NEW YORK (AP) – For the first time in more than 30 years a woman has been named the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year. It’s Serena Williams who dominated tennis in 2015. Runner Mary Decker in 1983 was the last female athlete to earn the award by herself. The U.S. women’s national soccer team was picked by SI in 1999, while speedskater Bonnie Blair in 1994 and gymnast Mary Lou Retton in 1984 were co-honorees with male Olympians. The announcement also marks a switch to the SI award’s name as past recipients were called Sportsman or Sportswoman of the Year.
