Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year - Michael Phelps

Well, it seems that Michael Phelps isn’t yet finished in claiming 2008 as his greatest year. And what a way to end it as he was declared Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine.

After lording it over competitions in 2008 Beijing Olympics and making swimming once again a popular sport for kids, Michael Phelps has joined the ranks of Tiger Woods,Tom Brady, and other great sportsman who have been given this coveted title. Phelps is the first swimmer to be given the title.

During the 2008 Olympics, Phelps has made the swimming pool the center of the universe. As Sports Illustrated Group editor Terry McDonell said “…he changed not only swimming, but the entire Olympic landscape.” He even said that choosing Phelps for 2008 Sportsman of the Year was “the easiest choice I have made.”

I remember some people asking questions before “Is he (Phelps) even human?” Well, with this achievement, I think he might just have taken one step closer to ‘immortality.’

But I do have a more intriguing question which just popped up in my mind: “Do he now have as many product endorsements as Michael Jordan?”

Or perhaps even more… and counting.