Cav surely a shoo-in for BBC Sports Personality of Year?

[Andy99]

Cool! I want it!

And the jersey too!

..just to clarify - the seller is not me!

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Cavendish won the Sports Writers Association Sportsman of the Year award.

In a way that's actually more interesting than the SPOTY award, at least in so far as it shows the attitude of the sports press towards him. There can hardly be another athlete who gets so many appreciative column inches about how he doesn't get enough column inches and isn't appreciated enough.

His success used to be underappreciated in the British media, because of cycling's fringe status in the UK, but that really isn't the case these days. Now, the degree to which cycling as a whole is still under reported is a slightly different question, but ultimately sports journalists love successful local athletes. Cavendish seems to me to be becoming bigger than the sport (in his own country only obviously), just as, say Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche were much bigger than the sport in Ireland.

 

[The Hitch]

Cavendish won the Sports Writers Association Sportsman of the Year award.

In a way that's actually more interesting than the SPOTY award, at least in so far as it shows the attitude of the sports press towards him.

His success used to be underappreciated in the British media, because of cycling's fringe status in the UK, but that really isn't the case these days. Now, the degree to which cycling as a whole is still under reported is a slightly different question, but ultimately sports journalists love successful local athletes. Cavendish seems to me to be becoming bigger than the sport (in his own country only obviously), just as, say Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche were much bigger than the sport in Ireland.

The importance of the awards, isnt the actual recieving of the award, but the press that comes afterwards. Thats why Cavenidsh winning would be very good.

And I dont think this award is interesting or any different because the sports press is pretty much the same as gen pop. Unlike with real journalism sports/fake journalism is the kingdom of idiots.

There can hardly be another athlete who gets so many appreciative column inches about how he doesn't get enough column inches and isn't appreciated enough.

Funily, for the wrong reasons. They think hes great because they think hes won the joint biggest thing in a very minor sport, not realising that there are so so many things in cycling bigger than the green jersey (2 of which Cav has actually won).

Hes actually won, some of the biggest things in a major sport.

 

[El Pistolero]

The importance of the awards, isnt the actual recieving of the award, but the press that comes afterwards. Thats why Cavenidsh winning would be very good.

And I dont think this award is interesting or any different because the sports press is pretty much the same as gen pop. Unlike with real journalism sports/fake journalism is the kingdom of idiots.



Funily, for the wrong reasons. They think hes great because they think hes won the joint biggest thing in cycling, not realising that there are so so many things in cycling bigger than the green jersey (2 of which Cav has actually won).

One could argue Cav won the third biggest thing in cycling though. Though personally I rate green jersey at the Tour higher than Milan-San Remo(I guess that's one of the races you're talking about).

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

The importance of the awards, isnt the actual recieving of the award, but the press that comes afterwards. Thats why Cavenidsh winning would be very good.

I agree.

And I dont think this award is interesting or any different because the sports press is pretty much the same as gen pop. Unlike with real journalism sports/fake journalism is the kingdom of idiots.

Idiots or not, the consensus opinion of sports journalists matters because in the long run they are the people that the rest of the population get most of their information about sports through. Particularly minority sports. Over the last year, there have been practically endless articles about what a hero Cavendish is and how people should recognise this.

Funily, for the wrong reasons. They think hes great because they think hes won the joint biggest thing in cycling, not realising that there are so so many things in cycling bigger than the green jersey (2 of which Cav has actually won).

That's true to an extent, although to be fair the coverage has been a mixed bag. The importance of Milan San Remo isn't understood by many journalists assigned who write about Cavendish, but they do understand what "World Champion" means. It's also worth noting that his Milan San Remo came at an earlier point in his career, before the journalistic consensus had shifted from "here's an interesting minor sportsman" to "this is one of our greatest athletes". I suspect that if Cavendish wins a Monument next year, a whole bunch of articles will follow explaining in garbled fashion that it represents the greatest triumph in the history of cycling.

On a similar note, although Kelly and Roche were both national heroes in Ireland, Roche was always the slightly bigger star to the general public. Everyone, including journalists, could understand that he was the second man ever to win the three biggest races in one year (leaving aside whether the WC really is the third biggest race), while it takes a basic working knowledge of professional cycling to understand that Kelly had the better palmares.

 

[The Hitch]

On a similar note, although Kelly and Roche were both national heroes in Ireland, Roche was always the slightly bigger star to the general public. Everyone, including journalists, could understand that he was the second man ever to win the three biggest races in one year (leaving aside whether the WC really is the third biggest race), while it takes a basic working knowledge of professional cycling to understand that Kelly had the better palmares.

Well Kelly did win this popularity contest over Roche.

http://www.waterford-news.com/news/mhcwausnau/

 

[sublimit]

Forgive me for straying back to the topic, but am I the only Brit that finds the whole thing a crushing bore? In essence, the SPOTY programme is a reasonable review of a year in British sport utterly ruined by gut-wrenchingly sycophantic interviews [of the kind that make those Centre Court jobs look like Paxman on a testosterone high] capped off by a cheesy presentation of a number of pointless trophies that have absolutely nothing to do with 'personality' in any way, shape or form - how can you have a 'team personality' award for crying out loud???

Actually, the prospect of watching it isn't far off my 'Room 101' moment. Were I to be forced to do so, I could only pray that 'watching paint dry' was on the Red Button.....

