[Closed] So then, SPOTY takes another twist or two in recent weeks

I think it would be unfair to single out any one Olympian/Paralympian for SPOTY. Give them the team award and maybe Wiggins/Murray/Hamilton/whoever could win it for something outwith the Olympics.

It has been an amazing year for British sports, so many fantastic performances to revel in, and the first year I can remember since my youth that I am actually inspired by the performances of any sportsmen, never mind so many.

The spotty on the other hand is a crappy attempt by the "arts and crafts" department to do sports, and best just ignored.

It's worth noting that Team Sky has achieved something that has simply never been done in this country. No "since 1936" or whatever about it.

We used to dominate most of this stuff, so we have past glories. In cycling we NEVER dominated. We've effectively muscled into a sport dominated by other countries.

It'd be like New Zealand winning the football world cup.

+1 all the above.

Doesn't matter to me if SPOTY is a big deal or not. Just makes a change to see so many worthy performances being celebrated.

Team award to Sky or GB? Tricky one that.

I now reckon Wiggins > Weirwolf > Ennis.

IMO they should ditch it for a year. The amount that has been achieved by so many means it would be unfair to say one is better than the other.

The great thing about this list IMO is that there isn't one pig bladderer, golfist or jockier in sight ... unless MciLroy puts in a shift to help us win the Ryder Cup

McIlroy is already having a year big enough to get nominated. Doing well at the Ryder Cup could get him in with a shout of the prize. But I do think that there have been too many other great achievements in other sports for him to win it.

Wiggins will be getting my vote.

Wiggins was always a long shot in an Olympic year. I think Mo Farah or David Weir will win it, Wiggins, Ennis, Ben Ainsley and Ellie Simmonds will be close.

Team will depend on how they define the word "team". It could be Team GB, Paralympic GB, it could be Sky, it could also be the women's team pursuit. I would bet on Team GB as it is an easy vote to win.

Overseas? Usain Bolt, no question. Oscar Pistorius would have won it if he had 1 more gold medal though.

Critérium du Dauphiné
Paris–Nice
Tour de Romandie
TDF GC
TDF 2x stages
Olympic Time Trial Champion

All this year. It's unprecedented. It's Wiggo!

Wiggo who?

buzz, you're a cyclist, you know these things. For the average person who votes of SPOTY the only things that Wiggins has done this year is won the TdF and won a gold medal, the latter of which is more important. Farah has won 2 golds, Weir has won 4, Ennis won 1 but has been the face of the games. Remember, Kelly Holmes got made a Dame for 2 golds, the British hold an Olympic medal above pretty much anything else.

You are right of course. I'd be happy if he just got knighted.

the British hold an Olympic medal above pretty much anything else.

The FA cup?

They should just give up on trying to "rank" the performances and just give the award to Clare Balding

It's a public vote, but from a selected shortlist. The makeup of that list determines what chance he's got.
To most of the voting public, Chris Hoy and Laura Trott were more successful cyclists, and more likeable personalities.
Add in Sarah Storey and there's a fair chance he's only the fourth most popular cyclist this year.

I'm sorry but you can't seriously think a Para Olympian would qualify for SPOTY? Now I think their achievements are outstanding, but this is not about disabled people who are doing the best they can, it it about pure sporting talent taking on the best in the world and coming out on top.

Any vote for a para Olympian would be a sympathy vote IMO.

Rockape63, either that is a troll or you have no understanding of paralympic sport. Either way, you are talking rubbish.

edlong speaks much sense - give the award(s) to Claire Balding

Wiggins is evens with the bookies, Mo Farah is 3 to 1, Murray and Ennis 9s and Weir is 22 to 1 so my money would still be on Wiggins.

Wiggo is a cool customer. Which is cool in itself, he has an actual personality, but can be a bit of a turnoff with Joe P. Think he might be behind Jess Ennis, Mo Farah etc for the SPOTY.

Wiggo on the BBC couch the night he won the time trial gold was cool-ness personified. He was genuine and easy-going (IMO), but it was clear that winning the time trial gold was a borderline top 25 moment of his life [understandably so given what he did 8 days before]. Contrast that with Jess or Mo where it's OMFG!! I can't believe this is happening!! I think the public relate to that more.

