Was there really any doubt that Clint Dempsey wasn't going to run away with this award?
As some of our commentors pointed out during the voting, it seemed a bit one-sided. Not just because of their own qualifications, but the over-whelming case that could be made for Sir Deuce.
With nearly 40 goals for Fulham in the English Premier League and counting Clint Dempsey has made the biggest splash of any American aboard, ever. Dempsey's soccer ambassadorial work for the United States has made him the most recognizable face for the red, white, and blue in any corner of the world (sorry Howard and Donovan).
But what makes him our choice for Free Beer Movement "Person of the Year" isn't so much the goals and the quality play that he brings to the field, but the audacity of what his brings to the field. His playing style, his take-no-prisoners attitude is the American way. Grit. Determination. Mixed results.
Think Dempsey's attempted scorpion kick during the 2011 Gold Cup. Think his towering header against Arsenal last week. Both near misses that were marked by both an insane amount of effort and incredulity.
And the beer side? Clint Dempsey, he of Modelo beer sponsorship and he of bottle-opening-on-his-boot goal celebrations has put American soccer on the map in a way that no other player could. A clear message that the suds play an important role in his life.
We love the beer connection in Dempsey's goal scoring life and his on-field exploits only further our mission to spread American soccer.
We could buy hundreds of thousands of beers 'round the globe and have only the fraction of an impact that Deuce has had on building American soccer at home in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Raise a pint for FBM's 2011 "Person of the Year"!
