Simone Biles or Caitlin Clark? Either Way, Womens Sports Is Running Everything [Video]

In this op-ed, associate editor Aiyana Ishmael unpacks the misogynoir surrounding Simone Biles’s Sportsperson of the Year win.

On January 2, Sports Illustrated announced Simone Biles as its 2024 Sportsperson of the Year, and it should be no surprise. It’s undeniable that Biles was the leading player in athletics last year. The Olympic Games occur only every four years, but Biles’s dominance in gymnastics is unparalleled no matter the season. Of course, though, the haters have come out.

On social media many people undermined Biles’s win, claiming, in particular, that WNBA star Caitlin Clark should’ve gotten the spot. Some commenters even tried to diminish Biles’s success, stating that they “don’t even know what she did in 2024.” That’s being purposefully obtuse: Around 5 billion people — 84% of the potential global audience — followed the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, according to the International Olympic Committee. That alone proves that all eyes were on Biles …