American Pharoah capped off his career with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (Photo credit: Breeders’ Cup Ltd.)
Horse racing fans around the globe are upset that American Pharoah was snubbed by Sports Illustrated with Serena Williams winning the Sportsperson of the Year award, and rightly so.
Oh the outrage! Serenity now!
A tennis player? Really? Nobody watches tennis anymore. I haven’t watched a tennis match since Guillermo Vilas beat some other guy in the semifinals of a clay court tournament in New Hampshire sometime in the early 80’s. It was on PBS and I tuned in to watch Monty Python but the damn pledge drive was running long.
Okay, so nobody really watches horse racing anymore either, but people did tune in this spring to watch American Pharoah become the first Triple Crown winner in nearly four decades.
C’mon, If I want to watch a hot chick in a skimpy outfit slap around fuzzy balls, I’ll tune into Cinemax.
Sports Illustrated ran an online poll last week, and American Pharoah garnered 47% of the vote, with the Kansas City Royals second at 29%. Williams received just 1% of the online votes.
That is not a typo, American Pharoah was at 47% and Serena at 1%. It was the Triple Crown winner by a pole, and that is not a pun referring to American Pharoah’s future employment in the breeding shed.
Okay, so Serena did win 55 of her 58 matches in 2015 and won three of the Grand Slam events. But American Pharoah swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes for the Triple Crown, and then won the Breeders’ Cup Classic to become the first horse in history to win the Grand Slam of Racing, something we kinda made up just this year.
Boy oh boy the Twitterverse blew up today. Here are some of my favorites:
I’m with this Twit, I am canceling my SI subscription. (Oh crap, I canceled it back in 1983 when SI started to become irrelevant except for the Swimsuit edition, which became irrelevant with the advent of free porn sites in the late 90’s).
Hey @SInow all those people who could have been potential new readers & subscibers-those 47% who voted for American Pharoah? You lost them.
— Casadaly (@casadaly) December 14, 2015
AP apparently is not taking the news well:
American Pharoah hitting the apples pretty hard since learning he was passed over for Sportsman of the Year. Just standing there chewing ’em — Carl Wash (@EricJonEvans) December 14, 2015
I’m sure American Pharoah, who is a being completely capable of complex thought and opinions on sports, is devastated right now.
— Matthew Bramlett (@matthewbramlett) December 14, 2015
This is totally uncalled for, but so funny:
He may not have won Sportsperson of the Year, but American Pharoah will someday be the glue holding that magazine together! — Paul Sporer (@sporer) December 14, 2015
They would be a dynamic duo for sure:
Can we all just agree Serena Williams riding American Pharoah could defeat ISIS in 17 minutes?
— Ryan! (@rpwalsh) December 14, 2015
Apparently not everyone is following:
From what’s trending it sounds like Pete Rose bet on American Pharoah to be cast in Star Wars. Am I close? — The American (@Paul_Zachary) December 14, 2015
Not surprising, there have been some racist tweets:
Poor American Pharoah. It’s because he’s bay, isn’t it?
— Fuzzicus Innocuous (@MissFuzzball) December 14, 2015
I “40-love” this one:
I’d like to go on record and say that I could definitely beat american pharoah in a best of 5 tennis match. — Jordan Freiman (@JordanFreiman) December 14, 2015
This tweet makes (fashion) sense:
I’ll support American Pharoah over Serena for SOY if, and only if, he wins races for 15 years and launches a fashion line.
— Alexander Goot (@AGoot18) December 14, 2015
One twit brings up an age old question:
I just read that american pharoah is only 3 years old. how many tennis games had serena won at 3? probably not that many — what do you meme? (@pcoffjokes) December 14, 2015
At least one Daily Racing Form scribe is not happy:
American Pharoah wasn’t named best 3yo by Highlights so I’m canceling my subscription
— Jay Privman (@DRFPrivman) December 14, 2015
Okay, maybe just one:
People are actually bent that American Pharoah wasn’t named SI’s Sportsman of the Year? — Matt Bernier (@bernier_matt) December 14, 2015
So how does American Pharoah feel about the snub?:
EXCLUSIVE: American Pharoah responds to SI Sportsperson of the year snub. https://t.co/DXa7GdssMq pic.twitter.com/EShI1D56MW
— SB Nation (@SBNation) December 14, 2015
Just spoke w/ American Pharoah. Ate oats the entire time, and then defecated on the floor. Wouldn’t even address #Serena by name. Shocking. — Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) December 14, 2015
This one is pretty punny:
#SerenaWilliams beat out #AmericanPharoah for SI “Sportsperson” Of The Year. A classic case of putting the court before the horse…
— Douglas Burns (@MrBurnsWHS) December 14, 2015
The snub could be motivation for the big stud?:
I just say that this American Pharoah and SI thing can only serve as bulletin board material in the breeding shed – #firedup 200 mares — Racingwithbruno (@Racingwithbruno) December 14, 2015
AP owner Ahmed Zayat summed up what most horse racing fans are feeling:
ROBBED. ROBBED. ROBBED.
— Ahmed Zayat (@jazz3162) December 14, 2015
Ah, screw it, I’m over it already. I just hit the exacta in the second race at Turf Paradise.
Carry on.
