| « Is Ulster the Most Backward Place on Earth? (2) | Happy Saint Andrew's Day » |
BBC Sports Personality - What A Joke
The shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2007 was announced last night. I'm really pissed off with this, mainly because David Healy is more or less ignored.
Nominees were apparently selected based on votes from news papers, all of whom failed to deem Sir David worthy of a mention with the exception of the Belfast Telegraph (naturally) and Nuts magazine (fair play lads).
Imagine Wayne Rooney had broken the record for goals scored in qualifying. Now imagine he'd done that fronting an England team that began the campaign ranked 72nd in the world instead of 5th. Do you think he would have been ignored?
The full list reads:
- Joe Calzaghe (considered Welsh but born in London)
- Lewis Hamilton (English; abandoned the UK for a more tax-efficient country)
- Ricky Hatton (English)
- Andy Murray (Scottish; missed Wimbledon through injury, but is in "the top 10")
- Christine Ohuruogu (English; banned from competing for nearly the entire year because she missed three drug tests in a row!)
- Paula Radcliffe (English; sat out the whole season up to 30th September)
- Jason Robinson (English)
- Justin Rose (English)
- James Toseland (English)
- Jonny Wilkinson (English)
Now, I'm completely against tokenism and I'm not looking for special treatment or some kind of unofficial quota of regional representation, but the fact is David Healy deserves to be there and had he done what he's done in an England shirt, he would be. On top of that, what's the deal with two England rugby players making it? Just because an English side got to a final and the football team were bloody awful? Sheesh!
Needless to say I won't be watching the show at all. In my eyes it has no credibility following this complete mockery of a nomination process.
Trackback address for this post
16 comments
Well as the nominees are selected by newspapers, and the majority of newspapers are English, it is not surprising that England is over represented. The two boxers, I can understand. They are undefeated and world champions. Hamilton almost won the world championship in F1 in a rookie season. I can understand him being there. Murray, Radcliffe and Ohuruogu shouldn't be there. Missed too much of the playing. The argument between Rooney and Healy is simple. Healy did wonders for Northern Ireland and fairly shit domestically. Rooney got the Semi Final of the European Cup, the Final of the FA Cup and one the Premier League. If we only look on International performance then Healy should be there and Healy should probably win it.
01 Dec 2007 @ 12:21
Comment from: kensei [Visitor] 
As I have previously pointed out, every man, woman and child here could hold a view on the topic, and it wouldn't break the margin of error on UK-wide polls.
This is just like you taking the Union and putting it in Gary Lineker fronted form.
This is just like you taking the Union and putting it in Gary Lineker fronted form.
01 Dec 2007 @ 13:15
It's shameful that David has been overlooked for this award. Kensei is however right, its a national competition and even if every single person in NI had voted he still wouldn't have made the shortlist. Dosen't make it any less hurtful though?
Let's hope there is something for him and/or Sanchez in the new years honours. If Stephen Gerard can get a MBE.......?????
Let's hope there is something for him and/or Sanchez in the new years honours. If Stephen Gerard can get a MBE.......?????
01 Dec 2007 @ 19:48
I might have understood the no healy thing if maybe there had of been another footballer on the shortlist incase one sport dominates... but the fact there not one footballer astounds me to be honest.
How healy never made THAT list is unbelieveable and completely ignorant. EBC, wish they would hurry up and change their name
How healy never made THAT list is unbelieveable and completely ignorant. EBC, wish they would hurry up and change their name
02 Dec 2007 @ 02:12
Yeah... Healy definitely deserves to be on the list.
02 Dec 2007 @ 19:05
But the fact is Healy doesn't have massive exposure in the rest of the UK. Domestically in England he isn't very good. People may have payed more attention to that than his performances on an international level.
02 Dec 2007 @ 20:54
"Murray, Radcliffe and Ohuruogu shouldn't be there."
Token Scot and token women? Anyone?
Oh, and just for anyone still thinking of watching, I'll save you the bother:
Lewis Hamilton wins.
Token Scot and token women? Anyone?
Oh, and just for anyone still thinking of watching, I'll save you the bother:
Lewis Hamilton wins.
03 Dec 2007 @ 09:53
I don't know, loads of exposure of Ricky Hatton on the run up to his fight with Mayweather could see a lot of people vote for Hatton.
