BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012

The details have been announced for this year's big event:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/sports-personality/19999241

The key points:
Sunday 16th December
ExCel Arena, London
Presented by Sue Barker, Gary Lineker and . . . yes . . . Dame Clare Balding.
15,000 tickets going on sale at end of October
Shortlist of contenders SPOTY increased to 12 candidates, to be decided by a panel including Steve Redgrave, Denise Lewis and Tanni Grey-Thompson, with the usual public vote on the night.

Very surprised to see Jake Humphrey has been axed. I thought he wasn't leaving the BBC until next year?

Clare Balding is now a Dame???? Wow. Good for her.

15,000 crowd: that's a lot.

My money is on Tom Daley or Andy Murray.

It's an absolute certainity that it will be Mo Farrah IMO.

I'm going to hedge my bets on Jessica Ennis....

I'm thinking it'll more likely be a Paralympian, although Mo Farrah has a good chance too, I'd say.

Mo Farrah or Bradley Wiggins are the two most likely in my opinion. They have arguably had the biggest achievements, Mo managed to win both longer distances races snatching victory away from the Kenyans. Meanwhile, Wiggins was the first British person who managed to win the Tour de France - plus also had success at the Olympics.

This whole post is just one massive p-take isn't it?

Clare Balding is not a dame. Tom Daley doesn't even deserve to be in the same city as some of the others on the shortlist. And the winner will be Bradley Wiggins. Or Audley Harrison.

Yet.


Tom Daley will get the gay, mums and teenage girl vote.

In my opinion those who deserve something most are Wiggins, Murray and Weir.

I struggle to see beyond Mo Farah winning it now we can look back on it a bit more rationally and not be swept up in the hype of the moment. Paralympian wise I thought David Weir had a shot but in his appearances since seems to be somewhat lacking in the personality department. Andy Murray has a slim chance, but I don't think reaching a Wimbledon final, winning a grand slam and winning Olympic Gold is going to cut it this year, and similarly with Bradley Wiggins and the Tour de France/Olympic double - any other year he'd be a certainty, but I'd be surprised if he won. Both though might make up the top three.

Surely that sector of society will be too busy playing Cafe World and Bingo on Facebook to notice.

. . . but she does seem to be taking over the world:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20002157