans will be one of SI's picks IMO. Everyone else is who I would rather take, but I don't write nor run SI.

 

Just clarifying the Lance Armstrong myth. . .

He only got Sportsman of the Year once. In 2002.

He's been the subject of plenty of SI stories. But, as far as I know, he was only Sportsman of the Year once.

In fact, I believe Tiger Woods is the only person to ever be named Sportsman of the Year twice. Not Jordan. Not Ali. Not Nicklaus. Not Armstrong. Just Tiger.

Some other thoughts. . .

Wouldn't be a bad year to give Pat Riley some love: he's never won it, brought a third team to the finals, did it in dramatic fashion (coming out of retirement, yadda, yadda yadda).

In that vein, Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't be a bad choice (along with the obvious choice of Wade).

I don't know that a NASCAR driver has ever won. You'd think that one of these years SI will take that step (Dale Jr. is obvious choice, though I dont know enough about motorsports to know if he deserves it this year any more than previous years).

I realize the following is pretty far outside the box, but John Chaney really wouldn't be a bad choice at all.

 

1. Jason McElwain
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Tiger Woods

 

Yeah, Riley deserves it for knifing Stan Van Gundy in the back.
A real sportsman.