Arsenal: Why Robin Van Persie Should Be the 2011 Sportsman of the Year

I've long subscribed to Sports Illustrated, the 57-year-old American weekly magazine often considered to be the Valhalla of American sports journalism.

Its featured writers have been my teachers, providing guidance as I look to make this writing thing my profession. At 22, I'm still in the nascent stages of my "career"—if you can call it that—but the articles in that magazine have been my reference points, the rock against which I've built the foundation of my writing. I look forward to each edition of that weekly publication with bated breath. Have since age eight.

The best of their authorial bunch create articles that read with a flow and thrall, pulling you in and making you care about the athletes and coaches profiled within those pages. There have been occasions where I've lost myself in thought while reading. I wasn't daydreaming, mind you; instead I was so completely engaged that I lost sense of what was going on around me. That's when you know you've found something special.

In my first-ever journalism class in college, my teacher began the 50-minute period by saying just that: journalism is about telling peoples' stories. No matter how big or rich the athlete, once you strip past the cars and money and glitz, you find a person trying to make it through life just like the rest of us. You begin to realize that once the lights go off in the stadium, they're forced to endure normalcy. Now of course their "normalcy" might be paved in gold, but that sort of extravagance didn't necessarily make Midas happy, did it? After all the glitz fades, they've got problems like the rest of us.

One of my favorite SI issues during the calendar year is the "Sportsman of the Year." Each December, the magazine elects an athlete (sometimes two, as was the case this year with Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt) who have demonstrated the requisite capacities expected of a "sportsman."

That designation goes far beyond athletic excellence and personal achievement. A great athlete's true significance can most often be found not on the field or court, but rather in how he make a city feel. They transcend the confines of the pristine facilities and make their way into the bars, apartments, and homes of their loyal fans. Because without fans, what would sport be?

Perhaps these athletes instilled hope in a struggling city (Drew Brees for a New Orleans still struggling past Katrina in 2010), or reinvigorated a nation's belief in baseball (Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in '98—we'll brush past the steroid allegations for now...)

The great athletes provide the impetus for kids to dream great dreams of future sporting magnificence. And once those dreams fade, and the kid is forced to enter the day-to-day monotony of working life, those athletes pull men from the despairs and betrayals of adulthood and remind them why they began playing sports in the first place: there is something that comes out of us when we rediscover the purity of the passions of our youth.

If only for 90 minutes or two hours a night, the athletes' unequivocal feats help us believe that there's something basic and good in this life worth that is well worth fighting for.

I've yet to see a foreigner grace the Sportsman of the Year cover, but Richard Deitsch, a long-time writer for SI, assured me that it can go to anyone, regardless of nationality or league of participation.

Ever since Arsenal striker Robin van Persie embarked upon this scintillating and near-unprecedented run of form in 2011, which has seen him vault into the realm of top-tiered strikers worldwide, I've begun bandying about the notion that he could receive the designation of "Sportsman."

Whereas before 2011, Van Persie might have been scraping at the label of "top-tier," 35 goals for Arsenal in the calendar year, which saw him push past Gunners legend (and soon-to-be teammate again) Thierry Henry's former record of 34 on New Year's Eve, and 48 goals in 53 games (including Holland duty) has seen him smash that barrier to smithereens. He has been nothing short of magnificent this year.

The year began with a bang, with the Dutchman matching the Premiership record for most league goals from Jan. 1 to the end of a season (18 in 19 appearances through last May,) Add that lofty distinction to a league-leading 16 EPL goals thus far in 2011-12, and you've got a man who is at the height of his powers. Enjoy it. These runs of form do not come often.

Whereas mentioning Van Persie's name alongside those of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi might have irked some before, at the moment many would deem you a tad mental were you not to list him in their illustrious company. Each of those three attackers' games is vastly different, but that simply adds to the charm: at present, they are world soccer's attacking triumvirate. Power, precision, class.

Forget the goal-scoring for a minute (not the easiest task, given the goals' ubiquity this year, but let's give it a shot); perhaps Van Persie's greatest contribution to Arsenal this season has been as a leader and burgeoning locker room presence.

Considering his penchant for a quick and risible temper upon arriving in north London from Feyenoord in the summer of 2004, his transformation into a reassuring source of encouragement for his teammates has been nearly cinema-esque in terms of its trajectory.

At no time did Arsenal need a leader more desperately than at the start of the 2011-12 season. With the protracted and messy August departures of former captain Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri looming large, coupled with the nervy passage into Champions League group stage play through the playoff phase, and not to mention an infusion of five new players in the span of a week at the summer transfer window's death, Van Persie emerged when his team needed it most.

