Woods among those up for Athlete of the Year honors  DAPHNE, Ala. -- Golfers Tiger Woods, Lorena Ochoa and Suzann Pettersen are in the running for the United States Sports Academy's Athlete of the Year.  Woods' paychecks total $10,867,052 in 2007 -- not counting his $10 million for winning the FedExCup. (WireImage)
Starting Saturday, Dec. 1, sports fans worldwide can vote online for the 2007 winners of the competition, which is presented by USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com. Last year, the ballot attracted nearly half a million votes from around the globe. Votes will be collected through Dec. 24. To submit your vote, visit www.ussa.edu/aoy/. Joining Woods on the ballot are Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, Swiss tennis great Roger Federer, American sprinter Tyson Gay, Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie, Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star LeBron James, NASCAR Champion Jimmy Johnson, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker and American swimming star Michael Phelps. Joining Ochoa and Pettersen are American swimmer Natalie Coughlin, Ethiopian runner Meseret Defar, American sprinter Allyson Felix, Austrian skier Renate Goetschl, Belgian tennis star Justine Henin, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, Australian basketball player Lauren Jackson, Swedish heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft, American tennis great Venus Williams and American swimmer Kate Ziegler. The Academy Athlete of the Year ballot is the culmination of the Academy's yearlong Athlete of the Month program, which recognizes the accomplishments of men and women in sports around the globe. The Academy's Athlete of the Month is selected by an international voting committee comprised of former athletes, media, sports organizations and governing bodies. As in years past, the athlete receiving the most votes will be named the Academy's Athlete of the Year. Past winners include Lance Armstrong, Roger Federer, Mia Hamm, Michael Jordan, Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods. In addition to the overall winner, a Female Athlete of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year will be named from the athletes who receive the most votes, outside of the overall winner, in each of the respective categories. "There are many great athletes on the ballot this year and opening the vote to a worldwide audience is exciting because we receive feedback from a wide range of sports fans who will ultimately decide which athlete is best of the best," Academy President Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich said. "Our partners, USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com, make it possible for this vote to reach fans online around the world 24 hours a day." In 2006, as the leading overall vote-getter in the combined male and female categories, tennis sensation Roger Federer repeated as the Outstanding Athlete of the Year. Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova received the most votes in the women's category, earning the 2006 Female Athlete of the Year honor. Federer and Sharapova were presented their awards on center court at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Golf megastar Tiger Woods won the 2006 Male Athlete of the Year award. |
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