SI announced today that Derek Jeter has been named the magazine’s Sportsman of the Year. This is a great honor that awards the recipient the distinction of having their face on the cover and a lifetime subscription to Sports Illustrated, which includes a free football phone and a Yankees World Series champion DVD.
Derek Jeter Wins Sportsman Of The Year; Let The OUTRAGE Commence
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In other words, this is largely a meaningless award that basically signifies that SI thinks Derek Jeter is swell … and perhaps — conspiracy theory! — they want to sell a few extra copies of the mag and stir up some debate. They’ve succeeded in doing the latter, as Twitter has been abuzz with ANGRY FANS who simply cannot believe the eternally overrated Jeter would win SI’s popularity contest. The SB Nation offices also devolved into an all-out slapfight over whether or not Jeter is the greatest team athlete of this era (ed. note: of course he’s not).
↵Walkoff Walk’s Rob Iracane summed up Jeter winning the award perfectly with two tweets:
↵↵Jeez, yet another Yankee wins Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Oh, this is the first time ever? Well done, Mr. Jeter. […]
↵The best player on the best team in the best sport has one of his best years in a great career and you are incredulous?
↵↵See, there it is: Sure, Jeter was probably not the single most spectacular athlete of 2009. But he had a great season and his team won a championship. It’s hard to argue that he’s undeserving. Plus, he really wanted that football phone.
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