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I'm lucky Llani. I'm self-employed and mostly have been since the late 80s. I can take whatever position I want and I only have to answer to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Llani Boy
I sell to anyone. Remainers, Track Runners, Van Morrison fans....
I've no scruples.
[QUOTE=Graham Breeze;670770]The one where he "Took the day off on Tuesday, a day for myself and no phone, no training, just me and Roscoe on the water."Quote:
Originally Posted by Llani Boy
Just "me and Roscoe" (the dog), a camera crew, the guy at the wheel, my publicist, make-up artist, lawyer, monkey butler....
[QUOTE=Witton Park;670773]Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Not to mention carbon footprint
Sigh... like Marcus Rashford, he's the darling of the BBC and general wokerati. Consequently any hint of criticism might get you turfed off to the 're-education' camps of Quislington. You've been warned, you lot!
I hesitate to get involved in this topic as it could easily go downhill...!
SPOTY: It's so vastly open to opinion, as is the interpretation of what constitutes a "sport" (and indeed a "personality"!)
Knighthoods: I think sportsmen and women at the level of people like Hamilton are rewarded well enough within their profession, and don't think knighthoods should be handed out like they seem to be... imagine if England win the next world cup, there'll be a clamour for the entire squad to be knighted, which would just be a mockery. I'm all for sportspersons being honoured, but perhaps it should be in retrospect... will Hamilton's achievements stand the test of time? There's no doubting he's one of the greatest racing drivers ever, but there's the unavoidable fact that he's in a vastly superior car, and runs like his may become the norm in the next generation. Perhaps a couple of decades should pass before looking at achievements like this.
Marcus Rashford, football politics, etc: As someone who was formerly heavily into football, the whole thing makes me very uncomfortable. On the face of it, fantastic what Rashford is doing (although i'm sure we all have our own opinions on the in's and outs of the subject). Same with BLM and LGBT etc in football...
But football has a huge amount of problems which i feel would be better served sorting itself out first. I won't go into them in detail, but briefly...
- Sky appearing to place themselves as the moral compass for the sporting world, yet heavily pushing their gambling website.
- Players being held up as role-models, and sometimes outright praised for blatant cheating during a game.
- The entire saga with regard to the "big clubs" wanting to takeover football and shut everyone else out.
- FIFA/UEFA and endless corruption and bribery...
Ok these do not prohibit football players from taking a stance for BLM/LGTB/etc... but once you start holding yourself up as a moral educator, you put yourself in the firing line for uncomfortable questions (isn't Lewis Hamilton under similar criticism/scrutiny for lecturing us as to how we're all ruining the world and environment, whilst he's jetting off around the world every fortnight and driving a car at 200mph). And football is nowhere near squeaky clean.
How many of the Premier League's players will have the courage of their convictions and refuse to play in the Qatar World Cup, which was won by bribery and corruption, and where the stadiums are in part constructed by "slave labour"?
I'd be all for a boycott by England of the Qatar World Cup on the grounds of anti-corruption/slavery/human rights... but the cynic in me can't help thinking that the players will consult their sponsors and social media image consultants, and turn a blind eye to it.
Very well put, with many points I agree with. Football, Rugby and motor racing get way too much media and commercial - (money) attention.
It would be an absolutely game-changing (excuse pun) statement for countries like England/France/Italy/Croatia/Germany/Brazil to say we refuse to play in the world cup, and even host their own unofficial tournament, perhaps in a big African footballing nation (Nigeria/Egypt/Algeria/Morocco).
Otherwise the rainbow flags at UK football grounds etc, count for nothing, if those same players trudge over to Qatar and play a tournament in a country which has some very contrary laws on the lGBT theme...
Of course the opposing view is politics should be kept out of football entirely and just get on with it. Which i believe was FIFA/UEFA's original and preferred standpoint, and probably the one thing that i agreed with.
But now the cat is out of the bag, and i doubt it will ever go back in...
Is Hamilton any good at football?Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
I don't know but there are many footballers that are not very good at driving!Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Hamilton Academicals were always pretty naff when I were a lad...Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Tonight's SPOTY winner tells us more about about the BBC than the state of British sport.
I don't think that real sports people, including me, watch it anymore, which is a shame as it used to be a highlight of the sporting year.
The BBC are about diversity these days, and it trumps everything else, especially on Strictly.
And as predicted by Travs at the start of the year, Hamilton got knighted for 'doing his job' and being a tax exile.
