# SI Sportsman of the Year 2012 - who? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 27, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310 "2012-11-27T21:04:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/21 "2012-11-30T00:48:24Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > If I could pick, I would go with Lance Armstrong just to fuck with people. Maybe if the Sportsman of the Year worked the way Time’s Man of the Year originally did, “the Sportsman who, for better or worse, had the greatest influence on the news this year.” ---
**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:** [November 30, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/22 "2012-11-30T01:43:17Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I think you mean Sebastian Vettel, in fact I _know_ you mean Sebastian Vettel. > > Grosjean is more liability than sporting celebrity. > > And yes, F1 counts as a sport How is he a liability? I’ll admit, I’d like to learn and am apparently ignorant. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/23 "2012-11-30T02:20:17Z")
LOEB I mean **Sebastian Loeb** from World Rally Championship. I lost my mind and appreciate being corrected. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/24 "2012-11-30T07:51:25Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > LOEB > > I mean **Sebastian Loeb** from World Rally Championship. > > I lost my mind and appreciate being corrected. Loeb is a pretty amazing driving. (as is Vettel) Grosjean, on the other hand, while talented is somewhat erratic. He has had many, many [first lap incidents](http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19940629)this year and has received criticism from drivers and sanctions from the authorities. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/25 "2012-11-30T07:53:51Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Maybe if the Sportsman of the Year worked the way Time’s Man of the Year originally did, “the Sportsman who, for better or worse, had the greatest influence on the news this year.” If they did that, could they just go with “THE COMMISSIONER” and split it between Goodell, Bettman and Stern? ---
**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:** [November 30, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/26 "2012-11-30T14:44:23Z")
LeBron? For what? Being really famous? He had fewer points and rebounds and more turnovers than in most of his previous seasons. Yeah, he won a title, but he did it with two other superstars on his team. Vettel is a good choice - three straight F1 titles is a historic achievement - but looking at the [list of previous winners](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportsman_of_the_Year), I suspect he may be disqualified for having the wrong flag. It absolutely could be Bolt… but it probably won’t. Also a problem with flags. Same for Andres Iniesta. In a year where no actual sportsmen did anything particularly memorable, I can see them doing one of the lifetime achievement deals. Or Maybe Condi Rice for becoming the first female member of Augusta National. [QUOTE=SpoilerVirgin] Maybe if the Sportsman of the Year worked the way Time’s Man of the Year originally did, “the Sportsman who, for better or worse, had the greatest influence on the news this year.” [/QUOTE] Then it would be Joe Paterno. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/27 "2012-11-30T15:20:09Z")
Phelps seems more likely than Bolt, if it is going to be an Olympian. The Manning brothers would be a good pick, too. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/28 "2012-11-30T15:35:32Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > LeBron? For what? Being really famous? He had fewer points and rebounds and more turnovers than in most of his previous seasons. Yeah, he won a title, but he did it with two other superstars on his team. He also is, hands down, the best basketball player in the world. This isn’t some John Paxson or Derek Fisher getting rings because of “superstars” on his team, it’s LeBron Fucking James, the best player in the world. He is the superstar. And he won not just a NBA championship, but also an Olympic gold this year. The fact that he no longer has to carry his team alone, so his stats went down, in no way shape, or form make him any less the best basketball player in the world. > [@RNATB](#): > > Vettel is a good choice - three straight F1 titles is a historic achievement - but looking at the [list of previous winners](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportsman_of_the_Year), I suspect he may be disqualified for having the wrong flag. I think it has more to do with his “sport”, but the flag matters too. There’s been only one auto racing driver who has won the Sportsman of the Year, and that was Jackie Stewart way back in 1973. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/29 "2012-11-30T16:02:13Z")
Why is anyone surprised, let alone offended, that an American sports magazine tends to give honors to American athletes playing sports that are popular in the USA? If an English sports magazine gave out an annual “man of the Year” award and gave it to some rugby star I’d never heard of, would I gripe about it? If an Indian sports magazine gave its own version of “Sportsman of the Year” to a cricket player most of us Americans had never heard of, would that bother me? If an Italian magazine honored a soccer star from Juventus that most Americans aren’t familiar with, would I object? If an Australian sports magazine gave a “Sportsman of the Year” title to some Aussie rules football player I’d never heard of, would that offend me? Of COURSE not! I take it for granted that foreign publications concentrate on sports and personalities their local readers are familiar with and interested in. I don’t EXPECT foreign publications to pay any attention to Mike Trout, Tom Brady or Jeff Gordon, let alone give them awards. It’s only AMERICANS who are ever accused of homerism and provincialism. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/30 "2012-11-30T16:19:05Z")
