SPOTY 2020

[Lineker]

 

Quote

A shortlist of six contenders has been announced for the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The nominees are cricketer Stuart Broad, jockey Hollie Doyle, boxer Tyson Fury, Formula 1's Lewis Hamilton, footballer Jordan Henderson and snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Voting will be open to the public during the Sports Personality programme on BBC One on Sunday, 20 December.

The show is being broadcast live from Media City in Salford.

Football pundit Alex Scott will join the presenting line-up alongside Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan to look back on a truly unusual year of sport in front of a huge virtual audience and millions of BBC One viewers.

The ceremony will champion the teams that triumphed despite the pandemic, sports stars that achieved greatness even with interrupted schedules and the coaches and local heroes that made it possible.

The public can vote by phone or online on the night for the main award, with full details announced during the show.

Other awards to be announced include Team and Coach of the Year, World Sport Star of the Year and Unsung Hero, while Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford will receive a special award in recognition of his work to raise awareness of child food poverty in the UK.

Who are the Sports Personality contenders?

• Stuart Broad, 34, CRICKET
  • After being dropped for the opening match of the summer series against West Indies, the Nottinghamshire fast bowler returned for the final two Tests - both won by England - and took 16 wickets at an average of 10.93 to pass 500 for his career. He is seventh in the list of all-time Test wicket-takers.
• Hollie Doyle, 24, HORSE RACING
  • Broke her own record for the number of winners ridden by a British woman in a year, rode a historic double on British Champions Day, became the first woman to ride five winners on the same card and claimed her first victory at Royal Ascot. Doyle was named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.
• Tyson Racing, 32, BOXING
  • The self-styled 'Gypsy King' became a two-time world heavyweight champion with a devastating defeat of Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC title in their Las Vegas rematch in February. Victory for the Manchester-born fighter marked another stage in his remarkable comeback after a battle with depression and drugs.
• Lewis Hamilton, 35, FORMULA ONE
  • One of F1's all-time great drivers, he equalled Michael Schumacher's record of seven world titles with his fourth consecutive championship in 2020. En route, the Stevenage-born driver - who holds the record for most pole positions - surpassed the German's total of 91 grand prix victories.
• Jordan Henderson, 30, FOOTBALL
  • Captained runaway leaders Liverpool to win their first league title since 1990, by a margin of 19 points, a year after lifting the Champions League trophy. The Sunderland-born midfielder, who has been capped 58 times by England, was also named the Football Writers' men's player of the year.
• Ronnie O'Sullivan, 44, SNOOKER
  • Won his sixth world title at the Crucible to become the oldest champion for more than 40 years and cement his place as one snooker's greatest players. 'The Rocket' has secured more events (37) and Triple Crown event titles (20) than anyone else in history. The Essex potter is nominated for the BBC award for the first time in his 28-year career.

[DFF]

I struggle to see beyond Hamilton equalling Schumacher's record here. 

[Colly]

Marcus Rashford has literally run the country this year. What the fuck.

[FestiveJack]

Amazing that an unrepentant homophobic scumbag like Fury is on the shortlist but Marcus Rashford isn't. Farce.

[Chris2K]

Hamilton absolutely deserves it for his achievement on the track and his hard work for equality off the track, but yeah, Rashford not even being nominated is despicably ignorant.

[METALMAN]

Yeah, I don’t get why Tyson Fury seems to get a free pass or why people think he is “just a bit of a character”. He’s an arsehole.

[Naitch]

Echoing the lack of Marcus Rashford being super disappointing. Of those, if it's not Hamilton or Henderson then the entire award is a joke. I am somewhat surprised to see that Ronnie O'Sullivan hasn't been nominated before though.

[DavidMarrio]

Rashford should be nominated definetly. Stuff he has done off the field is nothing short of astonishing. A proper role model in this day and age. 

Henderson though if we are looking at off the field did lead the charge for the NHS at the start of the pandemic with the #playerstogether and the shirts for heroes campaign too. 

For me he should be winning it for the above as well as leading us to our first league title in 30 years and the sporting year he's had from captaining us and winning the Champions League to winning the Prem whilst also taking into account his on field performances too. 

[Baddar]

Rashford is already being recognised with a separate award.

Plus he'll be made a Sir in the New Years Honours list, so don't worry too much. 😑

[Naitch]

 

[METALMAN]

lol what a self-aggrandising narcissistic twat

[Bobfoc]

I wonder how much of a factor Liverpool fans voting en masse for Henderson will be. When Ryan Giggs was (much less deservedly) nominated in 2009, he won because Man United fans voted in such large numbers. Surprisingly few footballers have won the award, and, Giggs excepted, they've all been for accomplishments at international level for England.

[Gazz]

Fury wants off it because it's hard to call yourself 'The People's Champion' when you're going to come 4th in a 6-person popularity contest.

[Matt]

10 hours ago, Colly said:

Marcus Rashford has literally run the country this year. What the fuck.

What Rashford has done is exactly what this prize should be for. But let's give it to the guy who raced better than the one other guy who had equipment of the same standard as him

Wait, what the fuck has Jordan Henderson done?

[lanky316]

He got the players together early in Covid to fight for the NHS, rather than calling out the government as twats for not assisting the NHS.

[Bobfoc]

When has this award ever really been about personalities or community work? It's always been given to the person with the most highly publicised achievement, except for the time Ryan Giggs got it.

[Adam]

Yeah, the name of it has never really mattered. It has always been "Best Sportsperson" just with a different name.

It also matters very little. I can't even remember who won it last year.

[Lineker]

Ben Stokes!

[FestiveJack]

The fuck is a Ben Stokes?

[Bobfoc]

DUP MP Paul Girvan has complained in Parliament about Jonathan Rea's omission from the shortlist.