A year ago, I thought I’d use my final print column space of the year to pull back the curtain a bit about the process that led to our Mo Gaba Sportsperson of the Year decision. I enjoyed the concept, so I thought I’d do it again this year.
The reason PressBox chose to make Lamar Jackson this year’s Mo Gaba Sportsperson of the Year is because … well … he’s Lamar Jackson. OK, thanks everyone. See you in 2025.
Truth be told, the impact Jackson has had on our city since his arrival has been so overwhelming that we recognize why you might be asking, “Why did it take so long?” The answer is complicated. His breakout 2019 season coincided with our decision to give the award’s namesake our top honor. We haven’t second-guessed that decision once and never will. And in my humble opinion, the image of Gaba and Jackson together is the greatest cover in PressBox history.
Then there was a complicated COVID year … and a year when Jackson got hurt … and a year when the Orioles put together a wildly improbable turnaround (while Jackson was again hurt) … and a year when the Orioles won 101 games. During one of our editorial meetings in 2023 we discussed whether, even with the Birds’ historic campaign, Jackson might be more deserving. He was on his way to a second league MVP.
I remember saying (and this isn’t verbatim but it’s close), “When the Ravens win the Super Bowl, the image of Lamar holding the Lombardi Trophy on next year’s cover will be perfect.”
Well … it would have been.
Yes, Lamar Jackson receiving our top annual honor is overdue. Well overdue, in fact. Even without having won a championship yet, Jackson has entered the pantheon of all-time Baltimore athletes. His place in our city’s sports lore is secure. He’s in the Johnny Unitas-Brooks Robinson-Ray Lewis-Cal Ripken category. Spare the “not just yet” or “you’re being hyperbolic” sentiments you feel like you’re supposed to have. His legacy on the field is already secure.
That’s in part because whatever else he may or may not accomplish, he’s already locked up the mythical title of being the most thrilling athlete to watch in our city’s history. I’ve repeated the sentence “we are so lucky to get to watch Lamar Jackson every week” even more frequently than I used the sentence “watching this team play offense is as pleasant as taking sandpaper to my genitals” during the 2000-2011 era of Ravens football.
Imagine going back to 2004. You’re watching Kyle Boller finish 9 of 18 for 81 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions (albeit in a win!) against Washington. You’re trying to explain to that younger version of yourself that one day you’ll be watching Lamar Jackson. Imagine even attempting to explain what the offense might look like. Could the 2004 version of yourself even process the concept?
Jackson is truly a central part of our civic identity. He resonates with us. We celebrate the underdog nature of his story. It feels like a reflection of our city in general. His hell-bent determination to win has added to our respect for him. He’s been a model citizen and a tremendous role model for our kids.
But more than any of that, he’s simply box office. We have to be glued to the screen (or the field when we’re at the games) every time he touches the ball. The man is a magician. We’ve seemingly seen everything this deep into his career and yet every week we somehow see something new and more spectacularly jaw-dropping.
He’s not just historically great, he’s historically cool. When strangers find out we’re from Baltimore they respond with, “Oh man, I love watching Lamar.” Your favorite rapper loves him. Your favorite folk singer loves him. The worst person you know isn’t so sure that he’s actually as great as we make him out to be, which deepens your appreciation of him.
Yes, there’s one thing left that he needs to do. I don’t know when or if it will happen. Most historically great quarterbacks have won at least one Super Bowl, so the odds are good that he will. But it’s far from guaranteed. Ask Warren Moon.
Still, this was about the easiest choice we’ve made since starting our “Best Of” issue. And if he does win the Super Bowl in February, perhaps he’ll become our first ever two-time Mo Gaba Sportsperson of the Year.
We are so freaking lucky to get to spend our Sundays watching Lamar Jackson.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 290: December 2024 / January 2025
Originally published Dec. 18, 2024