No one else has mentioned her, but what about [Brittney Griner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittney_Griner)? She was totally dominant in her sport and took Baylor to a title and an unbeaten season. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/31 "2012-11-30T16:27:08Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Why is anyone surprised, let alone offended, that an American sports magazine tends to give honors to American athletes playing sports that are popular in the USA? Projecting, much? None of the posts in this thread convey anything resembling “offense” that SI usually picks Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/32 "2012-11-30T16:39:58Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Frisbee? seriously? > > I know that SI is hardly likely to look beyond the USA but that borders on the ridiculous. > > . I had to look it up to see what sport he was refering to. Howard Bach is the top U.S. badminton player and had a awesome year. I nominate him. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/33 "2012-11-30T17:53:18Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > No one else has mentioned her, but what about [Brittney Griner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittney_Griner)? She was totally dominant in her sport and took Baylor to a title and an unbeaten season. Other than the fact that nobody cares about women’s basketball, she’s not even a professional. Unbeated seasons aren’t unusual in women’s NCAA basketball either. It’s not that difficult when there are generally only like three teams that aren’t horrible. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/34 "2012-11-30T18:08:40Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > He also is, hands down, the best basketball player in the world. This isn’t some John Paxson or Derek Fisher getting rings because of “superstars” on his team, it’s LeBron Fucking James, the best player in the world. He is the superstar. And he won not just a NBA championship, but also an Olympic gold this year. The fact that he no longer has to carry his team alone, so his stats went down, in no way shape, or form make him any less the best basketball player in the world. Right, but you don’t get the award just for being the best player, and the Olympic gold is not exactly a towering achievement. If we’re going to give it to someone in American team sports, I can’t see how it wouldn’t be Miguel Cabrera. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/35 "2012-11-30T18:30:35Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Right, but you don’t get the award just for being the best player, and the Olympic gold is not exactly a towering achievement. If we’re going to give it to someone in American team sports, I can’t see how it wouldn’t be Miguel Cabrera. Because he didn’t win the World Series and he wasn’t even the best player in baseball. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/36 "2012-11-30T18:31:08Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Right, but you don’t get the award just for being the best player, and the Olympic gold is not exactly a towering achievement. If we’re going to give it to someone in American team sports, I can’t see how it wouldn’t be Miguel Cabrera. I’d take Trout over Cabrera if I was giving the award to a baseball player. LeBron wasn’t just the best player in the world, he also won a championship (Cabrera didn’t), and the gold medal. As I said upthread, I’d give it to Manning, but I’m a whore for football, excuse me, American football. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/37 "2012-11-30T18:57:09Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Because he didn’t win the World Series and he wasn’t even the best player in baseball. Who gives a shit if he won the World Series? It’s an individual award, and he won the fucking Triple Crown. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/38 "2012-11-30T18:58:00Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Other than the fact that nobody cares about women’s basketball, she’s not even a professional. Unbeated seasons aren’t unusual in women’s NCAA basketball either. It’s not that difficult when there are generally only like three teams that aren’t horrible. It doesn’t have to go to a professional. Tiger Woods was still an amateur when he won in 1996. Jerry Lucas won for college basketball. Olympians have won lots of them. Your other argument is fine, although I would still argue that unbeaten seasons by teams that aren’t UConn or Tennessee are rare. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/39 "2012-11-30T19:20:13Z")
Okay, but even assuming she was an otherwise legitimate candidate, they’re not going to give two womens’ basketball SOTY awards in a row. Pat Summit won last year. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310/40 "2012-11-30T19:38:35Z")
The argument that I would present against Phelps is that in swimming, it’s not at all unusual for someone to dominate - Mark Spitz, Kristin Otto, Matt Biondi (along w Phelps, 4 of the top 5 single game medalists). Were he to have won, it should have been 4 years ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/si-sportsman-of-the-year-2012-who/642310.md?page=3)