Sports Personality 2020

[Andy_Faber]

Not quite sure what you mean, AF. It is decided by a ‘popular vote’ isn’t it? Don’t recall ever voting, but I thought people could vote both prior to the programme and up to a certain point during it.
Are you suggesting that the contenders too should be selected by ‘popular’ vote? Not sure that would work. Wouldn’t we, just as a result of football being the best supported sport in the country, run the risk of just having a history of SPOTY winners dominated by the most successful/best supported football clubs?

thats massively cynical for you! Footballers are LESS likely to win because of the partisan nature within the nation, whereas LH for instance is seen as 'the one and only' for his chosen sport.

[ramAnag]

Fine lines, Andy...between a ‘free’ vote, which you advocate, and outlawing ‘tactical voting’, which you applaud.

IMO I think they’ve got it about right, but it’ll always be subject to personal bias...for instance, objectively I’d find it difficult to separate Broad and Hamilton in terms of achievement , but I love cricket and think Scalextric is boring so I’d prefer to see SB win. Shallow, I know.

Speaking of mista...seriously...is he okay or just had enough of the forum?

[ramAnag]

thats massively cynical for you! Footballers are LESS likely to win because of the partisan nature within the nation, whereas LH for instance is seen as 'the one and only' for his chosen sport.

So Jordan Henderson, who’s achievements I’m not doubting, isn’t guaranteed about 50,000 votes from the Merseyside area alone?

[Geoff Parkstone]

I agree, I'm not in favour of picking from a pre selected list, especially as underwhelming a list as we have this year. OK, COVID has wreaked havoc with much sporting endeavour which means a lack of candidates . There are only really 5 slots available to start with given Hamilton's perennial nomination.

So there was no Open Golf, no Wimbledon, no Olympic Games, no Euro 2020 and most domestic sport was deferred, curtailed or simply abandoned, so the candidates would be thin on the ground, but in any "normal" year I'd wages several of these candidates would not have got close to nomination.

I believe the best way to "honour" sport in 2020 would be to cancel SPOTY, that would properly reflect the character of sport in 2020

[ramAnag]

I agree, I'm not in favour of picking from a pre selected list, especially as underwhelming a list as we have this year. OK, COVID has wreaked havoc with much sporting endeavour which means a lack of candidates . There are only really 5 slots available to start with given Hamilton's perennial nomination.

So there was no Open Golf, no Wimbledon, no Olympic Games, no Euro 2020 and most domestic sport was deferred, curtailed or simply abandoned, so the candidates would be thin on the ground, but in any "normal" year I'd wages several of these candidates would not have got close to nomination.

I believe the best way to "honour" sport in 2020 would be to cancel SPOTY, that would properly reflect the character of sport in 2020

Sorry, not because it’s you and we’re apparently meant to disagree over which day of the week it is these days, but I couldn’t disagree more...because, in a year which has been as difficult as it has, and when just about everything has shut down to one extent or another, I feel our rugby players, cricketers, drivers and even ‘selfish greedy’ footballers etc have performed miracles to provide us with the sport we’ve seen.
It’s been the worst year I can remember but for me the amount of cricket and rugby in particular have been a blessed distraction. Can’t say I’ve enjoyed the football as much but that’s entirely down to Derby’s plight.

Probably passed most by but a word of praise for Kevin Sinfield - Rob Burrow’s mate and former captain - who will be running seven marathons in as many days to raise money for the fight against Motor neurone disease. Just brilliant that.

[swaledale]

Its a completely pointless endeavour IMO. Sports people get recognised for their achievements in their chosen sport, comparing different sports and picking a "winner" is utter nonsense and the title Sports personality is a joke because often the winner is someone with zero personality! But then that's not what they are about is it? So the title is erroneous and its IMO one of the single mos tpointless and boring pieces of Tv the BBC puts out.

I mean does any sports person really count "winning" this as an achievement?

[MadAmster]

Its a completely pointless endeavour IMO. Sports people get recognised for their achievements in their chosen sport, comparing different sports and picking a "winner" is utter nonsense and the title Sports personality is a joke because often the winner is someone with zero personality! But then that's not what they are about is it? So the title is erroneous and its IMO one of the single mos tpointless and boring pieces of Tv the BBC puts out.

I mean does any sports person really count "winning" this as an achievement?

With you on that Swale.

[ramAnag]

Its a completely pointless endeavour IMO. Sports people get recognised for their achievements in their chosen sport, comparing different sports and picking a "winner" is utter nonsense and the title Sports personality is a joke because often the winner is someone with zero personality! But then that's not what they are about is it? So the title is erroneous and its IMO one of the single mos tpointless and boring pieces of Tv the BBC puts out.

I mean does any sports person really count "winning" this as an achievement?

It quite possibly is a ‘boring’ and ‘pointless’ exercise in self congratulation as are most ‘...of the year’ competitions and awards...be they ‘rear’, ‘photographer’, ‘teacher’, ‘businessperson’, ‘chef’, ‘village’, ‘film’, ‘book’, ‘actor’ whatever, but I’d imagine most winners are quietly satisfied and consider it as some sort of achievement...so yes.

[Geoff Parkstone]

There is a "teacher of the year" award?? Did you win it? Did you feel satisfied / smug or just reckon it was a crap idea (until you got nominated!!)

I guess this year it will be won by Alexa

[Geoff Parkstone]

Its a completely pointless endeavour IMO. Sports people get recognised for their achievements in their chosen sport, comparing different sports and picking a "winner" is utter nonsense and the title Sports personality is a joke because often the winner is someone with zero personality! But then that's not what they are about is it? So the title is erroneous and its IMO one of the single mos tpointless and boring pieces of Tv the BBC puts out.

I mean does any sports person really count "winning" this as an achievement?

Particularly for a team sport. I guess Henderson was nominated as he was captain of a Liverpool team that won the premiership for the first time in its history. But why him, rather than van Dyke or Salah or or or. Hamilton constantly praises (probably quite rightly) his back up crew, mechanics etc - wonder if he will send one of them up to get SPOTY when he inevitably wins, like the contructors send up a back room guy.

And as for Rob Burrow. Didn't he retire a few years ago? I believe he has been stricken with motor neurone, something I wouldn't wish on anyone, but how does he qualify as "sporting" now, or am I missing something. Wouldn't it be like giving SPOTY to Nobby Stiles as he achieved something in the past, then got sick later and died this year? Surely it should be awarded to someone who is currently a sportsman?

Anyway, I will neither be voting nor watching, so