Four beefy security guards couldn't hold off the crowd that instantly engulfed the 23-year-old Phelps. Middle-aged women dripping diamonds elbowed and snarled their way through the masses, desperately seeking his autograph. Teenage boys tugged at Phelps's elbow, hoping to get him to look their way for a snapshot. Phelps is undeniably a superstar now, but it is in the Jimmy Stewart vein -- an unassuming everyman with whom others feel a strong kinship.
And yes, I did kind of pick an arbitrary chunk of the SI article on Phelps because, as cool as it is for him to win the award, it's still rather, well, not arbitrary, but something. And maybe I'm not sure what that "something" is, but I'm just kind of sick of the Sportsman of the Year.
I'm sorry, I am. I love SI. But we're talking about an award that was given to Brett Favre last year for his "for his perseverance and his passion". So, yeah, I'm still in boycott mode because the award is supposed to go to someone who won a championship or set a milestone (like it does every year) not to a certain writer's favorite
certain subject. Sorry Mike and SI, I know you're heartbroken to hear of my disapproval.
Michael Phelps Continues His World Domination, Wins SI's Sportsman of the Year originally appeared on FanHouse Back Porch on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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