Sports Illustrated named Lebron James as their Sportsman of the Year. He was the MVP of the NBA regular season and the playoff finals. Lebron won the NBA championship with the Miami Heat and an Olympic goal medal, so the Sportsman of the Year sounds reasonable.
Lionel Messi, however, needs to be recognized for a level of excellence that may never be matched. As a soccer player, he plays forward for the Argentina national team and for FC Barcelona. This year, the 5' 7'', 25 year old broke the long standing record of 85 goals in a calendar year. At last count he had 91 and he's not done. Is he the best footballer in history? The debate will continue. At his best, hockey's "Great One" Wayne Gretzky, 1981-82 season, scored 92 goals, breaking the record of 72, while scoring 50 of those goals in just 39 games. But just think, Gretzky was the greatest in the history of a few million, amateur and professional, hockey players world wide, where as Messie is perhaps the greatest among billions of footballers around the globe. As great as he is, some believe, experts included, that Messi isn't even the best soccer player of the year. They"ll cast their vote for Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portugese forward, who plays for Real Madrid. These fierce rivals are scheduled to compete against each other in Madrid, March 2013, as Real Madrid takes on Barcelona.
In my humble opinion, Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin, Usain Bolt, Rory Mcllroy, Serena Williams or Andy Murray, to name just a few, are more deserving than Lebron.
My choice for sportsperson (not sportsman) of the year is Lionel Messi. Like Gretzky, Messi isn't the biggest, fastest, or strongest but there is always the potential for something very special whenever he touches the ball.
Don T
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