Cav and Sports Personality of Year - 2010

mr_poll

Love him for the person he is (self confident with tongue firmly in cheek) or hate him for the same (arrogant, disrespectful) you have admit he has had another good season, especially after his slow start post illness (that he accepts was due to his own vanity).

Stage wins on the premier GT (in the public's eye's) and the points jersey at the Vuelta (first jersey for 21? years by a Brit from a GT) - he is currently 25 to 1 to take the prize. Now I know that cycling isnt universally voted for by the general public but given the dirth of sporting talent this year and the increase in profile of cycling this year anyone think he has a shot?

softlad

by rights, he should be in the running - but it will probably go to an overpaid ponce from one of the mainstream sports...

inkyfingers

He's clearly had a great season but no better than last season really, and he didn't win it then.

I think he'd need to win the WC in Geelong to have a chance of winning.

Fogliettaz

I think he'd need to win the WC in Geelong to have a chance of winning.

+1

northernneil

there have not been any outstanding... or even outsitting candidates this year. By right he should walk it, apart from David Haye cant think of anyone 'mainstream' that would qualify and even he has had or will have had only 2 fights this year

shm_uk

Cav should at least be nominated for SPotY, however my feeling is that because he actually HAS a personality (albeit a bit like Marmite - love him or hate him) and is slightly controversial I can't see him winning the SPotY award.

Cycling also doesn't have sufficiently broad TV coverage for people to be properly aware of Cav's achievements.

But who knows... I could be wrong


I also agree with northernneil - which other sportsman or woman has done anything that really stands out this year?

verylonglegs

Is it an award worth worrying about though? Not claiming to be the arbiter on the subject but personally as someone who has always taken part in quite a few sports and watches a whole lot more (too much someone could probably say with some justification!) I haven’t given this award a look for a long time, I think it’s irrelevant these days.

fleshtuxedo

I'm a fan of Cav and his achievements and I think he is a real personlity who should win this sort of award, but:

1. His sport doesn't project sufficiently beyond cycling fans
2. Despite the name, SPotY does not recognise personality it just gets awarded to the highest profile, most successful sportsmen and women

I'd love to be proved wrong though!

garryc

Well Cav is Cav, he's a brilliant sprinter and he's had a great season.

But I don't see him winning the SPotY. Even if cycling does get the recognition it deserves he doesn't come over very well, even the original poster called him vain, arrogant and disrespectfull, hardly the sort of thing you win personality prizes for.

But the award is a bit of a joke to start with, what is the prize for exactly? Winning? Being Popular? Being a nice bloke? It's just too vague.

RichN95.

shm_uk wrote:

I also agree with northernneil - which other sportsman or woman has done anything that really stands out this year?

There are some others. Here's the top ten in betting at William Hill

13/8 Tony McCoy - finally won the Grand National after dominating his sport for 15 years (hardly international though)
9/2 Jessica Ennis - European Champion, World Champion last year
6/1 Lewis Hamilton - currently leading F1 championship. SPOTY runner-up twice
10/1 Phil Taylor - World Champion for the umpteenth time, but personally I'd find it embarrassing if an overweight 50 year old is held up as our sporting champion
16/1 Paul Scholes - won absolutely nothing in 2010. At least Giggs last year had won some trophies
16/1 Mo Farah - double European champion - 5k and 10k. If he beats the Kenyans at the Commonwealths (if they happen), I'll walk the award to him myself.
25/1 Jenson Button - unlikely, but still could be World champion
25/1 Mark Cavendish - the one who didn't get a medal at the Olympics :?
25/1 Graeme McDowell - won the US Open, that's pretty impressive in my book
33/1 Amy Williams - good at sliding

Just outside is Graeme Swann (40/1), who has been excellent all year and would be genuine candidate for me.

Not a vintage year, though.

tailwindhome

I'm not a betting man but it seems to me that there is a name missing from that list.

Colin Montgomery.

Hasn't done anything all year but IF the European team win the Ryder Cup I reckon he will be in with a great shout. High profile sport, major event, appeals to nice middle class SPOTY voters.

If he's not on that list that implies to me you'll get longer than 33/1 on him.

