Sports Personality of the Year 2020

SPOTY 2020 is going ahead after all:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/sports-personality/54501580

No surprise that it'll take place at MediaCity (as it did in 2011). Presumably, the studio audience will be very limited or non-existent (depending on what the restrictions are then), and there'll be no live orchestra (there wasn't one in '11 either).

But I assume that at least some of the nominees will still be in attendance, and that Gary, Clare and Gabby will all still be hosting (SPOTY has had three hosts most years since 1994). Unless I'm mistaken, Gary is now the longest-serving SPOTY host - last year was his 20th year doing it (not counting his "sideline" role at Sports Personality of the Century in '99), surpassing the 19 years of Frank Bough (1964-82), Steve Rider (1986-2004) and Sue Barker (1994-2012). (Des, if you want to know, did it for a mere 16 years, 1983-98.) He's almost the oldest SPOTY host, too - Harry Carpenter had just turned 60 when he last did it in 1985, and Gary will have himself just become a sexagenarian when 20 December comes round.

It’s difficult to think of someone who’d be nominated just for sporting achievement.

You’d have to think Marcus Rashford MBE would be a certainty. Lewis Hamilton too, but I’d imagine they’d focus just as much on his BLM activism as on his sporting achievement.

I think even if Lewis Hamilton had done what Marcus Rashford had done he still wouldn't win it - he's just not that well liked. Arguably Marcus Rashford winning it for his contribution to the free school meals debate is more what "Sports Personality" should be about anyway - it's never technically been "Sports Achievement of the Year".

Beyond that though a shortlist is a struggle - I suspect they'll be more focus on "unsung heroes" than the sports stars and it'll have a different tone to usual, but that is probably the right thing to do.

As long as Major Captain Tom isn't anywhere near the shortlist of the main award. Give him the Helen Rollason Award and have done with it.

Re the Orchestra, we haven't had the live orchestra for the last couple of years anyway, so there won't be a change in that regard.

Although having no audience but just an orchestra wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.

Alex Scott is joining Gary, Gaby and Clare for Sports Personality of the Year - possibly the first sports programme Clare has hosted for the BBC this year other than the Olympic Countdown.

Nominees are Stewart Broad, Hollie Doyle, Tyson Fury, Lewis Hamilton, Jordan Henderson and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Marcus Rashford will get a special award.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality/55101008

Posts from SPOTY 2020 have been merged into this topic.

Tyson Fury has asked to be removed from the shortlist.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality/55162164

I wonder if someone else will be added to the shortlist in his place? And I can't see an obvious winner here. I bet Rashford got his special award because they knew he'd easily win if he was one of the main nominees.

Someone likely to easily win isn’t a reason for them to not be nominated.

I think to not include Marcus Rashford is an odd move and almost feels political. I know he’s getting the special award, but it just feels like the easy way out. It’s just a shortlist that doesn’t really reflect what’s been the most unique of years.

He has arguably done enough on the pitch to be nominated as well, but not to win. I guess this years award will always have an asterisk against it. Odds on any non-Olympian or international footballer would have been relatively high.

He has? There would be at least 5 other British footballers ahead of him in terms of achievement last season.

It's based on sporting achievement in your field not your charity work, no matter how noble it is. If it was based on politics a homophobe like Tyson wouldn't be anywhere near it.