Serena Williams Sits on a Throne as Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year

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Sports has a new overlord, and her name is Serena Williams. The 2015 edition of Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year issue was released today, and as a surprise to no one (well, actually a lot of people, but we'll get back to that in a minute), the magazine chose a woman who is arguably the best athlete of her generation.

Along with a short documentary, a massive cover story, and a photo shoot, SI also published this essay, "Why Serena Williams Is SI's Sportsperson of the Year," in which the magazine writes:

She is not perfect, and assorted confrontations with, and perceived slights of, tournament officials, opponents and the public at large will find their way into her narrative, this one included. But as a performer, as a doer, as a symbol, no one extended themselves and embraced the best (and worst) the sports world has to offer quite like Serena Williams, champion, 2015 Sportsperson of the Year.

The choice wasn't without its fair share of naysayers — or perhaps more appropriately, neigh-sayers. After winning the magazine's reader poll, fans of American Pharaoh — a horse!!! — whined profusely in comment sections, on Twitter, and in weird corners of the horse-racing internet. The LA Times even published another poll asking readers to vote for whether they thought Serena Williams or American Pharaoh — a literal horse who is incapable of having an opinion on the matter — deserved the title.

Should you need her, Serena Williams will be over here, chilling on her giant gold throne.