Vince McMahon and the WWE are sending wrestlers to Iraq to boost spirits as part of their 'Tribute to the Troops' program. Courtesy of WWE

By Andy Gray

My choice for Sportsman of the Year is World Wrestling Entertainment Chairman Vincent Kennedy McMahon.

Yes, that Vince McMahon. The guy who brought you the XFL and called Bob Costas an "elitist" during a contentious interview five years ago. The guy who, on multiple occasions, dropped his pants on national television so his wrestlers could join the "Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club."

While the choice may seem absurd on the surface, here's why McMahon has earned my vote: the WWE's Tribute to the Troops tour.

Dozens of wrestlers, crew members and assorted employees have embarked over the past four years on a five-day USO-style sweep through the Middle East to entertain the troops. According to McMahon, the trip has replaced Wrestlemania as the most important event on the WWE calendar.

"The smiles on the faces of those men and women over in Iraq is something that is very dear to our heart," McMahon says. "They are the most appreciative audience that we will play to all year long."

The tour is the brainchild of wrestler-turned-announcer John Bradshaw Layfield, who came up with the idea while visiting Kuwait. He proposed the idea to McMahon and within weeks, the first tour was scheduled. Over five days, the wrestlers visit 25 bases (about eight or nine per wrestler) and spend time with the troops. This is quality time, not a 20-minute "appearance" where a performer poses for pictures before heading to the next destination. Instead, the wrestlers eat with the troops, sleep on the floor of their barracks and get a full taste of military life.

While five days may not seem like much of a commitment, it's five more days than any other professional sports team spent in Iraq this year. More importantly, the company doesn't make a dime off the trip. It's simply a way for McMahon and the rest of the WWE to say thank you to a group of people who are too often overlooked.

I'm not attempting to argue the merits of professional wrestling as a sport or justify what goes on within a WWE ring. Some of it's entertaining. Some if it's absurd. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

What I do know is that every time I see an NBA "Read to Achieve" or NFL United Way commercial, I can't help but wonder how much goes beyond a neatly packaged commercial with a catchy theme song and well-placed images of an athlete and child sharing a laugh.

When I tune into WWE each Christmas, however, I see hundreds of exhausted soldiers, many on their third and fourth tours of duty, forgetting that they have to spend another holiday away from their families and enjoying themselves as they eat, sleep and hang out with professional wrestlers. And for that, McMahon earns my Sportsman of the Year vote.