On Monday Nov. 24th, ballots were released which, when tabulated, will determine the 2015 winner of the Heisman Trophy.
A distinguished honor and long-standing tradition, the Heisman is something every young football athlete in America dreams of one day hoisting over their heads. Fathers name their children after past winners, while college stadiums erect statues in honor of their victors. It is quite possible that no other 13.5 inch, 25 pound statue is more important in the history of college sports.
The Heisman trophy “annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with “integrity,” according to the Heisman website. It’s “winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.”
A Heisman trophy candidate is described as one who is “guided by a devotion to college football and committed to community service and the valued tradition which the trophy represents.”
The award is actually picked in an interesting way, by none other than sports journalists. They were selected to determine the award recipient because the are an “informed, competent and impartial” source. The journalist core, an ESPN conducted fan poll (contributing one vote) and all of the former, living trophy winners sum the total votes of the award. In the 2014 race, there were a total of 929 votes.
Each individual who is sent a ballot will have the opportunity to select three individuals who they think best represent the Heisman standard. The first place vote is awarded three points, the second is award two and the third is awarded one. The finalists are gathered for a large ceremony in New York City, where the winner will be announced on a live broadcast.
If you had any doubt before, then hopefully by now you understand that this is a very important and coveted award. Winning this award helps elevate a player to any position in football as a professional. Should he enter the draft, he is likely to be selected quickly. Should his NFL career fizzle out, or after he retires, there is a good chance you will see him behind a desk as an analyst.
These players are respected and they are talented. But recently, the Heisman race is shifting from a balance between integrity and talent, to the talent portion of the competition taking center stage. Many past Heisman winners have been in the media spotlight for more than just their rushing records.
College football will never be devoid of players who make mistakes, on and off the field. While it is important for various players to maintain a sense of integrity, lets face it, we care more about who can throw farther, run faster and hit harder. The Heisman selection committee is not a police force, charged with the role of picking the nicest guy on the field. While most of us want to see the nice guy finishing first, that won’t always happen. We can, however, be guaranteed that whoever wins the trophy will be talented.
As far as integrity goes, it is hard to determine. I think that there is a lot of “he said, she said” occurring and there will always be secrets exchanged behind closed doors that the fans will never know about. That being said, I think the only thing you can do when selecting a winner is pick the guy who is the best, and who deserves the honor based on valid evidence.
As the candidates in the race for the Heisman make their final laps, and ballots begin to be cast, there are a myriad of athletes at the head of the pack. It is important to analyze these players in a way that the professionals do. Not just in terms of their raw skill, but their sportsmanship on and off the field as well as their ability to lead a team through good times and bad. This is an honor that garners a lot of media attention towards the end of the year and keeps us interested until the winner is announce, and I’m sure this season will be no exception.
*Section Photo credit to Mike Stobe, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Adam Hunger, USA Today Sports.
