It's time for the first-ever Sports Examiner Awards. This will soon become an annual tradition that will hopefully become even a little prestigious. But until then, we'll make do with a few people on the internet reading it.
It's been a very exciting and newsworthy year for sports. The Kansas City Royals finally won the World Series, Ohio State won the first ever College Football Playoffs, Deflategate took over mainstream news, Duke men's basketball won its fifth national title, and Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota went 1 and 2 in this year's NFL Draft. In our inaugural awards, we'll be handing out 12 awards. Let's get started.
Franchise of the Year:
Golden State Warriors
This is a pretty easy pick when you think about it. The only real rule for this award is that this team had to have won a title in the past year. Based on that rule alone, we have a small amount of nominees, including the New England Patriots, Chicago Blackhawks, and Kansas City Royals. Out of all of those, there was no bigger story than the Warriors. Yes, the Blackhawks are on the verge of creating a dynasty, but this award is only for 2015. The Royals (the runner-up here) winning was a huge story, but they did make the World Series last year, so their victory wasn't as big. The Patriots had their Super Bowl win marred by Deflategate. That leaves us with the Warriors, who rolled over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals to win the NBA Championship. Add on to the fact that they only lost two games thus far in the 2015-2016 season and you have a clear winner.
NFL Player of the Year:
Tom Brady
Ignore Deflategate for a second. Think instead of Brady leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl and being named MVP, being named to another Pro Bowl this season, and leading an injury-depleted roster to another AFC East title and first-round bye. They are the current favorites to win the AFC title and compete in the 2016 Super Bowl. Sure, Cam Newton (our runner-up) will be most likely named MVP of the '16 regular season, but Brady led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
NBA Player of the Year:
Steph Curry
We had runner-ups for the first two awards, but why even bother picking one here? Curry had a much better year than any other NBA player. He ended the 2015 season as a member of the championship-winning Golden State Warriors while also being named regular season MVP and member of the All-NBA First Team (along with James Harden, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Marc Gasol). This season, he has led the Warriors to the best record in the NBA while also leading the league in points per game and being fifth in free throw percentage (behind Jamal Crawford, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Lance Thomas).
Tennis Player of the Year:
Serena Williams
Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year had an absolutely incredible 2015. She won three majors: the Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and French Open. She also made it to the semi-finals of the US Open before being upset by Roberta Vinci. Her dominance in the sport was one never seen before. In fact, at one point this year, she had twice as many points as the #2 player in the world. These accomplishments are even more impressive when you consider that she was battling medical issues (such as bone bruises and a cold) all year long.
Sports Legend of the Year:
Kobe Bryant
In November, Bryant announced that the 2015-2016 NBA season would be his last. Thus, one of the greatest careers in the history of American sports comes to an end. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer has won five titles, twice been scoring champion, won 2 Finals MVPs, won 1 regular season MVP, made 15 All-Star games, been named MVP of the All-Star game four times, been a Slam Dunk Champion, has put up at least 60 points in 5 games, made 15 All-NBA teams, and has won two Olympic Gold Medals. There will never be another player quite like Kobe Bean Bryant, and the sport will certainly miss him.
Female Soccer Player of the Year:
Carli Lloyd
Even if Llyod hadn't won the Ballon d'Or, she would still be a shoe-in for this award. After all, she led the U.S. National Women's team to their first World Cup since 1999. Add on the fact that she won the Golden Ball and Silver Boot, was named to both the All-Star and Dream Teams, and became the first female player in history to score a hat-trick in the finals of a World Cup, and you have the clear winner for this award.
Male Soccer Player of the Year:
Lionel Messi
Messi won his fifth Ballon d'Or (given annually to the best player in the world) to cap off an absolutely incredible year. He helped lead Barcelona to its 23rd Spanish championship, scored 52 goals in 61 games with the club, led Barca to victory in the European Champions League and Spanish Cup, and also led Argentina to the 2015 Copa America final. How can anyone argue with results like that?
Golfer of the Year:
Jordan Spieth
Considering the year he had, it's hard to believe Spieth is only 22 years old. Take a look at his performance in Augusta, where he tied the scoring record set in 1997 by some guy named Tiger Woods. He also won the John Deere Classic (something he also won the prior year), came in second at the PGA Championship in Whistling Straits, won the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup in September, and led his teammates to victory in the Presidents Cup in South Korea. On top of that, he made a whopping $22 million (a golf record), a lot of which is going to a charity named after his family.
