SI Gives Lifetime Achievement Award to Serena Williams: Admits No Human Deserved Sportsman of the Year

And NO...

I am not saying that in any form to denigrate Williams, her looks, or her achievements.

American Pharaoh should've won Sports-Horse of the Year (except for one caveat I will apply in a second, as my friend I've talked to on the subject will give).  The winner of the 2015 Sportswoman of the Year was the only relevant American tennis star, Serena Williams.

That said, it's clear that, at least for the second time, Sports Illustrated has admitted that no one (or at least no human being) deserved the award.  So, SI had to default to a second standard it has done at least once before:  A Lifetime Achievement Award which would be workable within the context of the 2015 sports year -- and Serena Williams most certainly qualified under that criteria.  (Brett Favre in 2007 would be the other.)

(Otherwise, would the NBA title and 24-0 or so have been enough for Steph Curry to snag the award?  The cover story actually notes Curry and Pharaoh, but I would have to think Williams' story not the only athlete's of trying to make such a difference as she has -- hence, I have to think the "deepest field of contenders" is more "Hall of Very Good" than Sportsman of the Year level, if we disqualify Pharaoh out of hand.)

American Pharaoh is the first horse to win horse racing's Grand Slam:  The Triple Crown plus The Breeder's Cup Classic.

But my friend points out one very particular point:  Horse racing selects it's "athletes", not the other way around like in human sports.  It is one of the most abusive sports to it's "athletes", and many decry it's very existence as a result.  One has to think that played a factor here, and I have no objection to that if, like my friend, people are honest enough to voice that objection!  Secretariat didn't win the year that horse won the Triple Crown either:  Jackie Stewart of Formula One was that year's Sportsman of the Year.

But I think SI has been DISingenuous in doing so, though, and that's why I think this was basically saying there were a lot of very good candidates, but no one transcended to that obvious level, if we leave it to human contenders.