That seems excellent value.

greasedscotsman

Also seems to me that someone else is missing. Emma Pooley!

rick_chasey

The F1 drivers should be there, Lewis and Button

They've been a good spectacle this year.

PBo

Rick Chasey wrote:

The F1 drivers should be there, Lewis and Button

They've been a good spectacle this year.

depends if you regard F1 as a sport or not......

Stewie Griffin

TailWindHome wrote:

I'm not a betting man but it seems to me that there is a name missing from that list.

Colin Montgomery.

Hasn't done anything all year but IF the European team win the Ryder Cup I reckon he will be in with a great shout. High profile sport, major event, appeals to nice middle class SPOTY voters.

If he's not on that list that implies to me you'll get longer than 33/1 on him.

That seems excellent value.

Monty is non playing Captain though, can he justifiably win the main award if he hasnt hit any balls in the Competition? I appreciate that he is still playing but as you say he hasnt done much else this year.

rick_chasey

PBo wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

The F1 drivers should be there, Lewis and Button

They've been a good spectacle this year.

depends if you regard F1 as a sport or not......

Er yes?

A sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play, in which a winner can be defined by objective means. It is governed by a set of rules or customs. In sports the key factors are the physical capabilities and skills of the competitor when determining the outcome (winning or losing). The physical activity involves the movement of people, animals and/or a variety of objects such as balls and machines or equipment. In contrast, games such as card games and board games require primarily mental skills and only mental physical involvement

tailwindhome

Stewie Griffin wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I'm not a betting man but it seems to me that there is a name missing from that list.

Colin Montgomery.

Hasn't done anything all year but IF the European team win the Ryder Cup I reckon he will be in with a great shout. High profile sport, major event, appeals to nice middle class SPOTY voters.

If he's not on that list that implies to me you'll get longer than 33/1 on him.

That seems excellent value.

Monty is non playing Captain though, can he justifiably win the main award if he hasnt hit any balls in the Competition? I appreciate that he is still playing but as you say he hasnt done much else this year.

Interesting point

I wonder if he would be excluded from the main SPOTY category?

northernneil

PBo wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

The F1 drivers should be there, Lewis and Button

They've been a good spectacle this year.

depends if you regard F1 as a sport or not......

errr since its just about the only sport BBC show they certainly will !

Pross

Remember that the short list gets drawn up by sports journos who probably in no way get pampered by various 'big' sporting organisations on a regular basis so there's no chance that any bias will creep in

giant_man

He won't because he's in professional cycling, simple as that.

greasedscotsman

giant mancp wrote:

He won't because he's in professional cycling, simple as that.

Err, Chris Hoy?

AndyD2574

as per usual cycling will get some token mention during the show and an over paid tw@t from football will win...........................or a mainstream sport.

even though cycling is growing and continues to do so I just dont think it gets the recognition it so rightly deserves...........I'm not sure it ever will which is frustrating!

Think about it...............a footballer trains for a couple of hours a day and then goes home to his multi million pound house in his ferarri..............................a cyclist trains, and trains, and trains and trains and is a shininh example of what an athlete should be.

not fair :x

RichN95.

AndyD2574 wrote:

Think about it...............a footballer trains for a couple of hours a day and then goes home to his multi million pound house in his ferarri..............................a cyclist trains, and trains, and trains and trains and is a shininh example of what an athlete should be.

not fair :x

Almost every decent Italian cyclist buys a Ferrari as soon as they sign a big enough contract. It's seen as something of a cliche in the peloton.

Cavendish's car cost £90k

mr_poll

garryc wrote:

Well Cav is Cav, he's a brilliant sprinter and he's had a great season.

But I don't see him winning the SPotY. Even if cycling does get the recognition it deserves he doesn't come over very well, even the original poster called him vain, arrogant and disrespectfull, hardly the sort of thing you win personality prizes for.

But the award is a bit of a joke to start with, what is the prize for exactly? Winning? Being Popular? Being a nice bloke? It's just too vague.

For the record I didnt call him any of the above - i put both sides of the argument and Cav himself it was his vanity that made him get his teeth done which led to infection and lack of training.

Nice little debate:

re Monty think it is likely they will get the team award if they win - and also there is a coach of the year award so thats up for grabs for him.

