Nobel Prize for Sports
By Nick Pinkerton
Why is there not a Nobel Prize for sports? In a world coming together more and more through globalization, it's important to recognize the profound impact that sports has on us as a global culture.
If there were a Nobel Prize for sports, I'd have a tough time finding one person or team to give it to. That's why I've created three Nobel awards.
The Nobel for Most Outstanding Team Performance goes to the UConn women's basketball team.
The Huskies went 39-0 through the course of the season, capping off perfection with a 76-54 beatdown of Louisville.
Playing in the Big East conference, UConn showed no mercy, winning the conference title versus Louisville in a no-contest 75-36 shellacking.
They also defeated their March Madness opponents by an average of over 25 points per game en route to the National Championship. Furthermore, all 39 of their victories were by double digits.
The Nobel for Best Individual Performance goes to the duo of Juan Martin Del Potro and Roger Federer for their U.S. Open spectacle.
As if we thought the 2008 Wimbledon final was overwhelming, the 21-year-old Argentinian Del Potro pulled off an improbable upset of the god-among-men Federer. Del Potro lost the first set and won two sets via tiebreakers before powering past the world's No. 1 in the final set, 6-2.
This marked the end of a five year period in which all men's Grand Slam events were won by a European, mainly due to the dominance of Federer and Rafael Nadal.
I also credit Federer for his efforts in not only reaching all four Grand Slam events this year, but also for winning two of them -- the French Open and Wimbledon.
Lastly, my Nobel for Best Global Sports Impact goes to FC Barcelona, a La Liga club that shut down 2008 UEFA Champions League winner Manchester United, 2-0.
The match showcased world-class talent on both sides, particularly Man U's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, whose header in the 70th minute sealed the victory
FC Barcelona became the first Spanish club to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Champions League. FCB's stunning triumph completed an arduous run at the cup, one that included wins over some of the top clubs in the world: Lyon, Bayern Munchen and Chelsea.
With that said, it is evident that sports does not need a stimulus package to win the hearts of millions.