I’ve not watched the BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) for a very long time. The show was launched at around the time of the launch of Noah’s Ark, moreover at a time when the BBC had the sole TV rights for every major sporting event. No longer. Of the six contenders nominated by the BBC, three are rarely shown on terrestrial TV at all, those being golfer Rory McIlroy, dartist Luke Littler and car driver Lando Norris. The other three, mop-haired rugby union player Ellie Kildunne and footballers Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton, are regularly seen on the BBC. Perhaps that will give them an advantage when it comes to the viewers’ vote? Happily for me, I’m out tonight and won’t be tuning in (as I also wouldn’t be if I was staying in).
It is probably my bad, as the young folk say, that I have never heard of Kelly and Hampton. I know they play for the England women’s football team which won the Euros this year but as I scarcely bother to watch any football these days, I don’t know who they are and certainly have no idea whether they have the personalities required to win SPOTY. I’ve seen a bit more of Kildunne because the media is not permitted to write or talk about women’s rugby without saying Ellie Kildunne.
Of the men, I’d definitely say that Rory McIlroy has a great personality, as has the tungsten titan Luke Littler, my own personal choice as SPOTY. Lando Norris I know absolutely nothing about, other than the fact that he drove the fastest car the fastest in this season’s Formula 1 procession. It is difficult to say that he has a great personality when he is driving a car for two hours and you don’t get a glimpse of his face, other than when he is squandering perfectly drinkable Champagne when the so called race is over. I drive my car a lot. Maybe I should be nominated, too?
But actually, when has it ever mattered whether the SPOTY winner had a personality? Former winner Nick Faldo was a great golfer, arguably Britain’s finest ever, but he has no personality at all. Similarly, Nigel Mansell’s flat monotone rendered him the most boring man on Earth when he won it. And Mansell’s fellow driver Damon Hill, horse rider Princess Anne and snooker’s Steve ‘Interesting’ Davis? Winners, for sure, but personalities? I don’t think so.
Part of me wants Littler to win just to piss off the sporting establishment, many of whom hate the idea of darts being regarded as a sport. The greatest darts player of them all, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor never won SPOTY and the closest he ever got was coming second to the jockey Tony McCoy in 2010. Littler is the oldest 18 year old in the world, has a great personality, was also second last year and must, surely, win. But I suspect he won’t.
I’d call it a day for SPOTY if I was in charge. It’s had its day and that day has gone. And so many of today’s big stars aren’t stars anymore because most sport is not available on free to air TV. Even the stars of the England cricket team could spend a jolly evening in most pubs without anyone knowing who they were. And if SPOTY was really important, would it really be on a Thursday evening? No. And that’s why to most of us, it doesn’t matter.
