Sportsman of the Year
December 2, 2008
To the surprise of virtually no one, swimmer Michael Phelps has been named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year for 2008.
Phelps was the star of the Beijing Olympics, winning a record eight gold medals. His 14 career gold medals are the most won by an Olympian.
Phelps is the first swimmer ever to receive the prestigious Sportsman of the Year designation.
Sports Illustrated named its first Sportsman of the Year in 1954, bestowing the honor on Roger Bannister the same year the distance runner become the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.
Here’s a list of the last 10 winners:
| Year | Athlete | Sport | Feat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | U.S. Women’s Soccer Team | Soccer | World Cup champions |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | Golf | Three major championships |
| 2001 | Curt Schilling/Randy Johnson | Baseball | World Series Co-MVP/World Series Co-MVP, Cy Young Award |
| 2002 | Lance Armstrong | Cycling | Four-time Tour de France winner |
| 2003 | David Robinson/Tim Duncan | Basketball | Two-time NBA champion/NBA Regular Season and Playoff MVP |
| 2004 | Boston Red Sox | Baseball | World Series champions |
| 2005 | Tom Brady | Football | Two-time Super Bowl MVP |
| 2006 | Dwyane Wade | Basketball | NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP |
| 2007 | Brett Favre | Football | Super Bowl-winning quarterback, career achievement |
| 2008 | Michael Phelps | Swimming | Eight gold medals 2008 Olympics, 14 in Olympic career |
To see the rest, and to look back on the covers from all those years, visit SI.com
1 response so far ↓
1 People (and Intrigues) of the Year; Best of 2008 Lists | Ontore Bangladesh // Dec 19, 2008 at 11:06 pm
[...] Illustrated has dubbed Michael Phelps 2008 “Sportsman of the Year” to the surprise of virtually no one, says GetListy. The news beyond the news here is that a Phelps video game may be in the works, [...]
You must log in to post a comment.