The most unlikely of captains when he arrived riding a tumultuous wave out of Feyenoord, he had become a man transformed.

Even while questions circled about a contract extension (his current deal expires in 2013) during the club's harrowing early season struggles, Van Persie would not allow himself to be sucked into the media tumult. He elected to keep mum on the subject, providing a sense of calm when Arsenal needed it most.

The Gunners' ascent from the nether regions of the Barclay's Premiership table (their poorest-ever start to a season saw them as low as 15th in September) to its upper echelon has been nothing sort of sensational.

And they owe it (nearly completely) to the positively transcendent form Van Persie has been enjoying since early September, when after an indifferent August he rediscovered the profligacy with which he'd dazzled viewers in that record-setting first half of 2011.

It was during that January-to-May stretch that Gunners fans finally witnessed the injury-free Van Persie we'd always hoped for. And what a wonder he was.

Nabbing his first-ever hat-trick for Arsenal against Wigan on the 22nd of January. Stunning Barcelona keeper Victor Valdez with that brilliant near-post volleyed goal in that firecracker of a first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 at the Emirates on Feb. 16. The slew of goals was magnificent to behold, made all the more poignant as we realized, slowly but surely each time the ball passed over the goal line, that we were witnessing a transformation. This was a player who was entering an entirely different aura before our very eyes.

The current season may have started off haphazardly—both for Van Persie and Arsenal (any wonder about the coincidence there?), but after a momentary lull in August, the current Gunners No. 10 rediscovered his sensational form from that first half of 2011, and has proceeded to run the gamut this autumn and early winter.

There was his brace against Bolton in late September that saw him reach 100 for his Arsenal career.

There was his Fabregas-esque turn as a substitutional deus ex machina (68') against Stoke in October, where his two goals sealed a 3-1 victory at the Emirates, much in the way that the former Catalan captain had delivered for the Gunners in the final December days of 2009 against Aston Villa.

There was his goal against Everton on the commemoration day of Arsenal's 125th season as a club (more on that later).

Each time, a captain came through when his team needed him most. And each time, we loved him all the more for it.

Wenger has said that upon Van Persie's arrival from Feyenoord back in '04, he would never have predicted the once-mercurial winger would become "captain material," as reported by GiveMeFootball.

His evolution has been outstanding, not only as a human being but as a player too.

Herein lies the most intriguing aspect of Van Persie's transformation from talented but troubled youngster to polished, consummate professional.

The Daily Mail recently ran an article detailing the Dutchman's fascinating growth curve. Genius is often unparalleled in its maddening propensity to infuriate those it encounters. Those who see life, and in Van Persie's case the game of football, differently, are not readily accepted. They are perceived as arrogant most times, as Van Persie was as a schoolboy in Holland. The status quo is named so for a reason—we do not enjoy deviations from that formula.

Like Winston Churchill a century before him, Van Persie's personal growth took a little longer than might normally be seen or expected, and it was aided by extenuating circumstances. But eventually, it always seemed that once his personal blend of genius found its medium, it would flourish.

And flourish it has at the Arsenal. For Van Persie, this was a perfect storm of remaining injury free, finding a manager who believed in him, and rising upon a tide of glory that shows no signs of ebbing anytime soon.

There are few like him in the world of football—and perhaps none who can match him in every category he excels in. He may enjoy comparisons to Messi—both are at their best when operating from a central attacking position, wherein they are given freedom to roam and involve themselves in the play. But in the end, the two player's similarities diverge. They are both great, but in subtly different ways.

And perhaps it's better that way. Van Persie, truthfully, has emerged in an attacking class of his own.

His overall game has become something spectacular this year, abetted by a maturation in front of goal. The goals predicated upon beauty remain—if you are like me, your throat tightens when you see RVP receive a pass on the edge of the penalty area, his first touch setting himself up for one of his left-footed curlers—but they are now enjoined by a remarkable number of ruthless, poaching strikes that would make any out-and-out No. 9 smile. The Dutch No. 10 has alluded as much. He now has a second-sense of where he is in relation to goal. It's truly something special to see.

Many have spoken in the past of the importance marriage plays in the evolution of a man. It is a grounding experience; a concerted effort once must make to care about someone else on a daily basis.

One look at Van Persie's Twitter feed—where he shares pictures and videos of his family, might tell the whole story. It seems in no way an aberration that his evolution as a mature leader for Arsenal has coincided with this familial plot development, in any event.

There are the images and videos of him participating in a lighthearted match at the park with his four-year-old son's friends. These grainy bits of footage provide but a snapshot of his life, but they are remarkably enduring. He is a caring father, and loving husband.

