# 2023 SI Sportsperson of the Year **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 3, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475 "2023-07-03T00:49:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/41 "2023-09-04T15:44:37Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > I think Lyles is the best sprinter since Bolt. However, Bolt never won the ‘award’ despite winning 3 golds at multiple Olympics and World Champs. > > If Lyles DOES win it (and I’m a track and field fan) - just call it '‘The US Sportsperson of the year’. That pretty much sums up the award. Bolt didn’t win because he’s not American. He should have been acclaimed in 2016; they gave it to Lebron James for the second time. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/42 "2023-09-04T15:47:04Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > I don’t think a college athlete has ever been SOTY, In one case they did, but only as part of a group; Chip Rives shared the award in 1987 for charitable work along with a bunch of other athletes. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/43 "2023-09-04T15:54:07Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Terry Baker? He’s effectively the only one, and it was in 1962. Baker not only won the Heisman and the Maxwell Awards as Oregon State’s quarterback, but also was a key player on the school’s basketball team; they went to the Final Four in Baker’s senior season, but I believe that was a few months after he won the Heisman and the SI award. Parenthetically, in 1987, SI named eight co-winners of the award, all of whom were specifically recognized for charity work. One of them was [Chip Rives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_Rives), who was, at that time, a running back for Wake Forest, and was recognized for organizing a toy drive for needy children. _Edit: ninjaed by @RickJay , because I was too slow in writing._ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/44 "2023-09-04T16:01:41Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > He’s effectively the only one Jim Ryun? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/45 "2023-09-04T16:06:01Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Jim Ryun? Good catch. So, two have won the award for what they did as college athletes, though both of them won it ~60 years ago, which was a very different era for sports in America. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/46 "2023-09-28T18:52:40Z")
Throwing this out as a long shot but guaranteed money maker. I’m already sick of the super couple, but I could see Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift getting it. It would sell plenty of hard copy magazines. It’s also not ridiculous to see Taylor Swift as Time Person of the Year ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/47 "2023-09-28T19:46:49Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Taylor Swift as Time Person of the Year … … could actually happen. But no way could she be even a partial SI SotY. And Kelce by himself would be an extreme longshot. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/48 "2023-09-28T20:45:01Z")
The Atlanta Braves just passed 300 home runs for the season, only the third team to do so. And Ronald Acuña is the first player ever to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases in a season. If the Braves win another Series, they could sneak in, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/49 "2023-09-29T14:25:57Z")
Coco Gauff is a possibility. The passing of the torch of (American) women’s tennis from the Williams sisters. Winning the US Open at 19. It’s a good story. It is tennis so it may be overshadowed by bigger sports. Also hurting her is that she’s not number 1 in the world. She’s number 3. Not exactly Serena at her prime. Is winning one major enough? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/50 "2023-09-29T14:54:26Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Coco Gauff is a possibility. The passing of the torch of (American) women’s tennis from the Williams sisters. Winning the US Open at 19. It’s a good story. It is tennis so it may be overshadowed by bigger sports. I doubt it will be her. Sloane Stephens didn’t get it and in a way, feels like she has been quickly forgotten. I get that Serena was still playing then, but it is also easy to forget that Venus is actually still playing. I think if Coco Gauff wins 2 or 3 out of four grand slams in a year, it will very much enhance her chances. Serena got it once. She won 3 out of 4 grand slams that year and had won…a lot(like 20 or so) grand slams already at that point. Think about how long it took to acknowledge Serena with the award. Then again, Federer-Nadal-Djokovic have all had years equal or better than Serena and never gotten it. It’s stunning to see Federer do what he did and not get it. Now, it is even stranger not to give it to Novak when he is clearly the greatest the sport has ever seen. Gretzky got it. Jordan got it. Novak? Roger? Nadal? Nope. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/51 "2023-09-29T16:50:03Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > The Atlanta Braves just passed 300 home runs for the season, only the third team to do so. The only other two were both in 2019. The Braves now have three games to hit four home runs to break the record. But would that matter enough to get SI Sportspeople of the Year? Winning the World Series happens every year, after all; what’s special about them in some human interest way? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/52 "2023-09-29T16:52:44Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Think about how long it took to acknowledge Serena with the award. > > Then again, Federer-Nadal-Djokovic have all had years equal or better than Serena and never gotten it. It’s stunning to see Federer do what he did and not get it. Now, it is even stranger not to give it to Novak when he is clearly the greatest the sport has ever seen. > > Gretzky got it. > > Jordan got it. > > Novak? Roger? Nadal? Nope. Serena Williams is American. Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic are not. Gretzky was a huge outlier; he was the last athlete to win the award, by himself, who wasn’t an American. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/53 "2023-09-29T23:45:48Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The only other two were both in 2019. > > The Braves now have three games to hit four home runs to break the record. > > But would that matter enough to get SI Sportspeople of the Year? Winning the World Series happens every year, after all; what’s special about them in some human interest way? All of this. Home runs are just more common in MLB now, largely due to a different philosophy of managing, coaching and hitting, and possibly in part due to changes in the ball. Thirty years ago, 10% of all hits were home runs; now, it’s 14%. The _average_ MLB team has hit nearly 200 HRs so far this season. The Braves are a very good team, with 103 wins so far, but they aren’t necessarily head-and-shoulders above the rest of the teams (we’ll have one, and possibly as many as three, other 100-win teams in the majors), and I’m not sure what, exactly, makes them extraordinary, and an interesting story. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/54 "2023-10-01T17:13:00Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The _average_ MLB team has hit nearly 200 HRs so far this season. In 1982, the first year I really followed baseball super closely, the Brewers hit 216 homers. They were FAMOUS for their power. They were called “Harvey’s Wallbangers.” No one else was within 30 homers of that. No one came close the following year. Today 216 home runs is unremarkable. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/55 "2023-10-05T21:29:48Z")
Another name to consider, in case SI thinks that “nobody really stands out” (Mahomes’s stock went down after that opening night loss): Simone Biles led the USA women to their seventh consecutive world gymnastics championship, breaking a record held by the Chinese men. She has the “Serena Williams longevity factor” going for her. There are two strikes against her: One - SI may want to wait, just in case she wins in Paris, and give it to her next year; Two - too many people may still be under the delusion that she “quit on the team” in 2021. (“Switching to monthly was bad enough. Giving it to that quitter crossed the line. Cancel my subscription - I’ll just have to find a store that still sells magazines to get the swimsuit issue.”) There is precedent for this sort of thing; Mary Decker won in 1983, a non-Olympic year, and if anybody claims, “Well, the Russians weren’t there,” the Russians (and other Soviets, for that matter) “weren’t there” in 1984 either, but that didn’t stop Mary Lou Retton from winning the award. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/56 "2023-11-03T17:43:12Z")
Since the World Series is now over, I think we can eliminate the Rangers from contention for Sportspersons of the Year. It’s not really fair to the Rangers, but the overwhelming negative media coverage kills any chance even though this is the first World Series for the franchise. Somehow the media is fixated on television ratings and the Rangers and D-backs didn’t deserve to be there. Still undecided about who wins Sportsperson for this year, I’ll return to the thread before end of month to make my final prediction. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/57 "2023-11-03T19:32:01Z")
The Rangers as a whole aren’t as good a story as Corey Seager winning his second World Series MVP. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/58 "2023-11-03T19:48:00Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Since the World Series is now over, I think we can eliminate the Rangers from contention for Sportspersons of the Year. It’s not really fair to the Rangers, but the overwhelming negative media coverage kills any chance even though this is the first World Series for the franchise. Somehow the media is fixated on television ratings and the Rangers and D-backs didn’t deserve to be there. I didn’t think the Rangers were really in contention anyway. It took the Giants three World Series before any of them got it, and even then, it was just one player (Madison Baumgardner). Okay, _maybe_ Bochy, but no baseball manager has won it so far. > [@Loach](#): > > The Rangers as a whole aren’t as good a story as Corey Seager winning his second World Series MVP. Then again, Baumgardner’s win in 2014 was the last time anyone from baseball won for something other than charity work, so baseball is “due.” There’s also the whole “10-0 in postseason road games” angle. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/59 "2023-11-05T22:13:45Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > It’s not really fair to the Rangers, but the overwhelming negative media coverage kills any chance even though this is the first World Series for the franchise. Somehow the media is fixated on television ratings and the Rangers and D-backs didn’t deserve to be there. I think the amount of attention paid to this issue is being rather exaggerated here. The Rangers, however, aren’t going to win this anyway because there isn’t anything particularly noteworthy about them as championship teams go. What sets them apart from the 2005 White Sox, 2019 Nationals, or 1997 Marlins? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/60 "2023-11-07T17:30:48Z")
Messi: Won World Cup with Argentina in 2022 Won Leagues Cup with Miami in 2023 US Open Cup finalist in 2023 Didn’t make MLS playoffs in 2023, after starting down a deep hole. I’m still leaning him, but less than if Miami won two tournaments or one and the playoffs [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475.md?page=4)