BBC Sports Personality Of The Year

[philipbain]

There was absolutely no mention of Andy Priaulx at the BBC Sports Personality of the year despite wrapping up the premier title in production based touring cars for the 3rd year running (the last ETCC title followed by back to back WTCC titles), yet they did find time to cover the $hite England Cricket, Football & Rugby teams, all of which have achieved bugger all in 2006. The BBC Sports Personality of the year should celebrate British sporting success, not mourn the fact that we get thrashed at any sport that we invented!

[Dickie L'Amour]

It is a very poor show compared to years gone by when the BBC covered proper sports with proper personalities. Now anything is a sport (except true sports)!

[bt52b]

was there any mention of Lewis Hamilton as he was mega this year?

[Captain VXR]

Yeah, Hamilton and Priaulx should have been nominated
oh but its not posh enough

[SEATFreak]

I too was disgusted by the consistent overlooking of touring cars. Especially this year with Andy winning the WTCC crown for the second year running.

Largely because if Jenson Button can get into the top 10 that qualify for nomination for winning one race (Hungary), surely winning the world touring car crown for the second year running is more than enough.

But above all what I noticed was apart from Ricky Hatton, Andy Murray, Beth Tweddle and Monty Panesar not one of those nominated did anything that required any great physical stamina.

[AndySpeed]

SEATFreak, to play a five-set tennis match in hot conditions requires pretty damn good stamina.

I think that the overlook of touring cars is to be expected. The sport is not as widely followed as many others, and a lot of the time motorsport is considered to be in a separate 'section' of sport I feel.

[SEATFreak]

I don't understand how you came to that comment. I said clearly in the final paragraoh that APART from Rick Hatton, Andy Murray, Beth Tweddle and Monty Panesar not one nominated did anything that required great physical stamina.

[tin-top fan]

I don't understand how you came to that comment. I said clearly in the final paragraoh that APART from Rick Hatton, Andy Murray, Beth Tweddle and Monty Panesar not one nominated did anything that required great physical stamina.

I look forward to the response concerning your lack of appreciation of Zara Philip's abilities.........

[Rusty]

I too was disgusted by the consistent overlooking of touring cars. Especially this year with Andy winning the WTCC crown for the second year running.

Largely because if Jenson Button can get into the top 10 that qualify for nomination for winning one race (Hungary), surely winning the world touring car crown for the second year running is more than enough.

But above all what I noticed was apart from Ricky Hatton, Andy Murray, Beth Tweddle and Monty Panesar not one of those nominated did anything that required any great physical stamina.

Id also like to see you on the end of an Upper-cut from the welsh warrior Joe Calzaghe how can he not do a sport that requires physical stamina

[ArrowsFA1]

I too was disgusted by the consistent overlooking of touring cars. Especially this year with Andy winning the WTCC crown for the second year running.
You just have to look at how often Touring Cars feature on the BBC to see why AP was ignored. These awards don't recognise achievement, they merely tell us if BBC cameras (or radio) were watching :dozey:

[btracer]

I don't understand how you came to that comment. I said clearly in the final paragraoh that APART from Rick Hatton, Andy Murray, Beth Tweddle and Monty Panesar not one nominated did anything that required great physical stamina.

Err Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe are both boxers.

Its all a load of balls, none of them looked anything special really.

[AndySpeed]

I don't understand how you came to that comment. I said clearly in the final paragraoh that APART from Rick Hatton, Andy Murray, Beth Tweddle and Monty Panesar not one nominated did anything that required great physical stamina.

True. Sorry - if anything I should have got negative rep for that for not reading your post properly! :p : (Not asking for it though! ;) )

[Captain VXR]

I'll happily give it :p (not)

[cos]

Andy was invited to the awards, as he mentioned on Radio 2 the other week. Guess he couldn't make it in the end.

[nik]

They never give any credit to Schumacher or Alonso either in overseas sports personality.

The scedule consists of...

Football - 1 hour 30 mins yawn
Cricket - 20 minutes yawn
Rugby - 5 minutes ok
Altletics - 5 minutes yawn

Everything else might get a mention if it lucky. :rolleyes:

[AndySpeed]

I have never understood the attraction of athletics in awards events such as these - a racing driver of the calibre of Fernando Alonso may do similar amounts of running/cycling or swimming to stay fit whilst also demonstrating amazing skills in a high-technology racing car. The same goes for a touring car driver such as Priaulx.

