The Associated Press named American Pharoah’s historic Triple Crown sweep the “Sports Story of the Year” as determined by a vote of U.S. editors and news directors on Thursday, Dec. 24.
“Recognition of American Pharoah by the Associated Press as the Sports Story of the Year is a true reflection of the most compelling sports story from 2015," said Alex Waldrop, President & CEO, National Thoroughbred Racing Association in a statement. "Throughout American Pharoah’s quest for a Triple Crown sweep that many believed impossible, and then with the completion of our sport’s first-ever Grand Slam, American Pharoah captivated a nation. It took 37 years to crown Thoroughbred racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner, but American Pharoah proved to be worth the wait in every way.”
From 82 ballots cast that ranked the top five sports stories of 2015, American Pharoah received 43 first-place votes and a total of 317 points. Points were awarded based on rankings: first (five points), second (four points), third (three points), fourth (two points) and fifth (one point).
The "Deflategate" scandal involving the Super Bowl champions and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady placed second in the results with 13 first-place votes and 191 points.
To view the complete top 10 results, click here.
(With files from NTRA)