Not so popular that anyone can remember that a brit won wimbledon 36 years ago
Didn't Jamie Murray win the doubles at Wimbledon a year or two ago...?
MSP that was a quality little giggle you gave me there. Having said that tonight's programme was a little like the arts and humanities teachers were taking the pe lesson. Can't begrudge the ginger one his win and underneath all that awkwardness you have to love him. God knows where 2nd and 3rd came from though
Murray deserved it, and while I only saw bits it struck me as the BBC desperately trying to stay relevant in a field they are rapidly become third class for their coverage. The fact the BBC sport homepage still has no cycling tab despite years of world class success is a case in point. And Russell Watson serenading Alex Ferguson was awful.
edhornby - Member
Wimbledon is the tennis equivalent of the tour de France, the one everyone wants to win, so a wait of 77yrs for a home winner is a big deal. Tennis is still popular in this country
77 years for a male singles winner
TiRed - Member
Of course he was always going to win. But... Amber Hill. Chapeau! That's all.
isn't she 16?
The votes:
Andy Murray: 401,470
Leigh Halfpenny: 65,913
AP McCoy: 57,854
Mo Farah: 51,945
Sir Ben Ainslie: 48,140
Chris Froome: 37,343
Hannah Cockroft: 26,151
Christine Ohuruogu: 13,179
Justin Rose: 9,833
Ian Bell: 5,626
Total: 717,454
I've zero time for andy murray or tennis at all but it's even obvious to me that andy murray should have won. I couldn't't give a toss but its clearly a big deal for most people and you can't sniff at winning Wimbledon. It's a massive achievement.
Sometimes it's really hard to appreciate what winning in different sports takes, and a lot of the reasons Murray won was due to the high media profile that Tennis has and especially Wimbledon. I look up the list there and not many really stand out as having had a massive achievement, I'm assuming Ian Bell didn't pop back to talk about his year so far....
and a lot of the reasons Murray won was due to the high media profile that Tennis has and especially Wimbledon.
Fail.
Why is that ?
Are you saying that Murray has received a lot of backing/coaching courtesy of the high profile of tennis and the money Wimbledon raises?
A lot of money gets pumped into loads of other players and they get relatively nowhere.
Andy's mum sent him to spain early only to learn his trade, his prowess at the game has little to do with any LTA scheme.
I think you are seriously under rating his achievements - having won the 2012 US Open and the 2013 Wimbledon - both against Novak Djokovic.
What Duggan said
Does anyone actually watch it?
What a load of crap, completely irrelevant to sports professionals. "Oh thank you for the award, it means so much to me, I have trained hard all my life and made many sacrifices, just so I can win some poxy award on the BBC"
The athletes won't give two hoots about it.
Looking at the other contenders, it's hard to imagine anyone else winning when you take into account the voters.
Although I'd have thought Mo would have been second, but still a distant second.
He is quite simply the best tennis player this country has ever had - on that basis alone he should win, never mind the Wimbledon success!
Highly deserved in my view - well done laddie!
Fixed? Yer having a laugh!
"Hannah Cockroft: 26,151" One of those votes was mine. She's rock ard that lass.
Was pleased that Murray won he does deserve it. Had to support the Yorkshire girl though.
Filming on a phone? Its on tv ffs!!
As has been previously said the badge you win is sports [b]personality[/b]j
Having seen him being interviewed a few times I can say my dirty boxers have more personality.
Having seen him being interviewed a few times I can say my dirty boxers have more personality.
maybe this is the result of a life changing experience he had as a child ?
And as wikipedia says
"Personality is the particular combination of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral response patterns of an individual"
so it is not just being jovial when interviewed. Without his personality he probably wouldn't have won those titles, as there are a bucket load of highly talented tennis players on the circuit...
As has been previously said the badge you win is sports personalityj
Having seen him being interviewed a few times I can say my dirty boxers have more personality.
If you watched the programme about 60years of the award last week it said the idea behind the title "sports personality" was it was a linguistic device to indicate that it was open to both men and women - and absolutely nothing to do with "personality". That was never in any shape or form their intention. A shame they didn't choose "Sports Performer" or "Sports Person" then we wouldn't be having this same tired old line pulled out every year.
Just looking at the back page of the metro being read by a guy opposite me on the train. Full page Adidas advert of Murray. Caption: "not bad for a guy with no personality"
🙂
I think it was a fix, a deserved fix but then I voted for Ben.
Well done Andy, well deserved.
Now then, wheres the "personality" bit? 😆
@Turnerguy, not Wimbledon but SPOTY
your point ? He obviously has a personality strong enough to win major competitions and excel at sport.