Racing drivers are criminally overlooked.

[nik]

I think people don't realise how fit you have to be to be a top line driver.
They just compare it to driving a road car.

[tin-top fan]

I think the success of first ferari and then renault in formula one has been criminal to how the public view racing drivers to be honest. People think that the driver doesn't need to be a good driver, just to be in the best car- sad but true. And somthing like touring cars isn't that well folowed to be honest. Silverstone had over 30,000 people attend, but each premiership football match gets those kinds of figures every weekend- and thats like 10 seperate grounds each getting those attendences.
Touring car racing racing isn't the most minority sport out there- i'm sure somthing like triathlon gets less support- but its definitly not the most followed either.

[tyreman2]

For many years i have doubted the ability of the great british public to see any further than the end of their collective noses.The award is called the sports personality of the year,not who is the world champion at tiddlywinks or how many fat old men can you knock out in a roped off area that stops them running away! was their any body on the show with an ounce of personality? Was nice to see Jennifer Saunders pick up the main trophy didn't know she was related to The Queen (pardon me maarm)

[Dennibonzer]

Its funny though isnt it - someone was saying that perhaps the reason motorsport gets overlooked is that it simply doesnt attract the same level of interest as other sports.....yet some la-di-dah royal (and lets face it the horse is the real athlete) gets the sports personality of the year. Joke. To quote a guy on BBC Sport, the only people who watch show jumping are tories in fox fur slippers.

[SEATFreak]

I look forward to the response concerning your lack of appreciation of Zara Philip's abilities.........

I look forward to your resonse concerning comparing 3-Day Eventing to say Boxing or Tennis.


Id also like to see you on the end of an Upper-cut from the welsh warrior Joe Calzaghe how can he not do a sport that requires physical stamina

I would like to see you KO'd completely. :laugh:

Why do you twist my words? ]Err Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe are both boxers.[/QUOTE]

Really? Thanks for telling me. :laugh:


True. Sorry - if anything I should have got negative rep for that for not reading your post properly! (Not asking for it though!)

And I don't ask for "negative rep" for the sake of giving it to me....but I get it.


.....yet some la-di-dah royal (and lets face it the horse is the real athlete) gets the sports personality of the year. Joke. To quote a guy on BBC Sport, the only people who watch show jumping are tories in fox fur slippers.

If your hoping to get that across to these people you will be dissappointed.

That is what I tried to get across but they all ended up hating me for meaning something I didn't. They somehow came to the conclusion I didn't appreciate the sporting achievments of EVERYONE nominated. But it wasn't. It was about the comparing of physical stamina of only ONE sport to the others.

[Mark]

For many years i have doubted the ability of the great british public to see any further than the end of their collective noses.The award is called the sports personality of the year,not who is the world champion at tiddlywinks or how many fat old men can you knock out in a roped off area that stops them running away! was their any body on the show with an ounce of personality? Was nice to see Jennifer Saunders pick up the main trophy didn't know she was related to The Queen (pardon me maarm)

The usual nonsense that comes up every year. It's only called that because they didn't want to call it something silly like sportsman/sportswoman of the year.

[Bezza]

I too was disgusted by the consistent overlooking of touring cars. Especially this year with Andy winning the WTCC crown for the second year running.

Largely because if Jenson Button can get into the top 10 that qualify for nomination for winning one race (Hungary), surely winning the world touring car crown for the second year running is more than enough.

But above all what I noticed was apart from Ricky Hatton, Andy Murray, Beth Tweddle and Monty Panesar not one of those nominated did anything that required any great physical stamina.

Your pretty clueless - Joe Calzaghe has never lost. Zara Phillips is World Champion. And what the hell did Monty Panesar and Andy Murray achieve that took great stamina?! Think before you type mate.

------------

We can't expect Priaulx to be nominated - I didn't expect him to be and I wasn't too bothered when he wasn't. However much we love Touring Cars it is not a mainstream sport and is not the pinnacle of its field (motorsport in general) - that is F1 and nothing else.

------------

Also, if people think F1 drivers are overlooked, think again. Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill are two of only three (the other being boxer Henry Cooper) to win the award twice.

