SPOTY 2016

[ExiledAjax]

Who would you like to see lift the weird camera trophy?

Surely there's someone more deserving than Mr Murray (would be three times in four years...really???).

[elhombrecito]

19 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

Surely there's someone more deserving than Mr Murray

Won Wimbledon. Defended his Olympic Title. Reached the final of three of the four majors. Won the Tour Finals. Finished as year end No1. Won a total of nine titles, from 14 finals. Finished the year with 24 consecutive victories.

Yep, can't think why he'd win it again... 

[ExiledAjax]

19 minutes ago, El Hombrecito said:

Won Wimbledon. Defended his Olympic Title. Reached the final of three of the four majors. Won the Tour Finals. Finished as year end No1. Won a total of nine titles, from 14 finals. Finished the year with 24 consecutive victories.

Yep, can't think why he'd win it again... 

If numbers are your only criteria then I suspect that many other sportspeople are ruing their decision to participate in sports with only one competition a year (or in the case of Olympians, every four years) that is deemed to be "Major" by the media/public.  

Or maybe they are wishing that they had the BBC's self-interested propaganda machine fuelling a ludicrous level of public interest.

[elhombrecito]

29 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

If numbers are your only criteria then I suspect that many other sportspeople are ruing their decision to participate in sports with only one competition a year (or in the case of Olympians, every four years) that is deemed to be "Major" by the media/public.  

Or maybe they are wishing that they had the BBC's self-interested propaganda machine fuelling a ludicrous level of public interest.

Tennis is a truly worldwide sport and he's had one of the greatest years of any British sportsperson, ever. 

Not sure what's the "BBC's self-interested propaganda machine" has to do with that simple fact.

[One Team In Keynsham]

40 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

If numbers are your only criteria then I suspect that many other sportspeople are ruing their decision to participate in sports with only one competition a year (or in the case of Olympians, every four years) that is deemed to be "Major" by the media/public.  

Or maybe they are wishing that they had the BBC's self-interested propaganda machine fuelling a ludicrous level of public interest.

I have no particular love for the dour Scot, but even I agree that his sporting year, competing in possibly the only individual event played at a global level, can be put against, and arguably top, the achievements of any prior British sporting great.

In my opinion to say otherwise is to argue for argument's sake and is somewhat groundless.

Whether he is a sportsman with personality is a different debate.

[Welcome To The Jungle]

Laura Kenny (Trott) for me. An actual personality and won three Gold medals in Rio.

[Maesknoll Red]

There cannot be a better example of an oxymoron if he wins it......

[And Its Smith]

I would like to see an Olympian win it.  Trott or Whitlock

[One Team In Keynsham]

10 minutes ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

Laura Kenny (Trott) for me. An actual personality and won three Gold medals in Rio.

A friend of mine made Laura's wedding dress:  she had no idea who Laura Trott was, and when Laura mentioned she was training up at the Manchester Velodrome, my friend assumed she was learning the ropes working on front desk or handing out towels.  When Laura came back for a subsequent fitting and mentioned she was still at the Velodrome, my friend congratulated her on securing the full-time gig.  Eventually the penny dropped.

[MichaelRobartes]

Would personally like to see Farah or Froome win it, but I imagine it'll be Murray.

[Lrrr]

Everyone has known for years the award hasn't been about the winner's personality but their sporting achievements of the year and this is Murray's most deserving year for it, he's had a truly fantastic year. Was the stat that he'd lost only 9 matches all year? I'd agree if there's anyone to rival him it would be one of the Kenny's, maybe an outside shout to Anthony Joshua as he's been dominant as well and has his 4th fight of the year the week before the SPOTY so would be fresh in people's minds.

[Guest]

If we were going on true personality then for me Cavendish has to win it someday soon.. he's nearly become the all time top stage winner in the TDF. Very unlucky not to win Olympic and UCI golds this year. Fine margins.

[Lanterne Rouge]

Chris Froome for me but I expect it to be Murray. Cav can have it next year when he gets the all time stage wins record.

It`s tricky regarding anyone who was in the Olympic teams though as it`s almost certain team of the year will be Team GB so is it right that a member of that team wins an individual award too? The only exceptions could possibly be Froome or Murray for their achievements outside of the Olympics.

Anyhow, I`ve got tickets for my missus and her mate to go to Birmingham for the ceremony as her Christmas present and suffice to say I shan`t need to earn too many brownie points next year now!

