Mo Farrah wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year
If not Andy Murray, then who wins Sports Personality of the Year? A dead cert for so many years, Murray is not the force he was. His brother Jamie Murray won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon and the US Open, but never even made the list, which did find room for Johanna Konta (tennis), Jonnie Peacock (para-athletics), Adam Peaty (swimming), Jonathan Rea (motorcycling), Anya Shrubsole (cricket) and Bianca Walkden (taekwondo).
This year’s hot favourite was Anthony Joshua, with cyclist Chris Froome (ah) and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton second and third favourites respectively.
Joshua had been poised to join the elite with a SPOTY trophy ever since he retired the great Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium in April. The fact it is not an Olympic helped Joshua’s chances of winning SPOTY. On the 16 occasions the award has been held in an Olympic year, 12 of the winners have been Olympians. Each of boxing’s five victories, meanwhile, have been in non-Olympic years.
A Joshua victory would have taken boxing alongside tennis, and only behind Formula One and athletics, as the most the most prolific winning sport in SPOTY history.
But, of course, SPOTY has not all much to do with sport. It’s more about moral guidance. It’s also a rare chance for viewers to see actual sports stars on the BBC. Most often they appear in photographs on the national news and a highlights package. But on SPOTY they are live and moving. And this year the interaction between Beeb and viewer was even better because like most of us the winner was also watching it from home. World 10,000m champion Sir Mo Farah was presented the award on video link by daughter Rhianna.
Less sports than Gogglebox, then.
Posted: 17th, December 2017 | In: News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
