SPOTY

[TightEnd]

Clarke is a bit of a tool.

why?

genuine popular bloke who went through a lot and then won the Open

[gatso]

clarke- I suspect that people who follow golf overestimate its appeal. reckon most people have no idea who he is

farah- probs a year early

cav looks a worthy fave to me

[Skippy]

Given the key work of "personality" it has to be Cav. Unfortunately as Ryan Giggs winning it proved you don't actually need to have what should be the basic prerequisite (i.e. a personality) to win the award, who knows who will get it.

On these grounds, I think it's a shame Graeme Swann didn't get a nomination.

[TightEnd]

Top 10:

McIlroy 27 (nominated by all)
Clarke 26,
Farah 25,
Cavendish 23,
Cook 18,
Greene 17,
Strauss 15,
Murray 14,
Donald 11,
Khan 7

51 people received at least 1 nomination

Becky Adlington and the Triathlete Lady just missed out with 6 nominations

[TightEnd]

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/s/1466336_storm-over-all-male-shortlist-for-bbc-sports-personality-of-the-year-award

[AndrewT]

McIlroy should get top 3 just for pulling Caroline Wozniacki.

[smashedagain]

Rory is on every list and fits the bill.  Do you cavendish supporters think the voting public will go for him? Misha B proving that most talented don't always get the great British vote.

[AndrewT]

Can't believe this thread has got to two pages without Tank posting that it's a disgrace Tim Tebow isn't on the list.

[pleno1]

gary speed?

[gatso]

Can't believe this thread has got to two pages without Tank posting that it's a disgrace Tim Tebow isn't on the list.

and no-one has posted about how disgusting it is that phil taylor's never won it

[kinboshi]

Given the key work of "personality" it has to be Cav. Unfortunately as Ryan Giggs winning it proved you don't actually need to have what should be the basic prerequisite (i.e. a personality) to win the award, who knows who will get it.

On these grounds, I think it's a shame Graeme Swann didn't get a nomination.

I'm sure the word 'personality' in SPOTY doesn't refer to this definition of the word:

 - The totality of qualities and traits, as of character or behavior, that are peculiar to a specific person.

but instead to this one:

-  The quality or condition of being a person.

Basically, it's synonymous with the word 'person'.

[Acidmouse]

No rugby league players?! disgrace

[kinboshi]

No rugby league players?! disgrace

Sam Tomkins was nominated in three lists.

[Sighmuns]

Not sure of the general Blonde interest in this market, but when the market came out I had a good look at the nominees and, rightly or wrongly, thought that it should be a fairly open contest.

I actually think that the likes of Clarke and Farah should have a good chance of challenging for it; they both fit the mould of previous winners and are popular characters. Cavendish, of course, has had an outstanding year, but he's also a bit of a controversial character and is he really a more popular personality than someone like Clarke?

When the nominees were announced Cavendish was just over evens on Betfair and has since been backed in to the current price of 1.51/1.53.

I know people expect the Golf-vote to be split between Clarke, McIlroy and Donald, as well as the Northern Irish vote to be split, but does this really justify the tiny price? No way.

Of course public-vote-awards have the potential to be manipulated, but Calzaghe in 07 looks a worthy winner, and in 08 Hoy came from 3rd favourite to win and also looks a worthy winner in retrospect. Giggs, of course, came from absolutely nowhere to win in 09, which many saw as a dodgy result (betting patterms were investigated), but presumably Wales united behind him as well as Man U fans, and the people he beat (Button and Jessica Ennis) are not wildly popular personalities.

Last year Tony McCoy completely ran away with the contest, 'polling 41% of the votes from a staggering 293,152 telephone calls'. His competition was not strong, Phil Taylor would have certainly been a worthy winner, but was always going to struggle to attract enough votes from the wider public and there was no real reason as to why Ennis, who finished 3rd again, would attract more votes than the previous year.

The sheer amount of votes on McCoy from last year worries me. I think he was a worthy and popular winner, but that is a crazy amount of calls.

Is anyone more informed than me about organised betting on markets such as SPOTY? Or does anyone have any idea what the BBC might do to counteract competition manipulation?

[gatso]

Is anyone more informed than me about organised betting on markets such as SPOTY? Or does anyone have any idea what the BBC might do to counteract competition manipulation?

they effectively disqualified the fishing dude when he won the vote