Salon's Kaufman argues Serena Williams as Sports Person of the Year Award.

Since I know that Lance Armstrong was not even the best cyclist last year, I won't get into a debate about Lance vs. Serena. I won't even argue how to define sportsman or sportswoman vs. athlete, which I feel are different. Lets get to the really stupid statement.

.....he won one race in a sport so obscure that most Americans can't even name another of its events, and so limited that its skill set can be described thusly: pedaling fast and not falling over.

Uhh,.. well no. That is not really correct on several points.

Obscure events? To most Americans, yes. I suppose most Europeans could not many many football teams other than the Dallas Cowboys. I think most people in the world knows who the US Postal Teams is now. At least in Europe.

Lance not only has to pedal fast and not fall over to win a grand tour he needs to be able to pedal fast for long periods of time, up mountains, down mountains at 60+ miles an hour into really nasty curves on them, by himself, with a team, and with a peloton. Physically, he has to train to be able climb, time trial, and even sprint. Most great riders cannot become great grand tour riders because their body cannot take the abuse for three weeks.

Mentally there is a lot going on also. As a team leader he has to instruct his team on how to race. He has to be a race general. (You don't think Michael Vick just tells everybody to run around until they are open, do you?) There is much strategy in a grand tour; for the whole race, for each stage, for each mountain climb. Strategy will change as teams attack, or riders withdraw.

Saying the skill set needed to win the Tour is being able to pedaling fast and not falling over is like saying that the only skill set needed to win a major tennis tournament is to run fast and hit a yellow ball over net. It is asinine.

Of course I would never really take any column or article from Salon on sports seriously. I don't think watching TV and knowing how to type is all that is needed in the skill set to be a sports reporter or columnist.

Update: And of course Kaufman is getting flamed, but I have a feeling that is what he was hoping for.

      your note []