[Hazell B]

What a shocker - people don't realise that a minority sport like the WTCC isn't half as demanding on the body as a popular sport like Eventing. Zara Phillips won on public vote, end of story. She's a damned sight fitter than any cricketer or darts player, enough said. She won despite the Royal tag, which closed as many doors as it opened in her case.

By the way, it's EVENTING, not show jumping. That's like an ill educted fool saying WTCC is GP ;)

And we are not all tories in fox fur slippers, you dunce :p :

[SEATFreak]

Your pretty clueless - Joe Calzaghe has never lost. Zara Phillips is World Champion. And what the hell did Monty Panesar and Andy Murray achieve that took great stamina?!Think before you type mate.

"Your pretty clueless"?, "Think before you type"? Trademark "SEATFreak putdowns" of you. I can always tell which putdowns come from whom. Comments in a post of mine, btw, that would only serve to increase the vitrol. Anyway, do a lot of pots in your cave call the kettle black?

First I only didn't mention Calzaghe because I wasn't sure if I was sure in mentioning him. Seconly if you had used what passes for ears you would have heard why certainly Andy Murray was mentioned. I'm clueless? Hmmmm, let me think. Beat the World No.1? Is that good enough for somone of your impossibly high standards?

[BeansBeansBeans]

I too was disgusted by the consistent overlooking of touring cars.

Why?

Touring car racing is not a hugely popular sport in Britain. If you enjoy watching it, then that's fantastic, but I don't see the point in being disgusted just because other people don't.

[martinbalmer]

I don't mean this to be taken the wrong way but every year a thread appears about BBC Sports Personality of the Year. And every year it reads the same.. XYZ wasn't mentioned, they didn't cover this, or that..

It's just a BBC programme; it's going to reflect BBC sports coverage and the country's awareness of sporting personalities.

It isn't about comparing sports either or deciding which is the hardest. It's simply the public selecting someone who has captured their imagination and done well within their discipline. The public are influenced by what they like themselves, the media, all sorts of things.

[SEATFreak]

Why?

Touring car racing is not a hugely popular sport in Britain. If you enjoy watching it, then that's fantastic, but I don't see the point in being disgusted just because other people don't.

The Skeleton Bob isn't a hugely popular sport in this country either BBB, either in the mainstream or on BBC TV, but they had enough awareness for sports outside of the ones they cover or those not in the mainstream to do a feature on Shelly Rudman from Pewsey in Wiltshire a village who was part of the GB Skeleton Bobsleigh team at the Torino Winter Olympics.

Yes she did win a silver but is a silver medal (the only one of two we got) at the Winter Olympics more, less or the same as winning the FiA WTCC Drivers title?

[quote="Nitromaster"]It's just a BBC programme]

Would you have known Shelly before SPotY and what sport she did?

[LiamM]

Yes but winning an Olympic Medal isn't the same as the FIA WTCC DC, the medal means shes at the top of her sport - 2nd best in the world if you will. WTCC isn't the pinacle of motorsport F1 is, hence why Jenson got nominated. I would love for Andy to get recognised by the programme, but in the world of media you have to go with whats popular, and Touring Cars ain't

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Zara Phillips won on public vote, end of story. She's a damned sight fitter than any cricketer or darts player, enough said.


I'm not so sure that she'd be fitter than any cricketer! :laugh:

You have to be an athlete to run up to the crease and bowl all day in blistering summerheat. I bet fast bowlers will run several mles through the course of a cricket game.

Anyway, I thought there was a sportspersonality thread in the chit chat section.

[martinbalmer]

Anyway, I thought there was a sportspersonality thread in the chit chat section.

Yes... but this is the "Why wasn't Touring Cars mentioned or included" thread :p :

[Scott Dryden]

In my view, this issue doesn't have anything to do with the relative merits of the various sports covered in the programme. Nor is it about the popularity of Touring Cars or motorsport in general.

As has been reaffirmed by successive BBC chairmen (and governments), the corporation does not exist in order to chase ratings. Motorsport, whether popular or not, is well established and has been widely acknowledged as a sport for decades. There are only three series recognised as being world championships - Formula One, the WRC and WTCC.

When Colin McRae won the WRC in 1995, he was a runner-up in Sports Personality of the Year, having received the third highest number of votes. Whether Priaulx deserved similar isn't for me to say, but as the winner of the WTCC - for the second consecutive year - he was entitled to some level of recognition in public service programming such as this. Failure to do so was a massive error in judgement.