Caption: "not bad for a guy with no personality"
possibly sarcasm ?
possibly sarcasm ?
[definitely sarcasm]you think?[/definitely sarcasm] 😉
Does anyone actually watch it?
Look forward to it every year. 🙂 The 60th anniversary special was fantastic, highly recommend it if it's still on iPlayer.
I voted for Hannah Cockroft. I thought she had the most impressive personality.
Clearly, I need to rethink my approach... 🙄
Martina Navratilova would've felt a bit daft if he hadn't won it, given she'd been set up with a podium and a trophy next to his swimming pool in the US ready for the big moment.
I must admit, I watched the last 10 minutes, so only saw the final announcement, plus some bloke from Leeds Poly caterwauling over the montage of dead folk.
Double postie
No commments about the Hillsborough presentation? Got very dusty round our way during that.
Given he got more votes than all the other nominees put together I would imagine the Beeb were fairly confident a day or two before that the vote was going to go his way.
Enough time to set up a video link and the correct trophy I'd have thought.
Well deserved IMO
TurnerGuy - Member
@Turnerguy, not Wimbledon but SPOTY
your point ? He obviously has a personality strong enough to win major competitions and excel at sport.
My point....
He is good enough to win at the top levels, most people who win at that level in any sport have the ability and personality to win at that level. Murray is fortunate enough to do it in a sport that receives a very high level of coverage compared to a lot of sports. His win was a center piece event in the sporting calendar, the TDF is as big but the coverage is just a bike race, Rachel Atherton has dominated her sport and got 5s of coverage. Murray's win in SPOTY was significantly influenced by the media profile of his sport. Do we need pictures?
Rachel Atherton has dominated her sport and got 5s of coverage.
It's a smaller sport, with fewer fans and fewer competitors. Sad but true. Fewer people care about it.
It's not about achievement in your own sport - that's what all those normal competitions are for.
deserving winner, I think
the programme itself is a bit overlong now IMO
It's not about achievement in your own sport - that's what all those normal competitions are for
Exactly my point.
Amazing the number of seemingly intelligent people with no idea of the multiple definitions of the word 'personality'.
And each and every one of them seems to believe that no one has made the observation before.
I bet you're all great fun at parties.
for sure he deserves it BUT I really think that, if you are not there, if should go to the next person 🙂
Of course it wasn't a fix, first Wimbledon champion in 77 years, there was never going to be another winner.
@Rusty - it's as predictable as Christmas. Counting down the days before the in-laws arrive and start pronouncing their 'original' ideas on Andy Murray etc.
Amazing the number of seemingly intelligent people with no idea of the multiple definitions of the word 'personality'.
Couldn't agree more. What also never gets discussed is the pressure a video camera puts on you - don't know about the rest of you but I fall apart if so much as a smart phone is stuck in my face and I'm asked to comment... We're all guilty of judging someones personality without ever having met them going on video footage alone, yet how wrong we probably are in so many cases.
OK so AM is particularly bad on telly but, having watched the documentary on him after he won Wimbledon, what struck me was the depth of friendship and team from those around him.
@Rusty. I agree.. but here on STW the people know better dontcha know..
Well done to Andy for his achievements in his sport.
For those who whine on about mtb not winning - get real will you? The average man & woman in the UK has absolutley no idea that cycling exists as a sport more than their children having a go on a bike..
Its only when the likes of Hoy wins at the olympics or Wiggins the tour that he gets the coverage that enables them to win the spoty..
We all know this, so why whine?
Oh, and STW in general (and maybe UK in general) until you've met and actually discussed sth with someone (like andy murray for example) leave them alone with your stupid comments like 'oh he's a grumpy barsteward' jees we're not all made in the same way..
I would imagine that Murray's quite engaging company - the problem is his monotone voice, as he admits himself.
I have an inkling that AM deliberately plays the dour montone Scot just to be left alone, not wanting to be a publicity whore? Certainly rather that than the "I is so awzum" kak that turns out to be BS from so many other types.
Great advert for Adidas with the guy in the adidas T-shirt lingering behind Murray and then immediately after, adidas billboards with Murray were outside with some trapline about personality.
I'd like to have seen the Women's track pursuit team get the team prize. They 'had' to give it to Murray though really with the popularity of Wimbledon.
sparkingchains - Member
They 'had' to give it to Murray though really with [s]the popularity of Wimbledon.[/s] more people voting for him than anyone else.
[i]They 'had' to give it to Murray though really with the popularity of Wimbledon.[/i]
Erm...they gave it to him cos he got most votes. There was no one else in it. I mean Leigh halfpenny as runner up says it all!