[Lrrr]

I think 'Team GB' getting the team award would be a cop out tbh, it's a combination of teams (and individuals) who could be worthy of wining the award on their own, the ladies hockey team and the Cycling team for examples. However looking at non olympic teams I think Leicester City and England rugby (if they finish the Autumn tests unbeaten) could both be in with a shout.

[22A]

Team of the year will presumably go to the entire Olympic & Paralympic squads.

Personality either Murray or Hamilton.

Overseas personality though? An Indian cricketer perhaps?

[eastonboy]

Overseas will go to Bolt for the treble treble 

[MichaelRobartes]

3 hours ago, Tomarse said:

If we were going on true personality then for me Cavendish has to win it someday soon.. he's nearly become the all time top stage winner in the TDF. Very unlucky not to win Olympic and UCI golds this year. Fine margins.

Totally agree about Cav but the fact that he's already won it might count against him. He's had an incredible year anyway.

[ExiledAjax]

I guess my main issue is that Murray has already been given it twice for what were, honestly, minor achievements compared to his current year.  But they were paltry years for British sport and the BBC nearly self-combusted when he won Wimbledon and they could finally justify clinging onto it with their entire sports budget.  How on earth he won it last year I'll never know.

The fact he can be a rude miserable bloke (from personal experience) doesn't stop him getting the award.  As far as I know the "personality" is basically long-hand for "person".

Personally I think that as far as a single achievement goes Whitlock should get it.  Gymnastics is ridiculously hard to be good at and he is the first British bloke to ever win an individual gold, let alone win two in two hours.

Team for me is Leicester.

 

[Kid in the Riot]

5 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

I guess my main issue is that Murray has already been given it twice for what were, honestly, minor achievements compared to his current year.  But they were paltry years for British sport and the BBC nearly self-combusted when he won Wimbledon and they could finally justify clinging onto it with their entire sports budget.  How on earth he won it last year I'll never know.

The fact he can be a rude miserable bloke (from personal experience) doesn't stop him getting the award.  As far as I know the "personality" is basically long-hand for "person".

Personally I think that as far as a single achievement goes Whitlock should get it.  Gymnastics is ridiculously hard to be good at and he is the first British bloke to ever win an individual gold, let alone win two in two hours.

Team for me is Leicester.

Ever tried playing tennis at a decent level? I have and I can assure you it is extremely difficult and intensely competitive. At youth level it is brutal. Quite often you weren't just playing against your opponent but being goaded by his parents. I had racquets thrown at me, balls smashed at me (smashed a few back to be fair!), constant arguments over line calls, coaches who escalated their favourites up through the rankings if your face didn't fit. Might surprise a few that, but those that know will all same similar things to what I have. The big difference to tennis versus team sports is - you're on your own. You have to have an immense temperament and strong will power to get to a decent level.

As for Murray, it seems abundantly obvious to me he just doesn't like the PR side of the game. He's not a natural talker, he's quiet and unassuming and lets his tennis do the talking. I've not personally seen him come across as rude but his desire to win at pretty much any cost cannot be denied, and with that always comes an air of arrogance. Everyone loves Roger to pieces but my goodness - he always comes across as being very 'pleased with himself'! Not that he shouldn't be, of course...

Murray is going to go down as one of the greatest sportspersons the UK has ever produced - in fact you could make a pretty convincing argument that he's already THE greatest. I think that will depend on what he does between now and the end of his career, he probably needs to win a few more Slams and stay at no. 1 for a couple of years. He also needs a legacy in terms of making tennis more popular in this country - there should be several quality UK players following him in the next few years inspired by his achievements. Sadly the LTA are ran by a bunch of incompetent buffoons so that's unlikely.

I know it's boring - Murray winning SPOTY again - but he is a truly special and unique talent and will be missed when he retires. I'm a little cynical about our Olympians - as fantastic as they are - who receive considerably more funding than other countries. They have the best facilities in the world, best coaches etc. Murray, like Henman and Rusedski before him, didn't come through the LTA system because it was so shite in terms of facilities and coaching. Makes it all the more impressive Murray made it and of course made sacrifices like going to Spain aged 15 to improve his tennis education. It cannot be denied he is a worthy multiple winner IMO.

[AshtonGreat]

It's got to be Murray again, hasn't it?

[Lanterne Rouge]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality/38128821

 

Nominations out. No Chris Froome FFS. Not bloody establishment enough for the BBC - tossers.

