SERENA WILLIAMS: Sportsperson of the Year

She beat out a racehorse, an entire baseball team and a soccer phenom, among others. Serena Williams is Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year.

Serena will appear on the cover of the mag that comes out Friday. SI says it chose the tennis superstar because "she won 53 of her 56 matches, three of the four Grand Slam events and built the most yawning ranking points gap between her and her closest competitor in tennis history."

But the magazine also points out that she's also been a driving force in race and gender relations, especially where they relate to body shaming.

Say Whaaaattt:

Serena really had a dominant year on the court. (winning 53 of 56 matches)

And in a little more than a month, SI will go from honoring a female role model to the ultimate objectification of women, the Swimsuit Issue.

A lot of people thought American Pharaoh would take the honor, since he made history.