# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/101 "2023-12-05T17:06:25Z")
Well, then, they should change their name to, “American Sports Illustrated” and be done with it. 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/102 "2023-12-05T17:12:54Z")
We are talking about the people who coined the term “World Series”, forget it Jake, is USATown 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/103 "2023-12-05T17:13:20Z")
They’ve managed to survive for 70 years but I’m sure that they’ll take the advice from someone who’s never bought an issue under advisement ---
**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:** [December 5, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/104 "2023-12-05T17:13:54Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Well, then, they should change their name to, “American Sports Illustrated” and be done with it. 🤨 They don’t have to. The whole written in English published in America thing does it for them. A quick browse of what they cover shows it’s mostly American sports and leagues. They cover all sports but mostly NFL, MLB etc. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/105 "2023-12-05T17:16:26Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > That’s ridiculous! Soccer is a worldwide sport played in a plethora of nations, and tennis is international as well. How can you not have a winner from both of those sports in all of those years? Five tennis players and one soccer player have won the award incidentally but you keep that outrage going ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/106 "2023-12-05T17:36:36Z")
It’s sexist to assume that I’ve never purchased the magazine. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/107 "2023-12-05T17:42:34Z")
I made no assumptions about nor did I notice your gender when I made that comment, especially considering that I have never bought an issue. I made that assumption because of your specific ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/108 "2023-12-05T17:43:53Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Five tennis players and one soccer player have won the award incidentally but you keep that outrage going From Mahaloth (bold print mine): “There have been a few group awards that included a non-American but **the last non-American to win outright was Gretzky in 1982. The last non-North American was in 1959**.” It’s the nationalism that disturbs me. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/109 "2023-12-05T17:46:30Z")
That wasn’t from Mahaloth, that was from me. FFS It’s an literally an American sports magazine. Why would an American sports magazine not be American focused? If you don’t like it, don’t buy it (anymore). ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/110 "2023-12-05T17:56:32Z")
I’m sincere in saying that I’m sorry I upset you. ❤ ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/111 "2023-12-05T18:05:48Z")
Aw come on. You didn’t upset me at all. We’re good. ❤ ---
**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:** [December 5, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/112 "2023-12-05T18:21:06Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I think it’s not just that they are not Americans. It’s that interest in tennis in the U.S. isn’t very high now because there are no competitive male Americans. There was a lot more attention given to tennis in the Connors/McEnroe era or even in the Sampras era than now. That said: Serena Williams was their SOTY for 2015, right? That’s the year she won three of the four Grand Slams, but didn’t make it to the fourth final; it’s also the year Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slams, and _did_ make it to the fourth final. And if that’s not the tiebreaker, then — what? More titles at other tournaments? Well, no; he won more of those than she did. Better record in doubles? Uh, no; hers was worse. More weeks ranked number one? Again, no; the only advantage I can figure is that they figured the American would sell more issues. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/113 "2023-12-05T18:31:31Z")
.[quote=“Frodo, post:102, topic:986475, full:true”] We are talking about the people who coined the term “World Series”, forget it Jake, is USATown 😃 [/quote] Some sources say that “World Series” somehow involved the New York “World” newspaper, and it wasn’t meant to mean “worldwide” ---
**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:** [December 5, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/114 "2023-12-05T19:22:01Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > I think it’s not just that they are not Americans. It’s that interest in tennis in the U.S. isn’t very high now because there are no competitive male Americans. There was a lot more attention given to tennis in the Connors/McEnroe era or even in the Sampras era than now. > > That said: Serena Williams was their SOTY for 2015, right? That’s the year she won three of the four Grand Slams, but didn’t make it to the fourth final; it’s also the year Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slams, and _did_ make it to the fourth final. And if that’s not the tiebreaker, then — what? More titles at other tournaments? Well, no; he won more of those than she did. Better record in doubles? Uh, no; hers was worse. More weeks ranked number one? Again, no; the only advantage I can figure is that they figured the American would sell more issues. There is no “tiebreaker.” Nothing stops SI from naming two people at once; look at 1994, with speedskaters Bonnie Blair and Johann Olav Koss. I am in the “if Serena was not an American, she would never have been named” camp. Best evidence of this: explain how Steffi Graf won all four majors _and_ an Olympic gold medal in 1988 and didn’t win the award. > [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > > [@Frodo](#): > > > > We are talking about the people who coined the term “World Series”, forget it Jake, is USATown 😃 > > Some sources say that “World Series” somehow involved the New York “World” newspaper, and it wasn’t meant to mean “worldwide” I have heard both versions of this. The “New York World” one may be confused with how the _World Almanac_ got its name. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/115 "2023-12-05T20:08:27Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > I am in the “if Serena was not an American, she would never have been named” camp. > Best evidence of this: explain how Steffi Graf won all four majors _and_ an Olympic gold medal in 1988 and didn’t win the award. I guess my oh-so-limited point would be that, when Graf didn’t get it, she lost out to an athlete other than a tennis player, which makes it apples and oranges; I can’t rule out that it was just an _America Fuck Yeah_ sentiment, but it’s at least _possible_ that SI was just so danged wowed by a baseball accomplishment that they claim with a straight face beats anything in tennis. You could at least make that argument, is all I’m saying… …but if Serena gets it in ‘15, (a) it’s at least possible that nobody else accomplished anything as impressive in baseball or football or whatever, but (b) if we grant, for the sake of argument, that her tennis accomplishments were more amazing than anything in any sport other than tennis that year, then it’s pretty danged apples-to-apples to say _Er, No; That’s What Djokovic Did, Only Less So._ ---
**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:** [December 5, 2023, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/116 "2023-12-05T20:10:47Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I guess my oh-so-limited point would be that, when Graf didn’t get it, she lost out to an athlete other than a tennis player, which makes it apples and oranges; I can’t rule out that it was just an _America Fuck Yeah_ sentiment, but it’s at least _possible_ that SI was just that wowed by a baseball accomplishment that arguably beats anything in tennis. IIRC, that’s exactly what happened. Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser had an outstanding season and helped them win the World Series – but he was nowhere near as dominant as Graf. ---
**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:** [December 6, 2023, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/117 "2023-12-06T00:24:06Z")
I’m not sure why it has to be explained why an American sports magazine with a mostly American audience would have an American focus. The purpose of the issue is to 1) sell magazines/internet ads and 2) to get people talking. Honoring the best in the world in any sport is third at most. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/118 "2023-12-06T01:16:42Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I think it’s not just that they are not Americans. It’s that interest in tennis in the U.S. isn’t very high now because there are no competitive male Americans. There was a lot more attention given to tennis in the Connors/McEnroe era or even in the Sampras era than now. I used to watch at least the finals. Lately I wouldn’t even know what was going on if my mother didn’t enjoy watching on TV. Add to that the anti-vax stuff and being Serbian, and his already small chance became smaller. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/119 "2023-12-18T13:12:39Z")
We also call the Super Bowl winners “world champions” even though they don’t play any teams from other countries. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475/120 "2023-12-18T14:53:42Z")
There was a time (up through around 1980, I think) when the NBA Finals were called the “World Championship Series” by the league, and the NBA champions were also called “world champions.” Never mind that there had been a “world championship” played (between countries’ national amateur teams, like the Olympics) every 4 years since the 1950s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2023-si-sportsperson-of-the-year/986475.md?page=7)