04/18/24
December 28, 2005
Aaaaaaand the winners are: AP names 2005 Athletes of the Year.
posted by lil_brown_bat to other at 06:22 PM - 27 comments
Difficult to argue against Lance. Just as difficult to argue against Annika. I couldn't find a list of past female winners with 15 seconds of googling, though. Anyone have one handy?
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:52 PM on December 28, 2005
Noticed that myself Lumbergh. I don't think Armstrong will last long as the one with the most of these awards. I'm guessing Woods ends up with at least 5, perhaps more.
posted by DudeDykstra at 06:57 PM on December 28, 2005
Both men and women list is here. This list doesn't have 2005, but Annika won again for third straight year.
posted by DudeDykstra at 06:59 PM on December 28, 2005
Here's something amazing I noticed: Babe Didrickson won the award in 1932 for Track and Field and then again in 1945, '46, '47, '50, and '54 for Golf. Pretty unbelievable.
posted by DudeDykstra at 07:03 PM on December 28, 2005
Thanks, DudeDykstra. Pity that the AP didn't start the award earlier so Jim Thorpe (who I still maintain may be the best athlete ever) could've won one or twelve.
posted by Ufez Jones at 07:25 PM on December 28, 2005
Yeah, that was something to see the discredited McGwire further down the list. In other news, the Sporting News named Matt Leinart Sportsman of the Year, reminding me why I don't read the Sporting News, even when it's free.
posted by vito90 at 12:01 AM on December 29, 2005
Wow, what were his achievements? Tagging sophmores? Finishing that one dance class?
posted by yerfatma at 06:11 AM on December 29, 2005
I wouldnt say that Matt Leinart should be mention as sportsman of the year, however he did finish a lot of classes before the dance class yerfatma, and theres nothing wrong with tagging sophmores.
posted by steelcityguy at 06:48 AM on December 29, 2005
Right, but that wouldn't even make him Student of the Year, much less this.
posted by yerfatma at 07:21 AM on December 29, 2005
What were Matt Leinart's achievements? Winning the Orange Bowl and the second straight national title for USC (with a chance for a third), being a finalist for the Heisman and choosing a final season of college over certain NFL millions when he had only one class left to take. Other than that, nothing.
posted by rcade at 07:57 AM on December 29, 2005
Maybe Leinart made a sport out of tagging sophomores.
posted by woody1090 at 08:10 AM on December 29, 2005
Lets clear one thing up, what exactly are we talking about by "tagging sophmores"?
posted by steelcityguy at 08:16 AM on December 29, 2005
What were Matt Leinart's achievements . . . Right, which gets him Sportsman of the Year over me, but not over other athletes out there in 2005. Especially those who didn't have Reggie Bush pushing them forward. I don't mean to downplay Leinart's accomplishments; I just think he's kind of a silly choice.
posted by yerfatma at 08:51 AM on December 29, 2005
What were Matt Leinart's achievements? Winning the Orange Bowl and the second straight national title for USC (with a chance for a third), being a finalist for the Heisman and choosing a final season of college over certain NFL millions when he had only one class left to take. You left out the sophomores.
posted by tron7 at 09:11 AM on December 29, 2005
I don't even think he's the sportsman of his team. Even if you think Lienert is a better college athlete or will be a better pro he's not the story that Bush was this year. Maybe we need a deffinition of what Sportsman of the Year is.
posted by tron7 at 09:16 AM on December 29, 2005
Tagging sophomores? Is this something you do before you let them out in the wild? I think the more interesting question is "who had the worst year in sports?" My vote is Drew Rosenhaus.
posted by hawkguy at 09:18 AM on December 29, 2005
Lets not get carried away and label sophmore girls, im sure matt tagged some freshman to. Just think if you have a college age daughter, someone might be tagging her right now.
posted by steelcityguy at 09:42 AM on December 29, 2005
Someone like me.
posted by Hugh Janus at 10:23 AM on December 29, 2005
Difficult to argue against Lance. Meh... there were many better cyclists than Lance Armstrong this year (Boonen).
posted by afx237vi at 10:45 AM on December 29, 2005
I would have gone with Federer. He had a record of 80 wins versus 4 losses, and won two Grand Slams. Personally, I lean towards giving individual awards to individual competetitors.
posted by tselson at 11:49 AM on December 29, 2005
I would have gone with Federer too - but it is a hard arguement to make against Lance (except that he competes in one event a year - so wouldn't he be more like the Athelete of the Summer?). Plus, didn't some other international athletes have good years? This always reads like a who's who of American Sportsmen. Of course, maybe it is. In Canada it was Steve Nash.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:01 PM on December 29, 2005
I don't even think he's the sportsman of his team. Perhaps, but if you'd put Bush in contention for sportsman of the year, Leinart would have to be a frontrunner as well because their contributions are so similar. My personal choice for sportsman of the year would be Tom Brady for the 2004 playoffs and Super Bowl and this year's Pro Bowl season, which has the injury-stricken Patriots red hot entering the playoffs. After Brady, I'd vote Federer, Armstrong, and Tiger Woods. I'm tempted to break tradition and vote for a coach, fitting Pete Carroll in there somewhere.
posted by rcade at 01:08 PM on December 29, 2005
Perhaps, but if you'd put Bush in contention for sportsman of the year, Leinart would have to be a frontrunner as well because their contributions are so similar. Bush won the Heisman though and Bush is being talked about for first pick of the draft so I'd say that edges him over Leinart. And I would agree with any of your top 4 over Bush/Leinart anyway, not Carrol though.
posted by tron7 at 01:17 PM on December 29, 2005
Leinart threw for five touchdown passes and 322 yards in the national championship game Jan. 5. Bush ran for 75 with no TDs. If that's factored in, I might give Leinart the edge for calendar year 2005, even though Bush's season was one for the ages. As for Bush's likely first-pick status in the NFL, draft ranking doesn't always reflect past college performance. Heisman winner Jason White didn't even make an NFL squad.
posted by rcade at 02:20 PM on December 29, 2005
Good point, I forgot the championship was technically this year.
posted by tron7 at 02:25 PM on December 29, 2005
As for Bush's likely first-pick status in the NFL, draft ranking doesn't always reflect past college performance. Heisman winner Jason White didn't even make an NFL squad. True, but you have to remember, this is Reggie Bush your talking about! This guy is so good he is almost superhuman. Plus, I never thought Jason White was that good and with that bumb knee he really didn't stand much of a chance.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:34 PM on December 29, 2005
Difficult to argue against Lance. Not to be the cynic, but with Lance, Bonds, and McGwire - - possiblility of at least 3 dopers in the past decade of winners.