They weren’t individual winners; they had to share it with an American. No non-American has actually, by themselves, been named Sportsperson of the Year in 40 years - and Gretzky had to pretty much break the sport to do it.
I think their dream scenario would be Aaron Judge going crazy in the playoffs and the Yankees winning. If the World Series winner doesn’t have any obvious megastar…
Probably not an NFL guy because they just did that. Probably not NBA because Curry would be the only logical candidate and they already kind of gave him one.
Sue Bird is retiring with her four WNBA rings and five Olympic gold medals. Seems like she’d be a candidate for a lifetime achievement award, though this wasn’t a particularly great year for her.
The Philadelphia Union are chewing up MLS, with a shot at cracking the top three all-time points totals and breaking the record for fewest goals allowed. Maybe Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake can break the non-American jinx!
And don’t forget, the World Cup is coming up this fall. An overachieving US team could certainly produce a strong candidate.
The real question in tennis right now is if Roger and Serena should just be inducted in the hall of fame next year and skip the standard 5 year waiting period.
They will probably wait, but man, what a inductinon ceremony. Roger and Serena in the same year.
As much as I’d like to the the USMNT or one of its players as Sportsman of the Year, I can’t see it happening this World Cup year. The US would probably have to make the semifinals to move the needle, and the quarterfinal rounds will be played on December 9th and 10th. I think that the award is typically made in early December, and given the lead time and prep work that would be required, they may close the book on the award before the end of the group stage on November 29th.
Another bump, now that baseball season is over and the choice will be made in about a month.
My current list:
- Aaron “62” Judge and Albert “700 Club” Pujols
- Judge, and Dusty “I finally got a ring” Baker
- Allyson Felix, Sydney McLaughlin, and throw in pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis while you’re at it
- Britney Griner, but she’s fallen off of everybody’s radar
- Stephen Curry, but it hasn’t been that long since the Warriors as a team won this award
Have they ever given the award to a manager, coach, etc.? If not, Dusty Baker hardly seems to be worth breaking precendent over.
Dusty was just in the right place at the right time. He’s far from a managerial genius. He had plenty of chances with the Nats but they couldn’t get it done.
It’s rare, and even rarer for a pro coach, but it has happened.
The only pro coach to get it: Don Shula in 1993.
The last coach, period, to get it: Mike Krzyzewski & Pat Summitt, 2011.
He doesn’t deserve it by himself, but since they have a good case for giving it to a baseball player anyway, they may decide to include him as well.
And, even that was a career award, as that was the year when he passed George Halas for career coaching wins in the NFL; the Dolphins didn’t even make the playoffs that season.
And the nod goes to…Stephen Curry. While he’s definitely deserving of it, I still think it’s a little too soon after the Warriors won the award as a team.
Man, what a dull choice.