First things first –

This photoshop is a criminal offense. Allen Iverson stepping over Mike Schmidt? Disrespectful!

The person responsible for this abomination needs to apologize publicly and then take two weeks of sensitivity training.

Other apologies should come from anybody who voted for Allen Iverson as Philadelphia’s best athlete of the past 50 years, over Schmidt or Reggie White.

“The rankings were determined based on votes from our fans and hosts,” it says on the WIP website, so of course it’s arbitrary, but I feel like people need to learn a bit more about Schmidt, who is the best 3rd baseman to ever play the game.

We’re talking about a 12-time All Star who won ten Gold Gloves and the 1980 World Series. He was a three-time MVP with six Silver Slugger awards who entered the Hall of Fame in 1995, six years after retirement. He spent his entire career in Philadelphia.

Schmidt averaged 37 home runs and 107 RBIs per season over 18 years in Major League Baseball. He led the league in home runs on eight difference occasions. Great hitter, elite fielder, and one of the best to ever play the game.

Iverson, I feel, draws an emotional connection with younger Philly fans. They loved watching him lead the underdog Sixers to the NBA Championship, where he stepped over Tyronn Lue in game one, and then went on to lose four straight to Kobe and Shaq. That’s why the ‘stepover’ is the most overrated sequence in all of Philly sports, because we worship one amazing moment from a series that ended 4-1 in favor of the other team. Loser mentality right there.

A.I.’s career accomplishments do come close to Schmidt, but without the championship. He was an 11-time All-Star, three-time NBA first teamer, 1997 rookie of the year, a four-time scoring champ, three-time steals leader, and got into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

Iverson was a fantastic player who really captured the hearts and minds of Philadelphia sports fans while taking us on one of the most enjoyable rides ever. But he wasn’t as good as Mike Schmidt, who played more seasons here, won a title, and racked up the same amount of individual accomplishments while being the very best at his position.

A.I. won the (arguably meaningless) competition because a bunch of younger Philly sports fans who grew up with him decided to vote.