[Archived] Bbc Sports Personality Of The Year Award

[Rovermatt]

Honestly Richard you never stop do you. What on earth does the 'liberal media' and 'New Britain' have to do with Lewis Hamilton? Has the 'conservative media' not been equally taken with him? He's an incredibly talented kid who may well be world champion this time next year. I'm sure many of us (myself included) are pleased Calzaghe won as he's clearly an outstanding athlete and performer in his field, but don't let your withdrawal symptoms from the sugar rush of your favourite threads clog up the posts on this part of the board.

[American]

Matthew, you really add nothing to these threads except for petty, childish sniping.

[Rovermatt]

My god, the screaming irony.

Anyway, you have an interesting point of view certainly. I simply fail to understand why the usual claptrap needs to be dredged up on this thread to undermine a genuinely talented British sportsman like Hamilton who had a dazzling debut season in F1 and is a real contender on the world stage.

And of course what is your take on the subject?

Edited December 10, 2007 by Rovermatt

[Mattyblue]

I like AESF posts normally but there seems to be a contradiction, you complained that last year Zara Philips won only because of her Royal connections- as 'old Britain' and non-liberal media as you can get. Yet now you say Hamilton would have only won because of his 'new Britian' and liberal media popularity?

Which one is it?

[broadsword]

He's an incredibly talented kid who may well be world champion this time next year.

He may well be, but I'm not fooled into thinking that F1 is a sport, it's a processing of car-sized fag adverts. Where would Hamilton be if him and Button swapped motors? Where would Button be? It's easy to win when you have the best car (and let's not forget he committed several naughty manoeuvres throughout the year).

Boxing, however, is a sport, and I was shocked but pleased to see Joe win. Although I agree with Colin, teh programme is a bloody farce.

I just hope he now goes on to paste Hopkins all over teh place after what Hopkins has said.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Where would Hamilton be if him and Button swapped motors? Where would Button be? It's easy to win when you have the best car (and let's not forget he committed several naughty manoeuvres throughout the year).

Good points Bryan.

I like AESF posts normally but there seems to be a contradiction, you complained that last year Zara Philips won only because of her Royal connections- as 'old Britain' and non-liberal media as you can get.

Matty, I think the contradiction comes from the fact that for Lewis Hamilton and Zara Phillips there are two significantly different categories of voters here.

I think Zara Phillips won the award last year because there's a section of Middle England which likes Phillips for who she is rather than necessarily for her sport. The type of middle class housewives - predominantly based in the Home Counties - who gave us 'Henmania' at Wimbledon. (I would have liked Tim Henman to have won Wimbledon, but I found some of his support embarrassing.)

It is these type of people, royalist and generally conservative, who I believe broadly voted for Zara Phillips. She apparently polled around 32% of the 680,000 votes cast last year - so she roughly got about 225,000 votes. Clearly there's a significant section of Middle England in this country, but the two-thirds majority of people who voted didn't actually vote for Phillips. Most of the votes cast were actually against 'old Britain', as you call it.

Alongside Middle England, there's also another significant category of people in this country. For want of a better description, it is the metropolitan liberal elite. Cosy liberals who like the modern and the new in society and have gained pleasure from watching the rise of Lewis Hamilton. The Zara Phillips voters and some of the Lewis Hamilton voters come under two different categories.

There's a section of the liberal media which in my view has been overly positive towards Hamilton, based not just on his driving ability, but also for other reasons which I am probably no longer allowed to discuss in detail on these threads - other than to say that Hamilton has become symbolic of Britain's changing society which many liberals revel in. Hamilton is a talented driver, but he ultimately lost the World Drivers Championship and I don't believe that he deserved to win the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Award ahead of Calzaghe. I was pleased that Hamilton came second in the voting.

As for Zara Phillips, she competes in a minority sport, where few members of the ordinary public would know the names of any leading competitors. That was one of the reasons why her award was a joke. The average bloke in the street wouldn't have a clue who she was riding against. But a typical ordinary guy in the street would probably have heard of at least a couple of the competitors of Lewis Hamilton - such as Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen and Coulthard.

The average bloke in the street would probably be familiar with the names of at least a couple of footballers, rugby players, cricketers and tennis players. But he wouldn't have a clue about the 'sport' that Phillips competed in - equestrianism. As I said earlier, she would not have won the award if she hadn't been the high-profile daughter of Princess Anne.

The Sports Personality Of The Year award given to Phillips last year was a farce and an embarrassment for many true sports fans. Joe Calzaghe's win this year has restored at least a bit of credibility to the award.

Edited December 10, 2007 by Anti Euro Smiths Fan

[adopted scouser]

What load of twaddle, you need to leave the custard creams and your Thora Hird box set at home and get some fresh air.

So the majority of people who 'move in' or 'mix with' horsey circles are the liberal elite ? I have been involved with the pony club and God knows how many shows, equestrian events etc all over the north west. Take the lowest denominator and drive up to 'Croft Top' on a show day. In an area that's packed with every one toothed inbred from Buhnleh, Accy & Clitheroe, the shows are absolutely rammed.

You can't comment on why these so called liberal elite favour the prodigy that is Lewis Hamilton ? Why cause he's black ? Or do you think he gained valuable driving experience in his early teens in Imprezas (all be it followed through a housing estate by three pursuit vehicles)

Don't be so small minded and leave Zara alone, there are more followers of equestrian events than you think, and not all in the five valleys. I've spoken to Zara on a couple of occasions last year, she's delightful.

[Alex Rover]

I've spoken to Zara on a couple of occasions last year, she's delightful.

Fair enough but as a Royal it's a shame she's so blatantly thick and that doesn't help her cause.

[colin]

Oh come on everyone, the whole spectacle is based on a BBC big night out that bears no reality to anything that makes sense.

To try and compare and rank a marathon runner with a golfer with a F1 driver with a boxer with a footballer etc ......makes about as much sense as trying to compare "Plumber Of The Year" with Cosmopolitan magazine's moisturiser of 2007 award.

Utterly pointless. But it gets the ratings up and all concerned can have a jolly good night out, or a night in in front of the telly getting all excited over a meaningless "competition."

Bah, humbug!

[Drummer Boy]

Bobby Robson didn't look well did he?

Read his book a year or so ago - nice bloke

[blue phil]

Oh come on everyone, the whole spectacle is based on a BBC big night out that bears no reality to anything that makes sense.

It's the sporting equivalent to the Eurovision song contest