A Horse As Sportsman Of The Year?

When pacer Somebeachsomewhere was touted as a candidate for the Lou Marsh Award as Canada's male athlete of the year, the committee determined that a horse did not fit their criteria. Credit Sports Illustrated for not viewing their Sportsman of the Year Award in the same light, and listing Triple Crown winner American Pharoah as one of its finalists.

At the time of this writing, American Pharoah has garnered 64 per cent of the vote in Canada, but is currently tied for first overall with the Kansas City Royals.

"There was no other display of sportsmanship in 2015 that came close to what [Ahmed] Zayat and [Bob] Baffert did with American Pharoah," wrote SI Senior Writer Mark Beech in his argument for the equine candidate. "Horse racing is a dangerous sport, and all it would have taken was one bad step to turn his story into a tragedy—an unimaginably expensive tragedy.

"Zayat, who had sold Pharoah's breeding rights last winter for a reported $9.8 million, plus an extra $4 million for winning the Triple Crown, to Ireland-based Coolmore Stud, but who shrewdly retained control of the colt's racing career through the end of the year, insisted that he keep running because 'our sport needs stars.'"

American Pharoah is one of 12 finalists for the award, along with gymnast Simone Biles, sprinter Usain Bolt, basketball player Steph Curry, NFLer Thomas Davis, tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, soccer players Carli Lloyd and Lionel Messi, UFC standout Ronda Rousey, golfer Jordan Spieth, and the entire Kansas City Royals baseball team. You can vote for and read the arguments for the contenders at the following link: 2015 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year contenders