Mo Farah - Not in top 3 - Are we still fundamentally a racist nation

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Talking of which, I had a bad case of Ennis elbow just after the heptathlon...

I had a bad case of that last night, did you see the dress? Like two boiled eggs in a hanky. She may have missed out on SPOTY but she's got to win the next Rear of the Year.

Not a great shot of it I know as I've tried to do a screen grab from iplayer but still.....

 

[The Large One]

Well the thread got the replies I thought it would.
For 2013 nothing would be better than Andy Murray winning Wimbledon. But he is not Mr popular in the Uk. Yet he finished 3rd.
If you travel around the UK attitudes are different from Brighton.
Or is it just foreign footballers and some football supporters that are racist in the UK?
As I said before I think it is a subtle thing. Not rampant racism.

It does take talent to see racism where none exists. Well done, you must be so proud.

Other posters have already destroyed your pathetic non-argument, so to them I say 'This', and to you I say 'belt up, you appalling cretin'.

Merry Christmas.

 

[wallyback]

This. Completely this.

Well thanks for that.

I know where to do go for a healthy debate.

 

[The Large One]

Well thanks for that.

I know where to do go for a healthy debate.

To have a healthy debate, the originator has to come up with a coherent, well thought-out argument with credible evidence to back your original point in order for a counterpoint to be made.

You failed at the first hurdle.

 

[maltaseagull]

Errrrr no.

Errrr agree

 

[The Spanish]

Wiggins shops in Jump The Gun, that is why he deserved to win

he doesnt so much shop in it but run around it covered in glue by the looks of things.

 

[wallyback]

Hey may be fundamental was the wrong word.

May be this post puts in in a better nicer way.

The audience response to Mo Farrah's interview seemed conspicuously muted in my eyes or was that just the way it was set up to come across on television? The same for Ussain Bolt. These are sporting giants of this or any other age. Something was missing there definitely. Gary Lineker's bland, uninformed questions didn't help Farrah's case, betraying a lack of historical perspective as to what Farrah had achieved. Mo tried to be humble about it but it needed someone to tell that white audience and the country at large that Hey! Mo, you're up there with Zatopek, Viren and Yifter.
Athletes like Mo Farrah come along once in a lifetime. Yes, all that the other contenders achieved was genuinely brilliant but nothing in my eyes quite matched what Mo Farrah accomplished in his races - and the beautiful manner of those victories.

 

[m20gull]

Athletes like Mo Farrah come along once in a lifetime. Yes, all that the other contenders achieved was genuinely brilliant but nothing in my eyes quite matched what Mo Farrah accomplished in his races - and the beautiful manner of those victories.

British Tour de France winners do not come along all that often, and he has seven Olympic medals.
Murray's win in the US was the first British grand slam in my lifetime, and he won an Olympic medal too.

 

[Brovion]

Hey may be fundamental was the wrong word.

May be this post puts in in a better nicer way.

The audience response to Mo Farrah's interview seemed conspicuously muted in my eyes or was that just the way it was set up to come across on television? The same for Ussain Bolt. These are sporting giants of this or any other age. Something was missing there definitely. Gary Lineker's bland, uninformed questions didn't help Farrah's case, betraying a lack of historical perspective as to what Farrah had achieved. Mo tried to be humble about it but it needed someone to tell that white audience and the country at large that Hey! Mo, you're up there with Zatopek, Viren and Yifter.
Athletes like Mo Farrah come along once in a lifetime. Yes, all that the other contenders achieved was genuinely brilliant but nothing in my eyes quite matched what Mo Farrah accomplished in his races - and the beautiful manner of those victories.

Exactly. In your eyes. To say we are a racist nation simply because other people disagree with your analysis of what, in a truly exceptional year, constitutes the best sporting performance is preposterous.

 

[The Large One]

Hey may be fundamental was the wrong word.

May be this post puts in in a better nicer way.

