No other dominant athlete is being more overlooked. It's as if the wondrous results that Nadal produced in 2010 happened in a vacuum. You had to be blind not to have taken notice of his magnificent achievements but apparently many were so afflicted.

How else do you explain the fact that when Athlete of the Year awards were being doled out recently, Nadal didn't get a sniff with any of them? He wasn't even an afterthought. For whatever reason, Rafa didn't register.

To the idiots and morons that vote on these increasingly meaningless awards, it was as if Nadal didn't even exist. Apparently they view him as nothing more than an insignificant practitioner of a second-tier sport. Their myopia towards Rafa is troubling. Their prejudice towards the game of tennis is astounding. But maybe their stupidity isn't so surprising when you consider how many slugs and buffoons inhabit the sports media fraternity.

Though the examples of Nadal being ignored and discounted are numerous, the most egregious and head scratching one involved the Associated Press and its selection of the Male Athlete of the Year for 2010.

The AP's choice of New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, though undeserved in this writer's opinion, was predictable and expected. You could see the choice of Brees coming a mile away. Brees was the lazy man's preference and his selection was unduly influenced by the charitable work he spearheaded to help New Orleans recover from Hurricane Katrina. More about why Brees shouldn't have been tabbed a bit later.

What was even more screwy than Brees winning the award was the fact that NACSAR's champion Jimmie Johnson finished second in the voting while boxer Manny Pacquiao wound up third.

In other words, in the supposedly educated opinion of those casting votes, Nadal wasn't even worthy of making the top three. That's beyond ridiculous. Outrageous sums up that sort of demented thinking. Nadal being dissed in such a blatant fashion was a total joke.

Giving Rafa such short shrift was absolutely unforgivable when you take into account that Nadal enjoyed one of the truly epic seasons in the history of tennis. To begin with, Rafa captured three of the four Grand Slam events, a monstrous achievement in and of itself. In those Slam events, the dashing left-hander rung up a superlative 25 and 1 record.

Moreover, Nadal also became only the seventh man in the annals of the sport to complete the career Grand Slam when he secured his first U.S. Open title with an impressive and convincing run at Flushing Meadows

Overall, Nadal garnered seven titles, won a startling 71 of 80 matches, experienced a phenomenal clay court season in which he was virtually unbeatable, and seized the number one ranking from arguably the best net man of all-time, Swiss master Roger Federer.

No one in any other sporting endeavor was as consistent, as relentless, and as unstoppable as was Nadal. He excelled on every surface, be it hard, indoor, grass or clay. And he ruled in a variety of conditions. From the month of March through June, he rarely tasted defeat. Rafa was almost inhuman in the way he covered the court, returned serve, ripped laser-like winners from both sides and exhibited a touch that was as velvet as it was uncanny.

In addition to all that, you can make a convincing case that few souls on the planet can match Nadal's overall athleticism. Certainly not the likes of Brees, Johnson and Pacquiao who can't even touch Nadal in that regard, let alone be thought of as being in his league.

Nadal is equipped with the Full Monty when it comes to versatility. He is quick of foot and his lateral movement must be witnessed in person to be fully appreciated. He chews up ground like a cheetah.

Rafa is also endowed with legitimate power and strength that evidences itself nearly every time a ball is concussed by his talented racket.

Believe it or not, there's even more. Nadal's enormous stamina makes you think he's a bandanna wearing Energizer Bunny. The still youthful 24-year old never seems to wear down. Whenever necessary, he seems capable of calling upon some inner reserve that appears inexhaustible.

And finally, there's Nadal's indomitable spirit. Never does he quit or give in. To the gritty Spaniard, every point is precious and nothing is to be conceded. No one in sport today is more tenacious or competitive. Nadal knows only one way and that's full-out at all times. When watching this tennis terrier, no matter how unfavorable the circumstances, the feeling is he'll always find a way to pull it out and turn circumstances to his advantage.

In 2010, nary a soul lorded over his sport like the incomparable Nadal. He was clearly the master over all that he surveyed. No one in any other athletic pursuit dominated to such an extreme.

Brees? Please. Yes, he performed well in the playoffs and in the Super Bowl but nothing that was off the charts. And though the Saints' QB has been very solid during the current season that's coming to a close, his level of play has tapered off from '09 as his interception total of 19 would suggest.

Another strike against Brees? As of right now, quarterbacks Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Michael Vick and Peyton Manning would be considered to be having superior years to Brees. Male Athlete of the Year and you're not even thought to be in the top four at your position? Sorry but that just doesn't compute.

It seemed after Sports Illustrated tabbed Brees as its' Sportsman of the Year, Brees became an in-vogue pick, regardless of how justified. The truth of the matter is Brees has gotten a lot of cache from his charitable endeavors in the Crescent City. It's magnified his exposure and increased his popularity. It allowed him, because of what New Orleans has endured in recent years, to get a sort of sympathy vote.

Make no mistake about it, if Brees were residing elsewhere and plying his trade for another team, the AP wouldn't have tapped him on the shoulder. Based strictly on the merits of what transpired in the arena, Brees wasn't the best sport had to offer.

Ditto Jimmie Johnson or Manny Pacquiao. Oh sure, Johnson won a fifth straight NASCAR title but he won two fewer races than did Denny Hamlin. Not exactly awe inspiring stuff.

And as much as this writer admires the grit, heart, toughness and perseverance of the mighty-mite Pacquiao, it's lunacy to consider someone for Athlete of the Year when he's fought just twice in a calendar year.

Sad to say, but for whatever reasons not fully understood by this writer, there is an inherent bias exhibited towards tennis when it comes to fully recognizing the accomplishments of its players. The sport is consistently undervalued and sold short despite the fact that from a purely athletic standpoint, it's clearly one of the most demanding.

When Tiger Woods dominates in a pedestrian pursuit like golf, he's universally saluted and praised. When Rafa Nadal reigns supreme in a much more taxing and challenging pastime, he barely gets a tip of the hat. That rates as a true injustice. It's hard to make sense of why Woods is embraced while Rafa is shunned. It must be assumed that to some, tennis is viewed as a sport of lepers, to be ignored and kept at a distance.

Unfortunately, too many that vote on these year-end awards are completely uninformed, misguided and just plain wrong. They allow their prejudice to cloud their judgment, their ignorance to miss the obvious.

To any informed and objective observer, only one man fit the bill to be called the Male Athlete of the Year. Simply stated, that was Rafa Nadal. No one else manifested greatness more often and over a longer period of time than he did. Nobody approached the standards he set or the level of performance that he established.

The awards may have gone elsewhere but they landed in the wrong hands. The reality of the situation is apparent whether some are willing to admit it or not.

In 2010, Rafa Nadal was the best damn athlete who walked the planet. No discussion is necessary. No debate is required.