There are hundreds of commercial TV channels in the UK who naturally push what's 'popular' amongst the general public. There is no need for a public service broadcaster to do the same. That said, given that the BBC's current Director of Sport introduced Richard Littlejohn to Five Live, there is little cause to be surprised by content driven by popularity.

[Bezza]

"Your pretty clueless"?, "Think before you type"? Trademark "SEATFreak putdowns" of you. I can always tell which putdowns come from whom. Comments in a post of mine, btw, that would only serve to increase the vitrol. Anyway, do a lot of pots in your cave call the kettle black?

First I only didn't mention Calzaghe because I wasn't sure if I was sure in mentioning him. Seconly if you had used what passes for ears you would have heard why certainly Andy Murray was mentioned. I'm clueless? Hmmmm, let me think. Beat the World No.1? Is that good enough for somone of your impossibly high standards?

Right. Trademark putdowns? No. You are just seemingly very un-educated - to say Andy Murray deserved it more than Joe Calzaghe is downright absurd.

Do a lot of pots in your cave call the kettle black?

I have no idea what this means. I don't have a cave, I don't have any pots. You mean "pot calling the kettle black" don't try and make it more complicated.

I use eyes to read words fella, not ears. I still haven't heard/read why Andy Murray was nominated. The only reason I can come up with is he is in the middle of bubble of hype - he'll be voted in the top 10 till the day he retires because of this stupid hype without ever doing anything. So he beat Roger Federer...once...in a nothing match. He didn't WIN anything or get even close to!

[VkmSpouge]

To be fair to Murray it wasn't a nothing match he beat Federer in and he also won a tournament this year but clearly not up there with winning one of the 4 Opens. Bit like Jenson Button I guess, had success, won something but ultimately didn't have a good enough year in 2006 to claim BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
I'm certainly disappointed Andy Priaulx didn't get a mention after his stirring efforts this year, he probably deserved to get nominated ahead of Jenson Button and Andy Murray but then that's life.

[timtime]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/6182006.stm

Just came across this on the BBC website and it is quite a good read recognising a lot that has been said on here.

Tim

[AndyRAC]

I think we all have to admit that to the general public Motorsport is F1. End of.I did think that Andy might get at least a mention as he is a World Champ. All they mentioned was F1 and Moto GP. The WRC didn't even get a mention, though thats another story. The programme is also slightly political, hence the only two choices for Overseas award were Federer and Woods. The BBC badly wants to keep Golf (The Open) and Tennis (Wimbledon). In my opinion there were greater candidates for this; Schumacher, Alonso, Loeb, Ponting,etc. Just have to except that the WTCC is a 'minority' sport, albeit one of the larger ones, I'm a Rally fan and I've excepted that the WRC is the same.

[SEATFreak]

I think I can hear everyone screaming the reply to this one but what if there was some kind of inagural Motorsport Awards that networks like the BBC or ITV could screen that recognises ALL drivers and teams in motorsport? Would that work? I think it has the slightest chance of working even if on the whole it wouldn't.

This country has for years been one of the hotbeds of motorsport. Anthony Hamilton is just the latest in a very long line of talent from this country. The Hills, David Couthard, John Surtees, Nigel Mansell, Derek Warwick, Jackie Stewart. Those are just in F1. In Touring Cars we have modern day greats like Jason Plato and Anthony Reid, older modern day talent like Chris Hodgetts, John Cleland, Andy Rouse and Wil Hoy. And team wise we have produced McLaren and Williams and manufacurers like Jaguar and now Aston Martin in GTs/Le Mans.

Would having such an event atleast increase the chances of motorsports that wouldn't get recognised to acknowledge the drivers that race in them?

[BeansBeansBeans]

It's Lewis Hamilton Seat Freak, and we already have the Autosport awards.

[Abo]

Why?

Touring car racing is not a hugely popular sport in Britain. If you enjoy watching it, then that's fantastic, but I don't see the point in being disgusted just because other people don't.

An average attendance of 25000 per event and a TV audience of up to 1.5 million people says it's pretty popular.

[Hazell B]

An average attendance of 25000 per event and a TV audience of up to 1.5 million people says it's pretty popular.


A good deal of the TV audience is just sitting watching TV, they don't really care what's on. They'd sit watching snooker, Eastenders or knitting competitions just as avidly.

