“Even amid such a rich collection of finalists, Serena Williams was a decisive choice”, said Sports Illustrated Managing Editor Chris Stone.
Advertisement
Williams, who won three Grand Slam titles this year, is Sports Illustrated’s 2015 Sportsperson of the Year.
Williams was ranked No. 1 throughout 2015 and won a WTA-high five titles – including three at major tournaments: Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon – while making approximately $10 million on the court. From red carpets rubbing shoulders with Hollywood’s elite, to President Obama saying he watches her, to J.K. Rowling coming to her defense, she has had a star worthy year all around. In the Reader’s Vote for Sportsperson of the year, the horse won in a landslide.
SPOY is another title the 21-time grand slam victor can add to her stellar résumé. “For Sports Illustrated to recognize my hard work, my dedication and my sheer domination gives me hope to continue and do better”, Serena said on her Facebook page.
Reaction on Twitter to SI’s selection of Williams was mostly critical from horseracing fans and the American Pharoah camp. It’s a fun metric to look at, but America voting for a horse to win a human award is exactly why Sports Illustrated has the right to make its own editorial decisions.
This is so major, Serena Williams!
“We are honoring Serena Williams too for reasons that hang in the grayer, less comfortable ether, where issues such as race and femininity collide with the games …”
But millions of human beings do know about the award and they are pissed that American Pharoah didn’t come out on top this time.
This comes as Williams became the second woman since 1983 to win the prestigious Sports Illustrated magazine Sportsperson of the Year award on Monday.
Advertisement
The magazine said it was honouring the 34-year-old icon both for her positively stunning numbers and her pluck in achieving what it called one of the greatest late-career runs in the history of any sport.
