No doubt Phelps is incredible but Lance Armstrong had a pretty decent year also. Plus, he sold all those yellow wrist bands. Hats off to Curt Schilling as well, as much as I hate to give the dern Bo Sox any credit.
Making it to the medal round or competing for the first time, while cute and feel good, pales in comparison to what Phelps and Armstrong did this year. Maybe SI - Lebanon can dole out those awards.
If the Iraqi men's soccer team deserves an award, it's due to our troops. Otherwise, those guys would still be receiving beatings thanks to Saddam's sons.
I see the point that Seagurl has made...but like someone else pointed out, I think that since SI -U.S. is a U.S. based publication that it is o.k. to limit the award to a U.S. athelete....There can be other type international sportsman of the year awards that other athletes can win.....Like the article you go to right after clicking on the link points out....The international race car driver mentioned there (which I don't recall because I don't follow formula 1 racing) is the hands down favorite for an international sportsman of the year award....but the author also points out that this SI award is traditionally for the "U.S." sportsman of the year award.....which I then agree comes down to Lance Armstrong and Phelps....Lance has already won many similar awards in the past is my feeling....and Phelps showed such class as a "relative" newbie on the major sports scene (and his overall performance in Athens was more impressive than either Crocker's, Peirosol's, Thompson's, Beard's, Keller's ...or anyone else's for that matter .......not that many other U.S. swimmers didn't also do very well in Athens!).
Thats why I am "polling" for Phelps....(plus none of the other U.S. swimmers are even listed as candidates for this presigious award anyway....Hence a vote for Phelps is then a vote for swimming as far as this year's award goes).
newmastersswimmer
Originally posted by newmastersswimmer
I see the point that Seagurl has made...but like someone else pointed out, I think that since SI -U.S. is a U.S. based publication that it is o.k. to limit the award to a U.S. athelete....There can be other type international sportsman of the year awards that other athletes can win.....Like the article you go to right after clicking on the link points out....The international race car driver mentioned there (which I don't recall because I don't follow formula 1 racing) is the hands down favorite for an international sportsman of the year award....but the author also points out that this SI award is traditionally for the "U.S." sportsman of the year award.....which I then agree comes down to Lance Armstrong and Phelps....Lance has already won many similar awards in the past is my feeling....and Phelps showed such class as a "relative" newbie on the major sports scene (and his overall performance in Athens was more impressive than either Crocker's, Peirosol's, Thompson's, Beard's, Keller's ...or anyone else's for that matter .......not that many other U.S. swimmers didn't also do very well in Athens!).
Thats why I am "polling" for Phelps....(plus none of the other U.S. swimmers are even listed as candidates for this presigious award anyway....Hence a vote for Phelps is then a vote for swimming as far as this year's award goes).
Very well put. I agree. I didn't consider the international things that are similar to SI that can acknowledge other countries athletic accomplishments. Having said that, it should be an interesting race between Armstrong and Phelps, both have made names for themselves and their sports. But Lance, has been doing it for awhile and Michael kind of burst on the scene.
~Kyra
I agree that Phelps had an amazing year, no doubt about that. But I think that the poll should be open to international athletes as well. There are so many performances that were giving at the games that need recognition. The Iraqi mens soccer team, all the women from the Middle East that we allowed to compete for the first time, those seem to have gotten lost in the hype around the star athletes. That's just my opinion.
~Kyra
p.s. Aquageek- What's wrong with the Sox!?:eek: It was there time to shine and they definately delivered.
I'm slightly ashamed at myself for making this an afterthought to my previous post, but let us not forget Ian Crocker. And of course, Jenny Thompson. They both had killer years!
~Kyra
I love swimming and have always smarted at the scant attention the sport gets from the national media. Having said that, Lance Armstrong gets my vote. Not just for winning the most grueling event in the world, but because he dominated it this year in a record win that will not be broken soon. MP is a very close second.
I just went to the SI website (from the link you provided) and discovered that there is a fan poll associated to this SI sportsman of the year award.....You can also vote more than once (very American Idolesque).....I don't know how much the fan vote counts towards winning the award...but I noticed that the all time greatest sportsman award was determined already by a fan poll (completely based on fan voting)...and so perhaps the same is true for this award.....anyway, Phelps is in first place in the fan poll so far....I just added two more votes for Phelps.....How bout some help out there voting for Phelps....If he wins the award it will only help to promote the sport of swimming.
newmastersswimmer
The award is "sportsmen" of the year not "sports performance" of the year. Phelps wins for his 200 free competition (it's not just about the winning) and giving up his relay spot, and a sure world record, to his teammate (it's also about the team).
Armstrong performance would win in my book but that's a different award.
