BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012

[Rob]

I meant to start this topic the other day but never got round to it! The nominees for the award were announced on Monday, and this year there are 12 rather than 10 due to the quite remarkable sporting year we have had. Here is a list of the contenders:

-Nicola Adams
-Ben Ainslie
-Jessica Ennis
-Mo Farah
-Katherine Grainger
-Chris Hoy
-Rory McIlroy
-Andy Murray
-Ellie Simmonds
-Sarah Storey
-David Weir
-Bradley Wiggins

It's an incredibly strong list and there are names not on there that could possibly win it in other years. I think Mo Farah will win it, but I feel that Wiggins probably deserves it the most. Winning the Tour de France was an outstanding achievement and then topping that off with Olympic gold when the pressure was on was fantastic.

So, who do you think will or should win it? The event is on December 16th, and as usual the winner is decided by the voting public.

 

[Jonathan]

It's a very tough call to make, and I don't envy the panel who had to decide on a shortlist of just 12. I honestly don't know who will win, although Bradley Wiggins is currently the favourite at William Hill on odds of 1/3.

 

[Kelpie]

Personally.... hmm, I think Bradley Wiggins for both the Tour De France and Olympic wins and it's a good bet he probably will win (esp not being tainted at all by the TdF doping scandals), or David Weir for his four Paralympic gold medals in 800m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon (not going to see any Olympic athlete manage that!). Though amongst the general public Mo Farah will likely be voted over him and I can see Jessica Ennis also getting one of the runner up trophies.

Course it depends if you're voting on 'personality' or sporting achievement

 

[Rob]

Course it depends if you're voting on 'personality' or sporting achievement

That's an interesting point and something Gary Lineker was talking about when he was revealing the contenders on the One Show. He said that although it is called Sport Personality, it's really an award for sporting achievement. But they wouldn't change the name of the award as it has become so established. If it had been purely for personality then they would have to have nominated Ian Poulter, and I'd probably have voted for him!

 

[Martin]

I think it's both. Someone who wins everything but is otherwise a massive arsehole isn't going to win, likewise, you can be the nicest person in the world, but if you win nothing, you can't win in.

The money's on Wiggins, but I wouldn't mind Hoy winning.

 

[AstroDan]

Andy Murray has also had the most amazing year.

Him or Wiggins for me.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Rob]

Murray would certainly be a deserving winner, and he really has had an outstanding year. To win the US Open was a great achievement for him, then add on the Wimbledon final and winning Olympic gold then it's quite something. There's a case for pretty much every one of the contenders, it's so tough.

 

[Kelpie]

Hoy won previously (2008 after those Olympics), so I'm not sure he'd win again against the other very strong/stronger contenders on the list.

Ditto on Andy Murray also being in with a shot of a gong - beyond the Gold & Silver in the Olympics, on a personality aspect as well as sporting achievement being beaten in the Wimbledon Final did warm a lot of people to him (and heck, he got to the final!)

It's difficult in some respects, as some have achievement beyond the Olympics that needs to be considered, but some only really have the Olympics/Paralympics to showcase their sport.

Also adding that Weir won the London Marathon as well in 2012

 

[Dave]

I know i'm going to sound like a moaning old goat but these awards really do my nut in.

Sports personalities already get paid disproportionate amounts of money and plenty of glory already, their whole lifes surround getting awarded for their achievements. Why does their need to be more wasting of tax-payers money to slap these guys on the back.

Lets have the national NHS awards or Teachers awards or Charitable workers awards instead. Those people mostly work a lot harder, improve society a lot more and get feck all recognition for it. I'm not against sports but this does always seem to be an award ceremony too far.

(Yeah i'm getting old)

 

[Adam]

Personally I'd vote for Mo Farah, not just because of the sporting aspect, but because from the times I've seen him on TV he seems a top bloke.

If I was to vote purely for sporting achievements, I'd go for Wiggins.

EDIT

Hey Rob, any chance of adding a poll, to see who the "TST Sports Personality of the Year" is?

 

[josht]

It's really hard to pick a winner out if these people but I think either Rory mcilroy are andy Murray

 

[Rob]

I know i'm going to sound like a moaning old goat but these awards really do my nut in.

Sports personalities already get paid disproportionate amounts of money and plenty of glory already, their whole lifes surround getting awarded for their achievements. Why does their need to be more wasting of tax-payers money to slap these guys on the back.

Lets have the national NHS awards or Teachers awards or Charitable workers awards instead. Those people mostly work a lot harder, improve society a lot more and get feck all recognition for it. I'm not against sports but this does always seem to be an award ceremony too far.

(Yeah i'm getting old)

I understand where you are coming from but it is an award that started in 1954 so it is somewhat of a tradition now. You have awards for all sorts of different things in life, this is just one of them. Also these awards are not just about the main Sports Personality of the Year title. They also have other awards such as the Helen Rollason Award which is awarded to someone who has shown "outstanding achievement in the face of adversity" and the Unsung Hero Award which is awarded to someone who "has given their time and talents for free to enable others to participate in sport".

Hey Rob, any chance of adding a poll, to see who the "TST Sports Personality of the Year" is?

I shall try and do so! EDIT: I don't appear to be able to add a poll to this now?

 

[Ted]

This is a though one, but I'll go for Mo Farah. His performance during the Olympics this year was incredible, not only that, he seems like a really nice Bloke =)

Although I want Mo Farah to win, I think that it'll be Bradley Wiggins, Chris Hoy or Jess Ennis

 

[Stelios]

I'd have to say it would have to be Bradley Wiggins, Ennis or Farrah. A Olympian that has captured the nations hearts and they are already being used in advertising. Wiggins I'd go for considering he did incredible at the Tour de France and not /that/ bad at the Olympics.

 

[Alastair]

Murray for me. Incredible achievement for a Brit, winning the US Open - finally conquering a Grand Slam just when we thought he never would; reaching the Wimbledon final, winning Gold and Silver at the Olympics. It's a greater achievement than any of the other contenders, no arguments.