Play of the Year:
Malcolm Butler's Super Bowl Interception
There is no bigger single night for sports than the Super Bowl. This year's event (the 49th in history) was watched by 114.4 million people, making it the most watched event in the history of American television. So, any big play made on that stage is set to be noticed by people all around the world and will elevate that player into the stratosphere. That's exactly what happened to Butler. The cornerback intercepted a pass from Seattle's Russell Wilson late in the fourth quarter to end Seattle's comeback bid and seal the deal for New England.
NCAA Football Player of the Year:
Christian McCaffrey
This was actually closer than you might think, as the Cardinal gets the nod here over Ezekiel Elliot of Ohio State and Derrick Henry of Alabama. Elliot led the Buckeyes to the first ever CFP title in January while being named the Offensive MVP. He also finished 8th in this year's Heisman voting. Henry meanwhile, won the Heisman and led Alabama a spot in the CFP. So how does McCaffrey (the Heisman runner-up) get the nod here? Simple, he broke Barry Sanders's NCAA record for all-purpose yards in a single season.
Upset of the Year:
Holly Holm defeats Ronda Rousey
It cannot be argued that Rousey is one of the biggest female athletes on the planet. The first and only female bantamweight champion in UFC history had successfully defended her title six times against talents like Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano. Holm on the other hand, had only been in two UFC fights before her meeting with Rousey. In a complete shocker, Holm defeated Rousey the champ in the second round by knockout to win the title and end Rousey's unbelievable run.
Sports Star of the Year:
American Pharaoh
That's right, our biggest award of the year is going to a horse. Not Serena Williams, not Steph Curry, not Jordan Spieth, but a horse. Of course, American Pharaoh is no ordinary equine. The most famous horse in the world won the Triple Crown, a feat that had not been accomplished in 37 years. On top of winning those three races (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and Belmont Stakes), he also won in the Haskell in August and the Breeders' Cup Classic (the main event of racing's world championships and the last big race of the year). In doing so, he became the first horse in history to win both the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Classic. His career earnings are more than $8.6 million dollars, good for seventh-highest in history. American Pharaoh earns Sports Star of the Year for making his mark in the record books.
It's been a very exciting and newsworthy year for sports. The Kansas City Royals finally won the World Series, Ohio State won the first ever College Football Playoffs, Deflategate took over mainstream news, Duke men's basketball won its fifth national title, and Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota went 1 and 2 in this year's NFL Draft. In our inaugural awards, we'll be handing out 12 awards. Let's get started.
Franchise of the Year:
Golden State Warriors
This is a pretty easy pick when you think about it. The only real rule for this award is that this team had to have won a title in the past year. Based on that rule alone, we have a small amount of nominees, including the New England Patriots, Chicago Blackhawks, and Kansas City Royals. Out of all of those, there was no bigger story than the Warriors. Yes, the Blackhawks are on the verge of creating a dynasty, but this award is only for 2015. The Royals (the runner-up here) winning was a huge story, but they did make the World Series last year, so their victory wasn't as big. The Patriots had their Super Bowl win marred by Deflategate. That leaves us with the Warriors, who rolled over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals to win the NBA Championship. Add on to the fact that they only lost two games thus far in the 2015-2016 season and you have a clear winner.
NFL Player of the Year:
Tom Brady
Ignore Deflategate for a second. Think instead of Brady leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl and being named MVP, being named to another Pro Bowl this season, and leading an injury-depleted roster to another AFC East title and first-round bye. They are the current favorites to win the AFC title and compete in the 2016 Super Bowl. Sure, Cam Newton (our runner-up) will be most likely named MVP of the '16 regular season, but Brady led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
NBA Player of the Year:
Steph Curry
We had runner-ups for the first two awards, but why even bother picking one here? Curry had a much better year than any other NBA player. He ended the 2015 season as a member of the championship-winning Golden State Warriors while also being named regular season MVP and member of the All-NBA First Team (along with James Harden, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Marc Gasol). This season, he has led the Warriors to the best record in the NBA while also leading the league in points per game and being fifth in free throw percentage (behind Jamal Crawford, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Lance Thomas).