25k at an event is great, but hardly a large crowd in sporting terms. As I've said elsewhere, Eventing (Zara Phillips' sport) attracts an average of over 100k per event here in the UK. 127k paid at the gate at last year's Burghley, plus there were numerous invited free guests. I've seen over 20k at midweek football when it's raining!

In general, motorsport isn't a popular sport.

[BeansBeansBeans]

An average attendance of 25000 per event and a TV audience of up to 1.5 million people says it's pretty popular.

Those figures just confirm that it is a minority sport which isn't hugely popular.

[btracer]

Anthony Hamilton is just the latest in a very long line of talent from this country.

Surely your joking yeah?

[Hazell B]

Surely your joking yeah?


It's true enough, Anthony Hamilton is just the latest in a list of talented Brits in sport. We've had plenty of great UK motorsport talents, he's simply the newest and still has to start winning GP like the Coulthards and all the rest.

I bet less than one in twenty people on the street would know his name if you asked them now. By next year at this time, it'll be doubled I hope :p :

[BeansBeansBeans]

I bet less than one in twenty people on the street would know his name if you asked them now.


Including you it seems. Because it's LEWIS Hamilton.

[nik]

Anthony Hamilton is just the latest in a very long line of talent from this country.

Hmmm, he's not as good as he used to be, plus he's slipped down the Snooker rankings quite a bit. :dozey:

[Abo]

Those figures just confirm that it is a minority sport which isn't hugely popular.

Some premiership teams would be proud of attendance figures like that...

[Nick The Flick]

I think you can simply put the list as follows:

3 day eventing: BBC
Golf: BBC
Winter Olympics: BBC
Boxing: BBC
Tennis: BBC
International football: BBC
Athletics: BBC

BTCC: Not BBC
WTCC: Not BBC
Formula 1: Not BBC

Starting to get an idea of the way the awards swing?

[BeansBeansBeans]

Some premiership teams would be proud of attendance figures like that...

Aye, and there are 20 teams in the Premiership, playing 19 home league games a season.

[BDunnell]

It should come as no surprise that Andy Priaulx wasn't mentioned. Outside the Channel Islands, the likelihood is that your average member of the public won't have heard of him. The TV viewing figures for the WTCC in the UK are bound to be pretty pathetic, and the series doesn't have a very high profile in this country. I'd say that all adds up to it being a minority sport, as much as those of us who follow touring car racing would like it not to be.

And although the BTCC is naturally more prominent, ask your average person in the street who Matt Neal is and they are unlikely to know. We may like to think otherwise, but that's the reality. Same goes for rallying and Sebastien Loeb, to be honest.

[Hazell B]

Including you it seems. Because it's LEWIS Hamilton.

I made a mistake, there's no reason to start posting in bold and being pedantic :rolleyes:
Unless you'd like everyone to start pointing out your errors in bold, too? :p :

Anyway, back to the topic in hand. The BBC coverage can't have any bearing on the result, as far as I'm aware. The names are put forward by the media and the BBC happening to cover the sports is just lucky for them (I guess it makes putting the clips package together cheaper?)

Boxing is on ITV, too. They showed some ITV footage at some point in the show I think. Tintin would probably know if I'm right or not, he works on it sometimes.

[Adam Bollons]

Gotta say that I was really annoyed that Andy Priaulx's awsome achievements were not recognised by the BBC. I was watching and waiting but nothing came of it.............. there can be no excuse for it.

We have a winner from the British Isles who is without question one of the best drivers in the world today and what do the BBC do? focus on the failure.

Part of what makes Andy great is his mentality, British sporting people are weak in this area. He is a fantastic role model, family man who carries out work for charity and generally a top bloke - oh and a double world champion.

From my viewpoint the BBC has lost the plot, along with the rites to cover most sporting events!

[BeansBeansBeans]

We have a winner from the British Isles who is without question one of the best drivers in the world today and what do the BBC do? focus on the failure.

[Banging head against the wall]THE BBC DO NOT PICK THE SHORTLIST. PRIAUX WASN'T NOMINATED BY ANY OF THE NEWSPAPERS WHO SUBMIT THE VOTES.[/Banging head against the wall]

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Some premiership teams would be proud of attendance figures like that...

You can fit a few more people into the grounds of a race circuit than ou can into a football ground. Plus if you add up all the crowds from all football games on a saturday the figure would be over 1/2 million.