Every year since 1954, Sports Illustrated has handed out their “Sportsman of the Year” award that goes to to the sporting figure that has made the biggest impact that year. The award is not given for athletic success alone, though inevitably, it goes to someone who has won a championship during the year. Last year’s winner, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, won on the back of his Super Bowl MVP season as well as his charitable work towards the reconstruction of the city. With such a broad category, there are always plenty of deserving candidates (at least one from every sport, one might argue), but the “splash effect” often makes the difference.
This year, Sports Illustrated writer Kelli Anderson has named American swimmer Ryan Lochte as her personal nominee for the award with a great summary of Lochte’s accomplishments and what he is about. Lochte was the biggest thing in this year of swimming, including taking 5 gold medals at the World Championships (4-for-4 in individual races) and becoming the first swimmer to break a long course World Record since the rubber suits were gone.
Anderson has followed swimming for over a decade at Sport’s Illustrated, and so the nod to Lochte doesn’t come without consideration and dilligence. Lochte has a legitimate shot at taking the award thanks to a relatively slow year for great athletic performances, but even to be nominated, in a non-Olympic year none-the-less, is a huge honor. His biggest competition might be tennis player Novak Djokavic, thanks to a buzzworthy performance at the U.S. Open.
The only swimmer to ever win the title is Michael Phelps in 2008. Though it’s only 1 out of 57, it’s worth a few bonus points with SI having coined 2008 as the “best year ever” in sports. From an internal standpoint, Lochte winning would be similarly huge for the sport, as it would expand the mainstream vision beyond a single focal point or two of the sport, and open some eyes as to the breadth of swimming.
Thanks to SI.com producer and writer Nick Zaccardi for the lead.