SPOTYA 2023

[BrumJim]

Without wishing to trigger the grumpy ones (I bet I have failed), who do you think should be in contention / win this award this year?

I'm struggling to think of any notable performances this year. World Cups in cricket and rugby were a bit of a damp squib for all home nations. Women's football fell at the last hurdle (probably best bet for a winner). A couple of gold medals at the World Athletics champs (Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Josh Kerr). Three silvers in the World Diving Championships.

Jude Bellingham, in everyone's favourite sport of football has blown La Liga apart, and should be considered? Above Harry Kane?

 

[T4tomo]

Earps will win, Broad 2nd

 

[matiz]

Earp's will probably win but I would give it to Johnson-Thompson.

 

[matticus]

Wayne Barnes or Katy Archibald

 

[Drago]

Will someone with an actual personality win it this year?

 

[BrumJim]

Will someone with an actual personality win it this year?

Yep, I failed.

 

[T4tomo]

Will someone with an actual personality win it this year?

yes

 

[matticus]

I haven't been following the vroom-vrooms this year; can Hamilton still win something?

 

[T4tomo]

I haven't been following the vroom-vrooms this year; can Hamilton still win something?

Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races, so err no!

 

[Beebo]

Without wishing to trigger the grumpy ones (I bet I have failed), who do you think should be in contention / win this award this year?

I'm struggling to think of any notable performances this year. World Cups in cricket and rugby were a bit of a damp squib for all home nations. Women's football fell at the last hurdle (probably best bet for a winner). A couple of gold medals at the World Athletics champs (Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Josh Kerr). Three silvers in the World Diving Championships.

Jude Bellingham, in everyone's favourite sport of football has blown La Liga apart, and should be considered? Above Harry Kane?

Yes it has been a general poor year for sport
Might see Pidcock in with a chance of a podium with his MTB win.

 

[Drago]

can Hamilton still win something?

A pistol whipping from the fashion police is the only thing he's likeky to win in the foreseeable.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Suggest Lucy Charles Barclay winning the Ironman World Championships (in a best ever time) after 4 years of being the bridesmaid in Kona is a "notable performance". And won with every top athlete racing (as opposed to missing in action, injured, choosing to race elsewhere).
https://www.tri247.com/triathlon-ne...ing-growth-skybet-pto-tour-ironman-pro-series
https://www.tri247.com/triathletes/lucy-charles-barclay

View: https://youtu.be/B_e422HjG-o
(first 2 mins)

View: https://youtu.be/yN5FY2KQgQo

 

[matticus]

Suggest Lucy Charles Barclay winning the Ironman World Championships after 4 years of being the bridesmaid in Kona is a "notable performance"

Noted. ;-)

(have triathletes won it before? I guess the Brownlees are the only "Household names" we've had, and they have the advantage of Olympic Medals to compete for. )

 

[Ajax Bay]

Brownlee senior (having repeated his Olympic win in Rio) was runner up, behind Andy Murray, in 2016.
Charles Barclay narrowly missed out on winning the swim 1500m BritChamps/trial (by 0.17 seconds) last year in an effort to get to Paris.

 

[BrumJim]

Noted. ;-)

(have triathletes won it before? I guess the Brownlees are the only "Household names" we've had, and they have the advantage of Olympic Medals to compete for. )

There is a valid complaint that the more popular sports are favoured over the ones that are less-well covered by TV. On the other hand, it is a lot easier* to get to the top of the tree on a minority sport, compared to a popular one. Hence SPOTYA is a lot fairer than you think. It just doesn't favour your sport.

*Not easy, of course. No way would I describe winning Iron Man World Championships as easy. Can't think of anything tougher. However the group of people that decide that undertaking the three toughest challenges you can contemplate in one single event in one day, sequentially in a single race is a good thing, is necessarily quite small. There are probably more people that could do this, but they aren't sufficiently unhinged.