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Sports Illustrated: Sportsman of the Year

December 4, 2011 by · Comments Off on Sports Illustrated: Sportsman of the Year 

Sports Illustrated: Sportsman of the Year, As the end of the calendar year approaches, it means various end-of-the-year awards will be given out over the next several weeks. One of the most notable is Sports Illustrated’s long-running Sportsman of the Year award. Selected by the magazine’s editors, the award is, “given to the athlete or team who best symbolizes in character and performance the ideals of sportsmanship.” The winner will be announced on Monday (Dec. 5).

Writing about 2010 winner New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Tim Layden explained that Brees won the award,”for not only leading the New Orleans Saints to the first Super Bowl title in the franchise’s history, but also for helping lead the city of New Orleans’ rebirth after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.”

Considering what the editors are looking for, who should be the 2011 Sportsman of the Year?

Writers covering various beats for the magazine submitted their nominations through essays published on sportsillustrated.com. Their choices extend all over the map.

Writing about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith, Peter King says “The NFL was on the verge of nuclear winter, and two men, not being greedy to get everything they wanted in negotiations, made it stop. That makes them Sportsmen.”

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