Peyton Manning Beat Out David Ortiz for Sports Illustrated ‘Sportsman of the Year’

Sports Illustrated released its annual Sportsman of the Year issue, and this year the title went to Peyton Manning over other contenders they considered, including David Ortiz.

Fire up the outrage machine! We’re obviously all a bit biased here, but already many have noted that it seems like it would have been a good year to go with Papi. This isn’t just Peyton-hating Papi-loving Boston fans griping about it, either. There’ve been some scratched heads in non-local sports publications, too. The Los Angeles Times‘s Houston Mitchell argues, “There were at least two better choices out there: David Ortiz, who led the Boston Red Sox to the World Series title and gave the city something to rally around after the Boston Marathon bombings, and Mariano Rivera.” CBS Sports blogger Will Brinson writes that the choice is “a little bizarre considering that Manning’s really impressive achievement was last year, when he actually returned from four offseason neck surgeries.” 

But an SI editor told DenverBroncos.com that the mag is “taking a measure of Peyton’s entire career,” as well as his current standout season. And most of those aforementioned stuff about Ortiz were mentioned when he appeared on the cover last month to commemorate the Red Sox win. It’s not as if SI‘s got no love for Big Papi. SI is giving out an award, but they’re also trying to entertain readers, and rehashing a storyline they reported out a few issues back isn’t a great way to do it. (Not that the ups and downs of Manning’s career are exactly breaking news to its readers.) Also as Brinson asks, “Do you care who wins the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award?” Indeed.