The audience response to Mo Farrah's interview seemed conspicuously muted in my eyes or was that just the way it was set up to come across on television? The same for Ussain Bolt. These are sporting giants of this or any other age. Something was missing there definitely. Gary Lineker's bland, uninformed questions didn't help Farrah's case, betraying a lack of historical perspective as to what Farrah had achieved. Mo tried to be humble about it but it needed someone to tell that white audience and the country at large that Hey! Mo, you're up there with Zatopek, Viren and Yifter.
Athletes like Mo Farrah come along once in a lifetime. Yes, all that the other contenders achieved was genuinely brilliant but nothing in my eyes quite matched what Mo Farrah accomplished in his races - and the beautiful manner of those victories.

Um, no it doesn't.

Your inference of racism is still gibberish.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Without doubt the best field ever for SPOTY.

Compared to some prior winners such as Giggs and Calzhage, there were a good half dozen at least who would have won any other year.

For winning Le Tour and setting the blue touch paper at 2012 with his win, as well as the fact that he is a genuine personality, he is a very worthy winner.

For me, McIlroy shows this better than any other single individual. In a year when as a a 23-year-old he was/is golf's world No1 and won a second Major (plus four other tournaments), he finished 10th. That would have won in most of the last 15 years.

 

[Badger]

Is this another one of those "I want to be offended" type threads?

 

[Questions]

What do Kelly Holmes, Lennox Lewis, Linford Christie, Fatima Whitbread & Daley Thompson have in common?

Were they all token blacks given the SPOTY award ?

 

[Questions]

To have a healthy debate, the originator has to come up with a coherent, well thought-out argument with credible evidence to back your original point in order for a counterpoint to be made.

No he doesn't.

 

[Hamilton]

I hadn't even thought about it until I read this stupid thread. I just thought they were 12 amazingly talented individuals and it was going to be impossible to pick between them.

For what it's worth, I had this as the top 5 ( in no particular order): Mo, Wiggo, Jessica, Ellie, Muzza

Why?

Mo - amazing double gold and a bloke who is an inspiration
Wiggo - wins time and time again - first TDF winner - played massive part in doubling the number of people on bikes
Jess - poster girl of 2012 and she lived up to the hype
Ellie - a born winner and demonstrated what it takes to win - attitude second to none
Muzza - has had so much pressure on his shoulders and taken it on and won

What an amazing group. And guess what, they all come from different backgrounds and ethnicities.

I frankly don't think anyone gave a stuff about their skin colour or gender - they were just enthralled with the stories and achievements.

As for the idea that reception to some was muted. I think that's rubbish. There's no way that was the case.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Pathetic. Mo is pretty much universally loved in this country, and in any normal year would have run away with the award.

But this wasn't a normal year, was it?

What Bradley Wiggins achieved was absolutely incredible; not just the TdF and Olympic Time Trial, but Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie and the Dauphine as well - these are the top stage races outside the Grand Tours. He HAD to win, he was, to my eyes, the most obvious winner ever.

I wasn't sure who'd finish 2nd and 3rd - Murray, Ennis and Farah were all great candidates. They all finished in the top 4.

Mo Farah came 4th because 3 other people had absolutely unbelievable sporting years. Not because he is black. The top 4 came in exactly the order I would have placed them in. Does that make me a racist?

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Certainly looks that way :-(

and jessica ennis is what colour?

to help you, he father is a black jamaican and she has a white mother.

 

[Wozza]

TBH, I'm glad Wiggins won it, it's supposed to be Sports PERSONALITY of the year, not "winner of the most popular sport", this is the first time I can remember when the winner got it for personality.

The award is poorly named.

It should be called "Britain's favourite sports person" (or similar).

 

[Wozza]

and jessica ennis is what colour?

Mixed race.

I think the OP make a point worth discussing. Black contestants (not mixed race) don't get very far in UK phone votes. That's a fact.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

The award is poorly named.

It should be called "Britain's favourite sports person" (or similar).

they had Lineker on the One Show talking about that..it has been discussed, but as its a history thing ( in that it has been called sports personality for so many years) they decided to leave it as it it. They toyed with the idea of Sports Achiever of the year, which is more relevant than personality as Andy Murray hasn't got a personality.