Kelly Holmes got made a Dame for 2 golds

Rockape63 - Member
I'm sorry but you can't seriously think a Para Olympian would qualify for SPOTY? Now I think their achievements are outstanding, but this is not about disabled people who are doing the best they can, it it about pure sporting talent taking on the best in the world and coming out on top.

Any vote for a para Olympian would be a sympathy vote IMO.

this is about not about people who are doing the best they can, it is about pure sporting talent taking on the best in the world and coming out on top

Now I think their achievements are outstanding, but this is not about disabled people who are doing the best they can

Seine missed the whole point of the Paralympics.

Looking at the criteria on Wikipedia: Awarded to the sportsperson "whose actions have most captured the public's imagination" it's got to be Mo Farah.

(You couldn't be more wrong with your analogy about New Zealand and the soccer World Cup by the way. I think people in Britain seem to actually notice and care that a British team won the Tour de France.)

not long ago (before the Olympics had started...) in another thread I said

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sports-personality-of-the-year-2012

I hope I'm wrong, but there's a dozen other sports (Andy Murray winning our hearts by losing wimbledon) and possible olympic stories that could eclipse him as far as the beeb and the press is concerned.

Freshly-embraced Andy Murray progressing to a medal? Tom daley in the solo dive, after losing his dad and the twitter bullying? Double-bereaved Taekwondo Sarah Stevenson getting gold? Like I said, I think Wiggins is the stand-out sports story of the year and would love to be proved wrong.

And I still think there are numerous Olympic memories that will push Wiggo out of the wider public consciousness.

Gemma Gibbons "I love you mum"

[img] [/img]

Mo Farah setting back the BNP about 30 years with his double

[img] [/img]

Jess Ennis setting the BNP back about 60 years by being universally adored

[img] [/img]

Andy Murray winning a gold, at wimbledon, along with the hearts of his critics

[img] [/img]

etc etc etc

It has been a truly incredible 8 months so far, with another 4 to go almost, and there are many compelling stories and tales to be told.

Don't for one second underestimate the monumental achievements of Brad, not only in winning the TdF and the Oympic TT, but in making an impact on the British public. The guy's an A list celeb now, he's BIG news anywhere and everywhere! Cav did a fantastic job in 2011 winning the TdF Green Jersey and the World Champs road race and raising the profile of British cyclists once again. It also helped that Cav is actually a fairly cool customer these days, at least in comparison to how he used to be. That stood him well for his SPOTY win.

Now Brad is cooler than a cucumber on ice. He can do no wrong! Even appearing in the national press shortly after the Olympics, dragging on a roll up, hasn't dented his image a bit. He's a rare commodity as just about everyone, regardless of age, colour, background etc seems to love him! Bike shops that 12 months ago were staring down the barrel of going bust can't keep up with sales right now, and most of it can be attributed to his successes as petrol prices have been high for a good while now and the Bike to Work scheme isn't new any more.

On any other year, Jess or Mo or Andy or many others would all quite rightly win SPOTY by some margin I think. But this year has been true sporting gold, and I think that nobody but Brad best shows this... As for his emotion on winning the TT gold at the Olympics, I think if anything it proves just how much of an achievement winning the TdF was over and above that to Joe Public. It's been incredible to be a British sports fan this summer, but Brad has deinitely been the stand out man of the lot... 🙂

Another twist. 🙂

cough* BLOODY JOCK! *cough

😉

There's now two Brits that have not only excelled in the Olympics, but also achieved top successes in their respective sports outside of the Olympics in competitions generally more widely held in higher regard than the Olympic equivalent event.

I'm still sticking with Brad though on personality alone if nothing else. Nobody batted an eyelid when he appeared on stage to Declare the Olympics open at the end of July. He's beyond a sports star, he's Rock'n'Roll too!

Far less people are interested in the Paralympics than the Olympics so hard to imagine a Paralympian winning - though I suppose if all the Paralympian fans all back one paralympian it's possible. Anyway, Wiggo would get my vote for sure!

Actually if it was my money I'd go for Murray now.

Indeed. It appears that Mr Murray will be British for a while now...

