Shortlist: Elise Christie Mo Farah Chris Froome Lewis Hamilton Anthony Joshua Harry Kane Johanna Konta Jonnie Peacock Adam Peaty Jonathan Rea Anya Shrubsole Bianca Walkden
never heard of half of them - I assume they've been pc vetted to make sure they are snowflake compliant
It really is impressive how Hearn/Sky and everyone else involved in the Joshua gravy train has managed to whitewash his recent comments.
His messages to Eddie Chambers ('It's fake' to now 'he was hacked' etc are poor excuses by Hearn, Joshua sent those messages as per Chambers' video). He said Chambers was 'a disgrace to the superior black race'. Bizarrely, he's also defended Mugabe. “Why do they despise Robert Mugabe?” “Mugabe… is your view what you’ve been told? “Or what you have learnt through research? Or what you’ve been programmed to know via media outlets?” He's gone a bit loco recently.
If it was for nicest guy then sure, but its not its for the person that achieved the most that year and that's certainly not Defoe. I'd like to see him get some special award or recognition though, he deserves it.
If it's about the person that achieved the most that year it shouldn't be called Sports Personality of the Year then.
'The winner is the sportsperson, judged by a public vote, to have achieved the most that year' Agreed, but it explains why people like Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton have been able to win it despite having zero personality.
The award is for 'Excellence In Sporting Achievement', being a nice bloke isn't a sporting achievement.
I'd argue that although what Defoe did was amazing it wasn't a sporting achievement. There are many people that give their time, money and effort to help others too but I wouldn't suggest they be nominated for this award.
Officially its just for the sporting achievement, but I suppose personality becomes a factor as people are more likely to vote for someone they like even if they've achieved less.
It can't just be sporting achievement though as there are loads of sports people who have won their event or title etc. or achieved loads but don't get picked. Some other criteria must be used to differentiate and how 'popular' a person is must play a part.
Andy Murray has won it more times than anyone else and he's hardly known for his charisma. Even Nigel Mansell won it and he has no personality at all.
Its a public vote, do the public carefully assess the relative achievements of each athlete and how they compare to the others? Of course they don't they pick someone they like. It becomes by proxy a popularity contest once its open to the public vote. If they wanted the award to go to the person that achieved the most, which is what is supposed to happen, then a panel would have to do it not the public, but if you did that you'd remove much of the public interest and probably get calls of bias.