SI Sportsman of the Year: LeBron

I said James was an OK choice. But Olympic athletes in most sports get one year every four to compete in the world spotlight. Here were two guys who did it twice (three times for Phelps) in succession. If you don't recognize them in an Olympic year, you never will. Phelps has established himself as the greatest performer in the history of his sport. James is a long way from doing that, great as he has been.

 

Phelps won it in 2008.

 

Phelps' Olympics was inferior to his 2008 games. Bolt was just as good and he would have made a fine choice.

But I think that LBJ was a great choice.

 

"OK" and "pathetic" seem to be at odds with each other.

 

Too bad it can't be Gabby.

 

The person with the biggest impact on the sports world this year is Travis Tygart, who brought down Lance Armstrong and BrandCancer Livestrong.

 

Since I stopped paying attention long ago, I forgot Phelps won in 2008. My very bad. But I still believe Olympic years should be reserved for athletes in the sports for which the Olympics is paramount. That used to be an SI policy until the doping got real bad in the 1980s.

 

Calling this choice pathetic is pathetic.

In one year the guy led his teams to an Olympic Gold Medal, an NBA World Championship, and won his third MVP in four years. He was THE dominant athlete in 2012. I'd think even the most irrational Lebron haters would be forced to concede he clearly deserved this one. Guess not.

As for Phelps, he already won one in 08, and was nowhere near the swimmer this year that he was that year. And, although Bolt also would've also been a deserving choice, he was not as good this year as he's been in the past.

The right guy guy clearly won it this year.

 

Still a villain. Winning a championship does not erase what he did.

 

He might be still a villain, but he's also still clearly the best choice to win the SOY award for 2012. I don't believe there's a likability requirement to the award, is there?

 

That is not correct.

SI Sportsmen/Sportswomen of the Year in Summer Olympic years (*denotes Olympian from that year):

1956 -- Bobby Joe Morrow*
1960 -- Arnold Palmer
1964 -- Ken Venturi
1968 -- Bill Russell
1972 -- Billie Jean King/John Wooden
1976 -- Chris Evert
1980 -- U.S. hockey team*
1984 -- Edwin Moses/Mary Lou Retton*
1988 -- Orel Hershiser
1992 -- Arthur Ashe
1996 -- Tiger Woods
2000 -- Tiger Woods
2004 -- Boston Red Sox
2008 -- Michael Phelps*
2012 -- LeBron James*


Only one Olympian was named SI's Sportsman of the Year in his or her Olympic year before 1980.

Since then, three have. Four if you count LeBron.

 

Let's add the Winter Games years since the split in 1994:

1994 -- Bonnie Blair*/Johann Olav Koss*
1998 -- Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa
2002 -- Lance Armstrong
2006 -- Dwyane Wade
2010 -- Drew Brees

One Olympic pick (albeit two people). So that makes four (or five with LeBron) since "doping got real bad in the 1980s."