03 Dec 2007 @ 15:01
Beano, trying to think of any other women who could have qualified this year?
The only one springs to mind is the Captain of the England Ladies football team (Hope Davies??). They did very well in the World Cup.
I think too that the late Colin McCrae might get some sort of a postumous award (another Scot).
Any other suggestions?
And not forgetting off course David Rainey after he wins the CIS for the Crues on Saturday!!!!!
The only one springs to mind is the Captain of the England Ladies football team (Hope Davies??). They did very well in the World Cup.
I think too that the late Colin McCrae might get some sort of a postumous award (another Scot).
Any other suggestions?
And not forgetting off course David Rainey after he wins the CIS for the Crues on Saturday!!!!!
03 Dec 2007 @ 15:05
What you need to do is organise a petiton along the lines of the campaign to get Peter Canavan elected a few years ago. The response was remarkable - although Canavan naturally didn't win (he did win the NI category though) - and in any case the campaign was intended more as a bit of crack than anything to be taken seriously - the publicity generated was worth it. The story featured in some the English broadsheets, which goes to show the power of e-mail. So the answer is simple - start a mass e-mail campaign to get Healy voted in and send it to as many people as posible and get them to forward it to as many as possible - it's worth a try!
03 Dec 2007 @ 22:00
Comment from: mcanena [Visitor]
I don't agree with you at all,these sports people deserve their due,how can you say anything bad about Ricky Hatton???
Ricky Hatton deserves to be there he will win it and no-one else matters.
Ricky Hatton deserves to be there he will win it and no-one else matters.
03 Dec 2007 @ 22:50
Useless award anyway
This ones much better...
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Healynorniron/
This ones much better...
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Healynorniron/
04 Dec 2007 @ 16:32
There is one person who really should win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He should have won last year not Zara Phillips, and that person is Joe Calzaghe.
He has been World champion for 10 years holding both the WBA and WBC titles and is undefeated. His last fight aginst Kessler, 7 years his junior, was awesome. It's not just about how Calzaghe perfoms in the ring, it's how he behaves outside of the ring. No glitterati, no parties, no booze just dedication to his sport and his family.
. With his father Enzo, Joe helps many young people by bringing them into his father's gym. Youngsters who might otherwise be walking the streets and getting into trouble. Joe is not just a great Champion and the best boxer Britain has ever had, he is also a great human being.
. Hopefully, the director general of the BBC who is known to be against prize fighting, won't be influencing the decision in any way. It was only after pressure from the government that Joe's destruction of Kessler was shown on BBC1 about a week after the actual event.
He has been World champion for 10 years holding both the WBA and WBC titles and is undefeated. His last fight aginst Kessler, 7 years his junior, was awesome. It's not just about how Calzaghe perfoms in the ring, it's how he behaves outside of the ring. No glitterati, no parties, no booze just dedication to his sport and his family.
. With his father Enzo, Joe helps many young people by bringing them into his father's gym. Youngsters who might otherwise be walking the streets and getting into trouble. Joe is not just a great Champion and the best boxer Britain has ever had, he is also a great human being.
. Hopefully, the director general of the BBC who is known to be against prize fighting, won't be influencing the decision in any way. It was only after pressure from the government that Joe's destruction of Kessler was shown on BBC1 about a week after the actual event.
09 Dec 2007 @ 16:50
Comment from: Seamus [Visitor]
Cats are like bagpipes, if ye quit squeezing
them, they quit screaming!!!
them, they quit screaming!!!
17 Mar 2008 @ 13:57
Comment from: Denzas [Visitor]
Well, let's look at this logically shall we - England make up 85% of the UK and are they not therefore entitled to have more nominees than anybody else??
Also - BBC have enclaves in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and also have seperate Sports Personalities competitions - England don't even have a BBC England to have their own competition, so stop the bloody moaning!!
Also - BBC have enclaves in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and also have seperate Sports Personalities competitions - England don't even have a BBC England to have their own competition, so stop the bloody moaning!!
15 Dec 2009 @ 18:08
Comment from: cc [Visitor] · http://www.lookedhardy.com
edhardy outwear www.lookedhardy.com
13 Jan 2010 @ 10:56
Comment feed for this postLeave a comment