Apparently he had a little help:
Lewis Hamilton will be knighted after Boris Johnson bypassed concerns over the world champion's tax status by placing him on the 'Diplomatic and Overseas List'.
It is understood that no previous British sporting figure has been accommodated in this controversial way — a measure of the Prime Minister's desire to see Hamilton recognised in the New Year Honours on Thursday after the Mercedes star won his seventh Formula One title in November.
In terms of achievement, Raducanu's victory at the US open was unprecedented.
I'm not really into tennis enough to comment on whether she's a "personality". For awards like this it's always a bit of a popularity contest, so you're never going to please everyone. It's more about who has captured the public imagination the most.
Were there better candidates?
It's a shame a lot of sportspeople these days are counselled to only speak bland niceties, for fear of offending. Post-match interviews are almost always filled with "all respect to him/her/them", "taking each game as it comes", "just trying to work on my game". "there are 100 other people/teams who could beat us/me" etc. It seems like it's a void that needs filling with some genuine opinion and personality.
Llani, as far as I am concerned, and speaking as a tennis fan, it would have been a travesty if anyone else had won. Her achievement was remarkable and she is a personable, cheerful young woman. What more could you want for that award?
I totally get this point, and the word "personality" should definitely have been taken out of the SPOTY abbreviation years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by noel
However everyone moans at bland responses from sportsmen and women, yet if anyone says anything remotely controversial they get absolutely hammered by the mass media... it's little surprise they are reluctant to say anything interesting.
Yes i don't think there were many supreme candidates for the award this year, she was probably the stand-out candidate.
Although i totally agree that its generally about politics and diversity now.
I have to say that SPOTY has been off my radar for a few years now, many years ago I used to look forward to it as a night of entertainment and anecdotes, but I have long lost interest and it seems to lack purpose now.
Absolutely. Why stick their neck on the line.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
In the same way as 50% of the UK seem to dislike Piers Morgan with a passion but many people watch him on TV, I think there's a niche for an outspoken sportsperson. Someone who could deal with the torrent of twitter hatred confident in their beliefs.
It makes me wonder how the "love them or hate them" characters who were the genuine personalities from the past would have fared in today's overly offended times.
I think look at Gascgoine when he went to Italy. Their media then was probably on a par as to what we have now (obviously without social media)... He didn't fare well out there at all, and was pretty much a hate-figure to everyone except Lazio fans.Quote:
Originally Posted by noel
That was probably because he was/is thick and made no effort to learn Italian and embrace the culture. Those that did, John Charles, Trevor Francis, Grahame Souness, Aaron Ramsey etc, were and still are, held in high esteem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Why wouldn't Emma Raducanu win with her amazing achievement?
Talking of which this thread made me laugh out loud many times this morning.
https://twitter.com/themichaelowen/s...075425280?s=21
I'm not on twitter (as if!) so I thank you for the link opportunity to see what I am missing. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by millipede
Not a lot by the looks of it Graham.Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Pros are it's full of intelligent, funny people and it is very informative.Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Cons are you can lose hours of your life going down ridiculous threads.
You can craft your feed to be whatever you want it to be ( which is how the anti vaxxers are created and obv has its own dangers)
But for example the running stuff is good so you can just follow fellrunning stuff and don't have to look at much else.
I never post. Just read.
Ah. I was almost convinced - until the last line.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by millipede
I do think that Twitter gets far too much attention in the mainstream media, and comments/opinions from it get held up as general opinion far too much...
Something like only 5% of the population use Twitter, yet its held up as an example of national opinion at times.
Couldn't resist a reminisce of this SPOTY thread.
Nothing changes other than it is getting more woke.
The only one to have any personality is Luke Littler and he doesn't play a sport.
DARTS IS A PASTIME!
I wonder why Jude Bellingham has been nominated?
I hope Alex Yee wins.
The fact that Luke features and Jasmin doesn't says a lot.
Jasmine Paris?
Jasmin Paris - yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
Keely wins. I think you should have won it Mike, your efforts in keeping going surpass those of Keely who is no doubt biologically predisposed to greatness. The likes of you and Norman Bush are biologically predisposed to a comfy chair and a brandy.
They did approach me but I said no - not!Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
Mark Cavendish wasn't seen as being worthy by the BBC either, despite it being called Sports personality of the yearQuote:
Originally Posted by Mike T