'Sports Illustrated' Crowns Serena Williams "Sportsperson of the Year"; American Pharaoh Drama

On Monday (Dec. 14), Sports Illustrated announced their 2015 "Sportsperson of the Year" and the crown was given to none other than the tennis superstar herself, Serena Williams. While many believe she's deserving of the title, other fans of the publication were quite angry with their choice. Sports Illustrated held a reader's poll to see who fans wanted to carry the honor. A horse named American Pharaoh won by a landslide and now readers are pissed the animal didn't make it on the cover.

The 34-year-old was acknowledged for her moves both on and off the field. The 2015 "Sportsperson of the Year" title was not opinion based, but chosen based off her lengthy and enviable tennis career. Sports Illustrated highlighted several reasons why they believed Williams was a suitable pick for the annual honor.

Despite battling a vomit-enducing cold, bruised bones in her knees, and a sprained elbow, Williams dominated in 2015. She won 53 out of the 56 tennis matches she participated in this year (53-3 record), including three of the four Grand Slam events, and has held the no. 1 ranking for the past three years, according to the Womens Tennis Association (WTA).

The 21 Grand Slam singles title holder, who's pictured sitting upon her throne on the cover, was also recognized for the strides she's made for both women and African-Americans in sports. In November while dining out with a friend in San Francisco, Williams stopped a thief from running away with her cell phone.

She took to her personal social media accounts to detail her story and used it as an opportunity to empower girls and women, telling them to channel their inner Super Woman and stand up for themselves at all times.

So why were some people so outraged with the magazine's choice? On Nov. 11, Sports Illustrated opened an online reader's poll to give fans a chance to have a say in the voting process. Although the site clearly stated the Sports Illustrated editors will choose the official "Sportsperson of the Year" winner, fans still felt like their votes were ignored.

The contenders included 18-year-old gymnast Simone Bliss, track & field runner Earth Usain Bolt, basketball player Steph Curry, football player Thomas Davis, tennis player Novak Djokovic, soccer player Carli Lloyd, soccer player Lionel Messi, three-year-old horse American Pharaoh, UFC fighter Ronda Rousey, baseball team Kansas City Royals, 22-year-old golfer Jordan Spieth, and Williams.

American Pharaoh, who won with 47 percent of the votes, is a young colt that broke a 37-year Triple Crown drought by becoming the 12th winner in history to earn the title. Fans voiced their "disappointment" and anger towards the magazine for choosing Williams. Some people used the vote to discredit the tennis player's career.

"SI states that the sportsperson of the year award goes to 'the athlete or team whose performance that year embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement.' That puts American Pharaoh at a clear disadvantage since horses can't really display sportsmanship."

Check out some of the comments below, including some Twitter users poking fun at those getting so worked up about a horse getting "snubbed" for the award:

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Serena Williams