Derek Jeter: Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year

On Tuesday, December 1, Derek Jeter was honored as the 2009 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Presented annually since the magazines inception in 1954, the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award is bestowed upon the athlete or team that best symbolizes in character and performance the ideals of sportsmanship. Long considered one of the most prestigious honors in sports, the list of winners reads like a whos who of sporting greats: Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Billie Jean King, Tiger Woods, Bill Russell, Lance Armstrong and Tom Brady among them. Last years winner was Michael Phelps.