1997 SPOTY was Greg Rusedski, a canadian who came second in the US Open. Shows how far this country has come in sports achievment since then and what a fantastic year it has been for UK sport.

I think there's a little missing of the point here. The award is sports PERSONALITY of the year rather than an award for the person who has won the most or achieved the most. Winning gets the people into the public eye but they tend to win based on how they're perceived. I'd argue that even with the gold and the US Open, Murray won't win because I don't think people relate to him well. My guess is between Wiggins and Ennis.

Chris Froome for SPOTY ... held back by that Wiggings bloke all the way round Franceland

I think Murray is a bit unlucky in that if it was any other year but an Olympic year - and a home one at that - he'd win SPOTY easily. However given that is an Olympic year then he won't win it.

Wiggins, Weir, Farah or Ennis. I'd go for Wiggins.....or Murray!

Should be renamed Sportsman/woman of the year. Personality has nothing to do with it.

Loads of personalities who don't win much!

it should go to a para-olympian - as well as being outstanding at a sport they also have to overcome the mental hurdle of being disabled in the first place, and they embody all that is good about the olympics.

Plus there is not the financial incentives to achieve such as there is for career professional sportsmen like Murray and McIlroy, and even Wiggins. These guys, particularly Murray, have teams of well-paid individuals behind them to help them.

Having said that, well done Murray - one in the eye for all the nay sayers...

There's a lot of well meant, but potentially patronising and condescending comments about paralympians.

From everything I've heard from spokespeople within the paralympian movement, no one wants to be seen as having overcome adversity, dealt with hardship, been a hero etc any more than anyone else.

They want to be seen as regular people, just like everyone else, just with some form of impairment, not a disability (after all some of them are not even what one might 'traditionally' regard as being disabled, not that that term is even relevant in today's society).

So, a paralympian's nomination for anything should be based on the same merits as an other sports person and their achievements should not be seen as anything more monumental, heroic, outstanding etc, than any other sports person. if we wouldn't think a gold medal winner in say, curling or dressage is quite at the level worthy of SPOTY, then just because that gold medal winner is 'impaired' in some way, doesn't make them more meritorious.

Besides, I think there is something very powerful in this comment:

IMO they should ditch it for a year. The amount that has been achieved by so many means it would be unfair to say one is better than the other.

Murray! Mint!

^^^
Think Murray is a shoe in now.

I'll still be backing Wiggo though

How about Seb Coe then, as a token for awarding it to the whole team, the volunteers, etc.

Does anyone actually think these athletes give a shit about SPOTY?

I'm thinking that the olympic vote will be split among many, and all the cycling fans will vote for Wiggo. Last year we saw that cycling fans are passionate enough to swing it.

The people who really like Wiggo will vote lots and he'll get it.

my 2c

well proven fact that the folk in my office struggle to remember past last night ......

first thing i heard when i walked in this morning was " thats murray secured sports personality of the year , it has to be him"

but im backing wiggo .

Isn't Wiggins winning the TDF a bit like saying Chris Hoy won the team sprint? Both are team efforts aimed at getting a nominated rider over the line in the shortest overall time.

ever the devil eh colin !

We've come a long way: in 1997 Greg Rusedski won it by getting to the final of the US Open. This year there will be lots of people who achieved far more and won't get on the shortlist.

It's quite funny how people GAF about the SPOTY. Not saying I'm immune to it either - but let's face it it's a pretty meaningless title, and the programme is usually cringe personified. WIggo should still get it though.

There's a lot of well meant, but potentially patronising and condescending comments about paralympians.

+1

I think the paralympics is a truly fantastic thing, but for various reasons it just isn't as high a level of competition as the regular olympics - less participants in all the sports (especially with the different categories of disability) so less competition for places in teams, less money available for intense training programmes etc.

Saying 'yes but they're all so terribly brave' and pretending it's just the same is patronising in the extreme IMO.

how ever the key for me was the news saying "murray emulated fred perrys 1937 victory"

at the end of the day at least murrays got a bit of personality and id be happy for him to win over a pansyballer but wiggos done something thats never been done before , something folks said he would never do when brailsford announced it back then (my self included)

and hes got personality about him speaking his mind rather than what his publicist has to him to say