The 2014 SI Sportsman of the Year

Fantastic choice.

 

Bumgarner had a run for the ages.

To piggyback off the poster who mentioned the Spurs, one choice could have been Pop in more of an ode to the compilation of titles, capped with the most impressive one. We always talk about how unsexy the Spurs are -- most unsexy 5-time champ ever? -- and this could have been one way to appreciate his dynamic as a sportsman.

Had the Heat 3-peated I think we all know it would have been LeBron.

 

Zzzz. If Michael Sam had made the varsity, it would have been him.

 

I'm surprised it wasn't LeGarrette Blount.

 

I was pretty certain it would be Mo'ne Davis.

 

If only there were an athlete who was perhaps retiring this year, who might have gone out with a championship, who possibly holds every record in his sport in this country, and who came close to having a bit of a comeback from a shocking setback earlier in the year.

Too bad there wasn't anyone like that this year.

I mean, I can't think of anyone. Not from this country. And certainly not in a sport that received any fan or media attention whatsoever this year.

Best to just give it to the guy who, thanks to an amazing month after a nice but not spectacular regular season, led his team to its historic first title in two seasons.

 

Now, THAT would sell magazines!

 

This is all very important, it seems.

 

I was thinking Kenny Britt for his social activism

 

Buh . . . But . . .

SI went with the easy mainstream choice, frankly. In an Olympic and World Cup year, and a year in which Tim Duncan got his fifth title (seven years after his fourth!), the dude who won World Series MVP (after an OK, not spectacular, regular season) gets Sportsman.

Recency ruled the day, and surface examinations of 2014 in traditionally popular sports led to the choice.

It is!

Tiger Woods ended up changing the fate of nations. And we all first heard about it in SI's Sportsman of the Year piece!

Sports are important, dude.

This all said, SI usually does go with the simple choice. Creativity on these types of things isn't really the norm, anywhere. Time did "You" in 2006, and we still make jokes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportsman_of_the_Year

 

I would have chosen Jameis Wilson and used it to anchor a "this is everything that's wrong with college athletics" round-up.