Johnson Named AP's Top Athlete - What?!

What is an athlete? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, an athlete is a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina. Assuming this is a "reasonable" definition, how can a person like NASCARS's Jimmie Johnson be named a top athlete?!

On the popular morning show, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Mike Greenberg began sparing with Mike Golic about this very subject since Tiger Woods winning AP Athlete of the Decade upset some listeners. One of the Mikes, I can't remember which one, suggested the argument was moot and that people shouldn't take the definition so literally.

I disagree. For an industry obsessed with precision, such as wins and loses, stats, records and percentages, how can national awards be so loosely defined?

In any case, how is it possible for Jimmie Johnson to win an athletic award?! He's not an athlete. He's certainly talented but does he display stamina, strength, or agility? I think that anyone who spends their time stationary while competing shouldn't be considered an athlete and therefore not be eligible for athletic awards. This goes for poker players, chess players, archers, and all anglers who aren't actually standing in water even though they're questionable too.

NASCAR's Johnson named AP's top male athlete