Today’s Internet Debate: American Pharoah and Serena Williams…
American Pharoah and Smokey head to the track at Churchill Downs. 4/20/2015. Photo Credit: Rickelle Nelson
By: Brittany Bevis
It’s still surprising how quickly things can get out of control on social media… Case in point being the latest online debate surrounding Monday’s announcement that Sport’s Illustrated named tennis player Serena Williams the Sportsperson of the Year for 2015. The decision was met not only with intense public backlash across multiple forms of social media, but it was enough to make major news stations take notice. The story was quickly picked up by Yahoo Sports, ESPN, Los Angeles Times, FOX Sports, and countless others. Why all the hubbub?
The problems began thanks to an SI poll that allowed readers to vote online for who they thought should win the Sportsperson of the Year title. Although it was never stated that the poll would ultimately determine nor influence SI’s decision, the results are certainly telling of the public’s opinion.
American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown winner since 1978, won 47% of the vote, while the Kansas City Royals, the winners of the 2015 World Series, won 29%. They were followed by other athletes such as Lionel Messi with 6%, Stephen Curry with 4%, Jordan Spieth with 3%, Simone Biles with 2%, Carli Lloyd with 2%, and Serena Williams with 1%. However, when SI announced their decision for Sportsperson of the Year, they went with Serena Williams.
Comments from angry fans have flooded social media expressing their disappointment in the decision. Some cite the fact that despite Williams’ impressive record of 53-3 in 2015, she did not win her Grand Slam, (she lost to Roberta Vinci at the U.S. Open) while American Pharoah did win the Triple Crown. Others cite the fact that despite American Pharoah’s history-making accomplishment, a horse shouldn’t be eligible to win an award for Sportsperson of the Year, since the award is meant to “recognize a person who embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement.”
With all the controversy surrounding the decision, it was only a matter of time before SI issued some sort of response. Possibly in an effort to make light of the situation, a new video popped up on the SI website showing American Pharoah “congratulating” Serena Williams by use of the popular Talking Pet App. Unfortunately, that just added more fuel to the fire. A blogger on Horse Racing Nation has weighed in with her own response to SI’s Response to the Public’s Backlash- A Response Done In Poor Taste.
Sadly, what initially began as a method of honoring some of the greatest athletes in sports has disintegrated into a battle about gender, race, and weighing the importance and validity of certain accomplishments against others.
Also, it shouldn’t go without mention that Williams is the first female to be honored by SI, on her own, in more than 30 years. In addition, another change this year is a notable switch from SI referring to the award as Sportsman or Sportswoman of the year to Sportsperson of the Year. Furthermore, American Pharoah’s Triple Crown win was named by SI as the Sports Achievement of the Year.
Whether you feel the decision for SI’s Sportsperson of the Year was right or wrong, there is certainly one thing we can all agree upon. The presentation of a mere title, based on the opinion of a small group, in no way diminishes the incredible feats accomplished by American Pharoah, Serena Williams, nor any other athlete for that matter.
Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-serena-williams-american-pharoah-sports-illustrated-20151214-htmlstory.html
ESPN: http://espn.go.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/14366192/pharoah-loses-sportsman-year-award
New York: http://nymag.com/following/2015/12/la-times-is-serena-better-than-a-horse.html
