Crosby is not a “Male Athlete of the Year” nominee
ESPN recently opened its voting polls to the public for its award show, the ESPYS (think the Oscars, but for sports). Jes Golbez @ The Sidney Crosby Show points out that Crosby was not even nominated for “Male Athlete of the Year.”
Just take a wild guess who DIDN’T make the list of nominees for Best Male Athlete… Yeah, I am stunned right now. Can someone out there please tell me how you can win the awards for league MVP and top point scorer of the NHL, be voted the most outstanding player by your peers, and be named the youngest captain in NHL history - all in one season - yet NOT be a consideration for male athlete of the year?!
I’m not saying Sidney would be a shoo-in to win athlete of the year; I don’t know enough about any of the other nominees to make that claim. All I’m saying is I don’t understand how he wasn’t even a nominee, considering all he’s achieved this season. It is a slap in the face for the all of hockey. We all know the brass at ESPN and the brass at the NHL don’t exactly love each other, but for the ESPY Select Nominating Committee to snub an athlete as deserving as Sid is outrageous. Would ESPN do this to an athlete from the NBA, NFL, or MLB if circumstances were similar? Doubtful.
I wanted to examine the players who were nominated for the “Male Athlete of the Year” for Jes.
The nominees…
Roger Federer = Professional tennis player. Just won his 50th straight match on grass. Has been ranked #1 in the world since February 2004. Has won 3 Grand Slam tennis titles and 12 ATP titles. Also nominated for Best International Male Athlete and Best Male Tennis Player.
[My thoughts: Federer is a beast. Aside from his matches against Nadal, Federer consistently outplays his opponents and owns the grass courts. He has been consistently amazing for so long that he does deserve to be on this list.]
LeBron James = Professional NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Scored 48 points in Game #5 of the ECF vs. the Detroit Pistons. Team leader and got the team to the Finals for the first time in franchise history. Also nominated for Best Championship Performance, Best NBA Player, and Hummer Like Nothing Else award. Oh, he’s also co-hosting this year’s ESPYS.
[My thoughts: James is definitely the face of the NBA and hopes to reach Michael Jordan-like status. However, he wasn’t league MVP or even playoff MVP so while I think he is a great player, he should not win this award.]
Peyton Manning = Professional NFL player for the Indianapolis Colts. Was named Super Bowl MVP after leading his team to the 2007 Super Bowl title. Overcame his title as a playoff choker. Threw only 9 interceptions, completed 65% of his passes, and was second in the league for most yards thrown. Also nominated for Best Championship Performance and Best NFL Player.
[My thoughts: He should be on this list. He finally proved himself in the playoffs including a big win over the Patriots. He was named playoff MVP and won the Super Bowl title.]
Ladainian Tomlinson = Professional NFL player for the San Diego Chargers. Was named MVP for the 2007 regular season. Had the most rushing yards in the last season. Has the the record for most touchdowns in an NFL regular season. Also nominated for Best NFL Player, Best Record-Breaking Performance, and Hummer Like Nothing Else Award.
[My thoughts: I am not denying that Tomlinson is a great player. He no doubt deserves to be considered for the “Best NFL Player” award, but shouldn’t you only have one player per sport in the “Male Athlete of the Year” category? For that belief, I will only pick one NFL player to be in this category and Manning is a fantastic player and won the championship (and Super Bowl MVP) so I’m picking Manning.]
Tiger Woods = Professional golfer. Ranked #1 in the world. Won the 2006 PGA Championship and British Open. Won 8 tournaments (5 straight) in 15 starts. Also nominated for Best Golfer.
[My thoughts: I don’t any sports fan questions why Woods is on this list as his name trancends all of sport. He has had a great year despite losing his father to cancer in May 2006 (the two of them were very close).]
My conclusion…
I know that the NHL is not considered a “major” sport anymore, but golf and tennis aren’t major sports either. I also realize that there was no MLB player nominated. However, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby had such an amazing season that I feel it’s wrong for ESPN to not even nominate him in this category.
He led the league in points during the regular season and he is the youngest player to ever do so. His team went from one of the bottom teams in the NHL the year before he was drafted to making the playoffs. He was named MVP by journalists and by his peers. He’s the youngest captain in the history of the NHL and the leader of his team. Plus, he’s the face of the NHL and probably the leading endorser. All at the age of 19. Amazing.
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3 Responses to “Crosby is not a “Male Athlete of the Year” nominee”
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June 28th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Remember - this only matters if you think the ESPY’s matter. Does anyone outside of Bristol give a rats — about the ESPY’s, much less remember who won them in previous years?
June 28th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
This is very true. I watched the ESPYS for the first time last year and it was only because I’m a Lance Armstrong fan and wanted to see how well he hosted it (not too bad!). I won’t watch it this year.
It’s just frustrating to see ESPN once again leave out the NHL. I went through all the categories and aside from the women’s best college team and best NHL player, the NHL wasn’t mentioned (that I saw). That’s pathetic.
June 29th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
I grew up in Michigan where (as you know) hockey matters.
Currently I reside in a fairly small town in NW Montana where, sadly, people are generally clueless of the sport.
At first I was amazed that a place that is only 40-50 miles from the Canadian Border and has a significant winter season could be so freakin’ ignorant. Then I got a little depressed, and now I’m just sorta pissed, (even though I am trying to move into acceptance.)
Even our local news spent more time on the start of baseball season than on the Quest for the Cup.
Of course I’m biased, but my take-it-or-leave-it opinion is that hockey players are some of the most underrated athletes in the world of sport.
I know so many guys out here that consider themselves very athletic because they can ski, or ice-climb, but they won’t play hockey because they can barely skate, let alone handle the puck, pass, or shoot.
So, I definitely feel where you’re coming from here on Crosby getting overlooked for athlete of the year.
In the end I chalk it up as “Just another social injustice perpetrated by the man to keep a brother down.”