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

[HovaGirl]

So a young man arrives in this country as a refugee, we train him and nurture him and put him in our Olympic team. He is cheered on by the nation as he goes on to win two gold medals for us in the Olympic games, but we are racist for not voting for him in some futile television game show of no significance.

You are a grade 'A' wanker...

Game show?

 

[Tooting Gull]

You could make a very strong case for about six.

Personally I reckon if you believe sport is about actual moments rather than achievement, historical context etc etc then Farah should have got it. He provided not only THE moment of the year, but the top two.

However there were very strong cases using slightly different rationale for the others. I thought Wiggins, Murray and McIlroy had the strongest claims other than Mo.

Personally my other addition to the shortlist would have been Ronnie O'Sullivan, given what a total screw-up he has been for two years winning that world championship this year playing so brilliantly was little short of a miracle. That head doctor guy Steve Peters is a genius, got the best out of a mashed O'Sullivan, and also gold medals out of Pendleton, who by all accounts is even balmier.

 

[W.C.]

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

Apart from Holmes they all have big lunchboxes

 

[Brovion]

Certainly looks that way :-(

In 1999 Britain voted for the greatest sportsperson of the 20th century. The winner was a black, foreign Muslim. If you want evidence of whether Britain is or isn't a racist nation you won't find it by simply looking at the results of television popularity polls.

Guessing you're fishing.

 

[Steve Foster]

In 1999 Britain voted for the greatest sportsperson of the 20th century. The winner was a black, foreign Muslim. If you want evidence of whether Britain is or isn't a racist nation you won't find it by simply looking at the results of television popularity polls.

Guessing you're fishing.

Agree. I voted for Mo. As a fellow runner he got my vote. If I wasn't then no doubt I would have cast my vote elsewhere. On this occasion I think the public got it right. They are all winners, all 12 of them. There is no big pay cheque, expensive prizes, but the honour & all of them were humbled & proud to represent their country & clearly enjoyed the evening last night. The winner is British sport. We are no longer just a footballing nation.

 

[Brovion]

Agree. I voted for Mo. As a fellow runner he got my vote. If I wasn't then no doubt I would have cast my vote elsewhere. On this occasion I think the public got it right. They are all winners, all 12 of them. There is no big pay cheque, expensive prizes, but the honour & all of them were humbled & proud to represent their country & clearly enjoyed the evening last night. The winner is British sport. We are no longer just a footballing nation.

I voted for Nicola Adams! At least she's English, Wiggins was born in Belgium and his Dad's Australian; send 'im back that's what I say ...

 

[Woodchip]

I voted for Nicola Adams! At least she's English, Wiggins was born in Belgium and his Dad's Australian; send 'im back that's what I say ...

So you're not racist, just xenophobic.

 

[Medwayseagull]

I am more concerned about the Strictly Come Dancing panels bias towards Louis Smith !

 

[El Presidente]

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.

 

[fork me]

Certainly looks that way :-(

With the olympics there are dozens of possible choices. To say we're racst because one of those dozen didn't make the top 3 is nonsense, especially as Jessica Ennis came second, and she's mixed race (her father's Jamaican).

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

 

[fork me]

I think this is a subtle thing.

If Mo had been a white looking athlete winning 5 and 10k he would at least been in the top 3

Do you? I disagree. It's not just abiut what they won there's other factors there as well.

Jess Ennis was the poster girl of the olympics, but also came across exceptionally well in interview as well. Personality wise, she was a strong contender. Bradley Wiggins is a bit of a lad, that would have got him loads of votes, and Murray has been so close for so longm and tennis is a widely supported sport.

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.

Mo was a strong contender personality wise as well, but then so were several other Olympians.

 

[fork me]

Wiggins got it because he should have.
Ennis got it because she is a top athlete and she would have gained a lot of the female votes or those who wanted a female winner
Murray got it because he achieved some outstanding not seen for years in British tennis etc etc this year. (and would have been upped by the Scottish vote.)

Had nothing to do with racism. Was a really tough year with lots of strong candidates. If the votes had been done earlier in the day and the kids were all watching (and therefore voting), he would probably have been in the top 3 as there are loads of kids (including my daughter) who absolutely idolise him.

Strong contenders, right winner.

Spot on.

 

[fork me]

Just as a further point, would any prejudiced nation actually vote for a ginger?

 

[Vegas Seagull]

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

 

[wallyback]

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.

 

[Norman Potting]

Bradley's win sends a signal to those who would discriminate against those with ginger hair.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

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.

You have a very disturbing outlook on life.

 

[The Merry Prankster]

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.

Despite all the evidence from black winners of previous years, Jessica Ennis, the selection by popular vote of Ali as athlete of the 20th century you still manage to see racism. A job as diversity officer for some loony council beckons.

 

[gazingdown]

I think the only racism here is coming from wallyback.

But there will always be those with chips on their shoulders and he/she is definitely one of them.

 

[Woodchip]

I think the only racism here is coming from wallyback.

But there will always be those with chips on their shoulders and he/she is definitely one of them.

This. Completely this.