I'm sure Cav's marketing men would like him to win it. Anyone that doesn't directly profit should just ignore this appalling nonsense.

I used to watch it just to check out who was sitting the audience - spot the the bored sportsperson.
It was kind of entertaining if Frank Bruno turned up for an interview but yeah its like 2 hours out of your life sitting through that crap, any award that's been won by a showjumper cant be taken seriously.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

any award that's been won by a showjumper cant be taken seriously.

At least she was a world champ. The Giggs win was the one that really took the biscuit. What do you expect though from a process which defines a shortlist from canvassing opinion from journalists who are either only interested in sportsmen they can write about to sell papers or, worse still, write for soft porn magazines. And then the final shambles, they hand it over to the Great British public to decide - hence the Giggs win.

Honestly, the only fair way to do this is let me decide.

 

[ferryman]

Cavendish wins

 

[Swifty's Cakes]

Cavendish wins

aye well in Cav.

 

[Siriuscat]

Cav.....awesome

 

[The Hitch]

" helped bring the Rainbow jersey home to Britain after over half a decade, or nearly half a decade"

A decade is only 10 years mate

I had a group of guys in Copenhagen who rode incredible and brought the rainbow jersey back to Britain after almost half a decade. I'd like to thank my girlfriend Peta and her little bump. Just to be nominated in the top 10 in an incredible year for British sport. Incredible. That we can produce such champions from such a small place you know. To be nominated against nine inspirational people I'm just lost for words. It's a landmark in cycling. I take this on behalf of cycling. For cycling to be recognised in a non-Olympic year would have been unheard of just a few years ago. It's incredible to see and to have been part of. Seeng the number of people out there riding bikes.

 

[Siriuscat]

" helped bring the Rainbow jersey home to Britain after over half a decade, or nearly half a decade"

A decade is only 10 years mate

He was shakin in his boots, might let him off with that one......notice the first thing he did was a quick dive into Peta's knockers...

 

[thehog]

BBC out doing themselves on the knowledge of cycling front:


Cavendish won five stages of this year's Tour de France - including the final time trial in Paris - to clinch the green jersey awarded to the race's best sprinter for the first time.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/sports_personality/16303729.stm

 

[auscyclefan94]

Who was Cav's competition?

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Who was Cav's competition?

British sports personalities.

 

[auscyclefan94]

British sports personalities.

Like who?

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

" helped bring the Rainbow jersey home to Britain after over half a decade, or nearly half a decade"

A decade is only 10 years mate

I heard that as well!

Who was Cav's competition?

Alistair Cook - cricket
Andrew Strauss - cricket
Luke Donald - golf
Rory McIllroy - golf
Darren Clarke - golf
Andy Murray - tennis
Amir Khan - boxing
Mo Farah - athletics
Dai Greene - atheltics

 

[Mambo95]

Who was Cav's competition?

2nd Darren Clarke - Open Golf Champion
3rd Mo Farah - World 5000m Champion

Other nominees:

Luke Donald - Golf World no. 1
Rory McIlroy - US open golf champion
Dai Greene - World 400m Hurdles champion
Alastair Cook - Aussie bashing cricketer
Andrew Strauss - England cricket captain
Andy Murray - tennis player
Amir Khan - ex World champion boxer

(yes, we know there were no women - it was quite a scandal)

 

[auscyclefan94]

I heard that as well!



Alistair Cook
Andrew Strauss
Luke Donald
Rory McIllroy
Darren Clarke
Andy Murray
Amir Khan
Mo Farah
Daai Greene

Andy Murray has a nasty temper so I guess he would of been a contender. Some of the others I have never heard. Anyway, having a personality award seems pretty shallow to me. Seriously, it seems like an award that a gossip magazine would make up for their final magazine.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Andy Murray has a nasty temper so I guess he would of been a contender. Some of the others I have never heard. Anyway, having a personality award seems pretty shallow to me. Seriously, it seems like an award that a gossip magazine would make up for their final magazine.

Personality in this context just means person, but you're far from the first to misunderstand the meaning - it seems 90% of people do.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Personality in this context just means person, but you're far from the first to misunderstand the meaning - it seems 90% of people do.

So it is basically Britain's best sportsman? Personality is something that is completely different.

 

[Siriuscat]

I heard that as well!
Alistair Cook
Andrew Strauss

The Aussies among forum members will recognise these names as cricketers who whipped their butts in the Ashes thingy last winter...

Luke Donald
Rory McIllroy
Darren Clarke
Andy Murray
Amir Khan
Mo Farah
Daai Greene

Three golfists, two runners, a boxer and a tennis person the "cream" of British sport allegedly.

Basically these guys are nominated by a cross section of the British media, everything from the heavyweight dailies to the Nuts and Zoo magazines. There were no women in the top ten this year which has caused uproar in the media. Right man won anyway...better than some overpaid footballist!

 

[The Hitch]

Like who?

World 10 000 interim champion (waiting for return of the 2nd greatest ever) Mo Farrah was the pick of the bunch.

But it being the BBC and considering the general unpopularity of cycling, it was like standing up against Jesse Owens.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

So it is basically Britain's best sportsman? Personality is something that is completely different.

Yes to your first sentence. Your 2nd just means you're not aware of the alternate meaning of words, but as I say, your understanding is very common.