[Lrrr]

No Anthony Joshua either is a joke, considering Tyson Fury came 4th last year.

[MichaelRobartes]

No Froome is absolutely shocking.

[ExiledAjax]

13 hours ago, Red Right Hand said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality/38128821

 

Nominations out. No Chris Froome FFS. Not bloody establishment enough for the BBC - tossers.

 

11 hours ago, MichaelRobartes said:

No Froome is absolutely shocking.

Cynical view here: They had to have both the Kennys.  Then you put Storey in there because she helps the BBC avoid any "not enough paralympians" arguments.  Then they say "well we can't possibly have another cyclist on this list as that would be 4 out of 16 and we have to include that lad who hits small balls into holes whilst walking round a country estate. Oh and also we don't show the TDF on the BBC so let's just ignore the bloke who's won the toughest endurance event". Also doping.

[MichaelRobartes]

32 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

 

Cynical view here: They had to have both the Kennys.  Then you put Storey in there because she helps the BBC avoid any "not enough paralympians" arguments.  Then they say "well we can't possibly have another cyclist on this list as that would be 4 out of 16 and we have to include that lad who hits small balls into holes whilst walking round a country estate. Oh and also we don't show the TDF on the BBC so let's just ignore the bloke who's won the toughest endurance event". Also doping.

Possibly. No issue at all with Jason, Laura and Sarah being on the list as they've all had an amazing year. 

Another notable omission that I didn't clock yesterday is Carl Frampton.

[Lanterne Rouge]

 

3 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

 

Cynical view here: They had to have both the Kennys.  Then you put Storey in there because she helps the BBC avoid any "not enough paralympians" arguments.  Then they say "well we can't possibly have another cyclist on this list as that would be 4 out of 16 and we have to include that lad who hits small balls into holes whilst walking round a country estate. Oh and also we don't show the TDF on the BBC so let's just ignore the bloke who's won the toughest endurance event". Also doping.

It shouldn`t come down to quotas and politics though should it? It should be about achievements. I mean, why in all honesty is Jamie Vardy there? A large proportion of what he achieved last season was in 2015 ( I don`t know how many he scored before and after the new year), he was part of a failing and underperforming England squad in the summer and has done relatively nothing this season (scored 3 in 19) so how he can be called a `personality` of 2016 is beyond me.

[ExiledAjax]

17 minutes ago, Red Right Hand said:

It shouldn`t come down to quotas and politics though should it? It should be about achievements. I mean, why in all honesty is Jamie Vardy there? A large proportion of what he achieved last season was in 2015 ( I don`t know how many he scored before and after the new year), he was part of a failing and underperforming England squad in the summer and has done relatively nothing this season (scored 3 in 19) so how he can be called a `personality` of 2016 is beyond me.

No. It shouldn't come down to quotas and politics.  But the complaints in 2011 (together with complaints about other awards such as the Oscars) about the list being too male mean that is exactly what it now is.  The BBC took the compilation of the shortlist in house and away from the external journalists so that they could control it and make sure it was a list acceptable to the fuming twitterati.  

That means quotas whether they are explicit or not.  

That means that when they have to pick number 16 and they talk about Chris Froome (who is an able bodied white man who doesn't do hilarious interviews with the BBC) they might decide to cut him in favour of someone who perhaps helps them to compile a more balanced list.

I agree that Vardy is a less deserving able-bodied white man than Froome.  

I'd also question how being nominated for the Ballon D'Or, doing well at one of the biggest teams in football, and scoring three times at a tournament you didn't win qualifies as being more impressive than Froome's achievements or those of Anthony Joshua, Frampton or the Mountain Biker Atherton who is an undefeated, all-conquering World Champion (But then I guess they needed at least one Welsh person).

[Welcome To The Jungle]

On 29/11/2016 at 15:09, Red Right Hand said:

 

It shouldn`t come down to quotas and politics though should it? It should be about achievements. I mean, why in all honesty is Jamie Vardy there? A large proportion of what he achieved last season was in 2015 ( I don`t know how many he scored before and after the new year), he was part of a failing and underperforming England squad in the summer and has done relatively nothing this season (scored 3 in 19) so how he can be called a `personality` of 2016 is beyond me.

Although I agree with lots of what you said about Vardy he won the Premier League after playing non-league just 4(?) years ago. His rise to top striker is credit to his graft and perseverance. Personally I'd chose Laura Trott as she seems so happy as well as being a brilliant cyclist but I assume that is why Vardy is there.