It doesn't stop there. Mirror Football reported in December 2010 that Van Persie and his wife Bouchra had teamed up with fellow Gunners Thomas Vermaelen, then-teammate Cesc Fabregas and their significant others to provide funding for certain health issues in Africa.

It was Bouchra who had traveled to Africa and seen first-hand the harrowing living conditions many are subjected to there. The couple are now involved with SOS Children, the world's largest orphan charity, and are sponsoring a Kenyan family that Bouchra met during her trip.

To hear Van Persie talk about the project is to project an image of a man whose enthusiasm jumps off the page. His words do not seem forced, his inclinations appear genuine. And when it comes to helping others, that's exactly the type of attitude and spirit you'd both want and expect.

Wholesome values. We see far too few of them these days. And who would have ever thought we'd see them emanating from Van Persie, the young man whose petulant behavior on the pitch once drove his manager and teammates bat-s***-crazy?

But he has become a different person, eviscerating the notion that people can never change. The goals still come—oftentimes in spades—but they are accompanied, and perhaps heightened by, Van Persie's new outlook. He jumps at the occasion to celebrate with fans and teammates.

And in this, Arsenal's 125th year of existence, could you ask for a better representative of the club?

Perhaps that previously-alluded-to volleyed wonder-goal against Everton sums it up perfectly. We'd seen Van Persie strike a similar shot back in 2006 against Charlton, but something about this latest peach of a goal seemed different.

Or maybe it was the same. There was Thierry Henry, now back training with the club and soon set to join on a two-month loan deal, looking on from the stands, applauding the magnificent gest. There was Wenger, applauding his captain, who made a beeline for the Arsenal sideline after scoring. An act that said more than words ever could: this was a captain who wanted to share his jubilation with his teammates rather than showing off for personal gain.

Everton keeper Tim Howard had been left rooted to the spot by the sizzling left-footed strike, a perfect representation of Van Persie's atmospheric ascent in 2011, which has seen him blow by the opposition, often stock-still in comparison to his lofty star.

And so it is for these, and so many other reasons that I've no doubt neglected to mention (that's the most frustrating aspect of revisiting something you've written—you always could have added something more,) that I believe Robin van Persie deserves the Sportsman of the Year award. At 28, he has become the sort of guardian each club seeks, but rarely finds. 2011 has been an encapsulation of everything he's worked toward over the years. If his career were a canvas, he'd have added the focal point during these past 12 months; the moments that attract everyone's attention without fail.

Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss, Jr. explained during a recent memoir that during his lengthy career with the magazine, he had looked to immortalize athletes rather than humanize them. By accentuating their talents instead of their flaws, he was making a concerted effort to showcase the very best that sports could offer. He opted for the optimist's path, instead of that of the cynic.

Some might deem that hopeless and pointless immaturity, predicated upon ignorance. But I don't agree one bit.

There's a reason that, during our youths, we worshiped the very ground athletes walked upon. They were our heroes—and the best of them taught us. The best ones were cognizant of their capacity to be role models for impressionable youngsters. They made us better for having witnessed them comport themselves with dignity both on and off the pitch.

I believe Van Persie is entering into that vein of responsible stardom, if you will. Not only have his on-pitch performances been nothing short of spellbinding; his character has shone through most brilliantly this year.

And with so many athletes currently tumbling from their peaks thanks to the latest tabloid revelations or on-field scandal, we need a man like Van Persie more than ever.

Look to his final involvement on a soccer pitch for 2011 as the ultimate barometer for what has been a year laced with fireworks and accolades.

Graced with the ball in front of goal in the dying embers of Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at the Emirates, Van Persie elected not to pursue personal glory, opting instead to set up teammate Gervinho with a well-timed pass. The Ivorian, signed from Lille over the summer, did not convert, but that is of little matter. Like the age-old Christmas-time adage, it was the Dutchman's thought that counted.

That kind of wholesome unselfishness makes Van Persie great. One hearkens back to Eric Cantona, playing himself in the film Looking for Eric, explaining to the title character that his favorite memory as a Manchester United player was not a goal, but rather a pass.

For all his improved "ruthlessness" in front of goal, Van Persie remains, as ever, the consummate teammate, and a reliable captain. After his goal against QPR, he made a beeline for the Arsenal dugout to celebrate with teammates, rather than spouting off in a self-indulgent tirade.

2011 has come and gone, ending as it started: with a Robin van Persie goal in the first and last games (against Birmingham and QPR, respectively.) He didn't catch Alan Shearer, he didn't break the record for goals in the EPL during a calendar year. In the end, though, that record mattered little when juxtaposed with the real victory from 2011: Van Persie's emergence as a leader for the Gunners.

And based on the Arsenal captain's form this past year, can you imagine what 2012 will bring?

I can't wait.