Ennis is the poster girl of athletics and stands an excellent chance. Mo Farah did well in the Euro's but isnt running at the Commonwealth Games so not sure he will cut it against Ennis.

For those that say Cav has no/bad personality thats not really a factor is it - Ryan Giggs has zero personality and won last year.

I agree he probably wont win due to the fact cycling is seen a minority sport but given what he has done this year compared to the barren year we have had (to be fair Ennis won the Euro's not against a world field) then he surely justifies a strong shout.

Just think if there was an internet campaign (a la Giggs last year) and all the people who ride/turned out to watch the TOB actually voted for him - stranger things have happened.

mjgoodhand

Would be great to see Cav win it. I'd like to see the look on Gary Lineker's face as he punches Sue Barker and moons the audience. Not that he is a bit highly strung at all...

Seriously, I am surprised McDowell is only 25/1. First European to win the US Open since 1970. Also Rich's call for Graeme Swann is a good one - he could easily be the cricketer of the year and might be quite timely with the Ashes starting in Aus soon. Anything has to be better than the travesty of last year, if in doubt give it to an overpaid, overrated footballer.

chunkytfg

if it's about achievement then how about Ian Hutchinson?

5/5 at the Isle of Man this year never to be beaten only equalled.

RichN95.

mjgoodhand wrote:

Anything has to be better than the travesty of last year, if in doubt give it to an overpaid, overrated footballer.

While last year's award was a travesty, don't have a go at Giggs for it. He's certainly not overrated. He's won more trophies than any other British footballer in history and always been a model pro.

It was only a travesty because he hadn't really done much in 2009, but he's been an absolutely top class sportsman.

mjgoodhand

Never forgave him for choosing to play for Wales. He would have solved all the problems we had on the left side when we had a very strong England side.

Also, I am not sure that then only playing for your chosen country 64 times is that professional. He should have had well over 100 caps and Wales should have qualified for more tournaments but he refused to play on many occasions when he was fit.

Hopefully, it isn't too obvious I support Liverpool.

RichN95.

mjgoodhand wrote:

Never forgave him for choosing to play for Wales. He would have solved all the problems we had on the left side when we had a very strong England side.

Also, I am not sure that then only playing for your chosen country 64 times is that professional. He should have had well over 100 caps and Wales should have qualified for more tournaments but he refused to play on many occasions when he was fit.

Hopefully, it isn't too obvious I support Liverpool.

a) Robert Pires would have sorted England's left side problems, but he wasn't eligible to play for them. And neither was Giggs. Ever.. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2004/oct/06/theknowledge.sport

b) Giggs only ever missed friendlies voluntarily. He always turned up for qualifiers. Wales haven't qualified for a tournament since 1958 - they're crap. They nearly did in 1994, almost entirely due to Giggs.

c) Not too obvious. I'm certainly not a Man U fan. And even though my location is Cardiff, I didn't come to Wales until I was 23 (originally Berkshire).

Pross

RichN95 wrote:

mjgoodhand wrote:

Never forgave him for choosing to play for Wales. He would have solved all the problems we had on the left side when we had a very strong England side.

Also, I am not sure that then only playing for your chosen country 64 times is that professional. He should have had well over 100 caps and Wales should have qualified for more tournaments but he refused to play on many occasions when he was fit.

Hopefully, it isn't too obvious I support Liverpool.

a) Robert Pires would have sorted England's left side problems, but he wasn't eligible to play for them. And neither was Giggs. Ever.. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2004/oct/06/theknowledge.sport

b) Giggs only ever missed friendlies voluntarily. He always turned up for qualifiers. Wales haven't qualified for a tournament since 1958 - they're crap. They nearly did in 1994, almost entirely due to Giggs.

c) Not too obvious. I'm certainly not a Man U fan. And even though my location is Cardiff, I didn't come to Wales until I was 23 (originally Berkshire).

Come on, never use facts to beat down a good rant Swann would be a good bet but given that he was originally missed off the Cricketer of the Year shortlist what are the chances of the general public recognising him?

mr_goo

The thing with SPotY is that if Paul Scholes gets nominated all the Man Utd supporters will block vote on the phones and contest will be over. Same as last year with Giggs (got as much personality as a monkeys backside).