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Brad Sinopoli named Ontario Sports Hall of Fame's Syl Apps Athlete of the Year
It's always interesting when CFL players are chosen for athlete of the year awards ahead of prominent athletes from other sports; while the league is quite well-followed (it was named the third-most popular sport in Canada this year, and the second-most popular last year), its athletes haven't always received massive individual cross-sport recognition. There are cases where they break through, though, such as Jon Cornish's 2013 Lou Marsh Award as Canada's athlete of the year (the first CFL player to win since Russ Jackson in 1969), and we've now seen another one, with Ottawa Redblacks' slotback Brad Sinopoli (the CFL's Canadian player of the year) winning the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame's fan-selected Syl Apps Athlete of the Year award. From the sports hall's release:
The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame is proud to recognize Brad Sinopoli as the 2015 Syl Apps Athlete of the Year. The online public vote to determine the award recipient concluded on March 31st, 2016 with Sinopoli edging out other top professional competitors such as Andre De Grasse, Brooke Henderson and Kadeisha Buchanan to win. He received nearly 30% of total votes cast.
Sinopoli will be recognized at the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, 2016 Induction Ceremony & Awards Gala which will be held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel (Grand Ballroom) on October 17, 2016.
With a breakout year, the Ottawa Redblacks’ star and the CFL’s 2015 Most Outstanding Canadian recorded career highs with 86 receptions, 1,035 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. His game on October 24th against Montreal was one to watch, with 120 receiving yards on eight catches.
The Syl Apps Athlete of the Year Award celebrates the contributions of top athletes in Ontario, and is awarded to the athlete who has made an outstanding and memorable contribution to Ontario sports during the previous calendar year.
This year’s finalists included: Kadeisha Buchanan (Soccer), Andre De Grasse (Sprinter), Brooke Henderson (Golf), Kia Nurse (Basketball), Brad Sinopoli (Football), Joseph Votto (Baseball), Damian Warner (Decathlete), Andrew Wiggins (Basketball).
Sinopoli is the first CFL player to win this award since Damon Allen in 2005, and that's pretty cool to see. It will also see him honoured in good company; the hall has an impressive selection of inductees this year, including Sarah Burke, Ron Ellis, Tony Fernandez, Eric Lindros, Leo Rautins and Chris Schultz. It's also interesting to see him rewarded in a fan vote, which hasn't always gone the CFL's way. This adds to the stellar season Sinopoli had, and to his emergence as an elite CFL talent. We'll see if he can continue that dominance in the 2016 season.