Tennis Player of the Year:
Serena Williams
Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year had an absolutely incredible 2015. She won three majors: the Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and French Open. She also made it to the semi-finals of the US Open before being upset by Roberta Vinci. Her dominance in the sport was one never seen before. In fact, at one point this year, she had twice as many points as the #2 player in the world. These accomplishments are even more impressive when you consider that she was battling medical issues (such as bone bruises and a cold) all year long.
Sports Legend of the Year:
Kobe Bryant
In November, Bryant announced that the 2015-2016 NBA season would be his last. Thus, one of the greatest careers in the history of American sports comes to an end. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer has won five titles, twice been scoring champion, won 2 Finals MVPs, won 1 regular season MVP, made 15 All-Star games, been named MVP of the All-Star game four times, been a Slam Dunk Champion, has put up at least 60 points in 5 games, made 15 All-NBA teams, and has won two Olympic Gold Medals. There will never be another player quite like Kobe Bean Bryant, and the sport will certainly miss him.
Female Soccer Player of the Year:
Carli Lloyd
Even if Llyod hadn't won the Ballon d'Or, she would still be a shoe-in for this award. After all, she led the U.S. National Women's team to their first World Cup since 1999. Add on the fact that she won the Golden Ball and Silver Boot, was named to both the All-Star and Dream Teams, and became the first female player in history to score a hat-trick in the finals of a World Cup, and you have the clear winner for this award.
Male Soccer Player of the Year:
Lionel Messi
Messi won his fifth Ballon d'Or (given annually to the best player in the world) to cap off an absolutely incredible year. He helped lead Barcelona to its 23rd Spanish championship, scored 52 goals in 61 games with the club, led Barca to victory in the European Champions League and Spanish Cup, and also led Argentina to the 2015 Copa America final. How can anyone argue with results like that?
Golfer of the Year:
Jordan Spieth
Considering the year he had, it's hard to believe Spieth is only 22 years old. Take a look at his performance in Augusta, where he tied the scoring record set in 1997 by some guy named Tiger Woods. He also won the John Deere Classic (something he also won the prior year), came in second at the PGA Championship in Whistling Straits, won the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup in September, and led his teammates to victory in the Presidents Cup in South Korea. On top of that, he made a whopping $22 million (a golf record), a lot of which is going to a charity named after his family.
Play of the Year:
Malcolm Butler's Super Bowl Interception
There is no bigger single night for sports than the Super Bowl. This year's event (the 49th in history) was watched by 114.4 million people, making it the most watched event in the history of American television. So, any big play made on that stage is set to be noticed by people all around the world and will elevate that player into the stratosphere. That's exactly what happened to Butler. The cornerback intercepted a pass from Seattle's Russell Wilson late in the fourth quarter to end Seattle's comeback bid and seal the deal for New England.
NCAA Football Player of the Year:
Christian McCaffrey
This was actually closer than you might think, as the Cardinal gets the nod here over Ezekiel Elliot of Ohio State and Derrick Henry of Alabama. Elliot led the Buckeyes to the first ever CFP title in January while being named the Offensive MVP. He also finished 8th in this year's Heisman voting. Henry meanwhile, won the Heisman and led Alabama a spot in the CFP. So how does McCaffrey (the Heisman runner-up) get the nod here? Simple, he broke Barry Sanders's NCAA record for all-purpose yards in a single season.
Upset of the Year:
Holly Holm defeats Ronda Rousey
It cannot be argued that Rousey is one of the biggest female athletes on the planet. The first and only female bantamweight champion in UFC history had successfully defended her title six times against talents like Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano. Holm on the other hand, had only been in two UFC fights before her meeting with Rousey. In a complete shocker, Holm defeated Rousey the champ in the second round by knockout to win the title and end Rousey's unbelievable run.
Sports Star of the Year:
American Pharaoh
That's right, our biggest award of the year is going to a horse. Not Serena Williams, not Steph Curry, not Jordan Spieth, but a horse. Of course, American Pharaoh is no ordinary equine. The most famous horse in the world won the Triple Crown, a feat that had not been accomplished in 37 years. On top of winning those three races (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and Belmont Stakes), he also won in the Haskell in August and the Breeders' Cup Classic (the main event of racing's world championships and the last big race of the year). In doing so, he became the first horse in history to win both the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Classic. His career earnings are more than $8.6 million dollars, good for seventh-highest in history. American Pharaoh earns Sports Star of the Year for making his mark in the record books.
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