Only six footballers have won BBC Sports Personality of the Year, but back-to-back female winners would be a statement
(Image credit: Alamy)
In each month of the year, there are always traditions. In April, Arsenal throw a season of great promise out of a window. In May, Manchester City win the league, and people celebrate by chasing a lump of cheese down a steep hill in Gloucestershire.
In December, since 1954, people have gathered around the TV and decided the best sportsperson of the year. The same sports are still carrying on, so when some say the award is less relevant these days, my question would be: why?
OK, the viewing figures aren’t the same as the olden days, but neither are TV viewing figures in general. Millions still tune in. OK, the BBC also confused the issue from the start by calling it Sports Personality of the Year, letting some people wilfully misunderstand the concept and complain that the best ‘personality’ didn’t win. Yes, they’re probably right. And yes, I am rolling my eyes at people still saying that in 2023.
(Image credit: Alamy)
True, only six footballers have ever won it. When Denis Law bagged the Ballon d’Or in 1964, he missed out on Sports Personality’s top three to Mary Rand, Ann Packer and speedway’s Barry Briggs, from New Zealand. When Bobby Charlton took the Ballon d’Or and the World Cup in 1966, the pesky biker pipped him, too – Bobby Moore won it, with Briggs second and Geoff Hurst finishing third.
George Best, Kevin Keegan and Stanley Matthews never triumphed, and Michael Owen, the last British Ballon d’Or winner, was third to David Beckham and sailor Ellen MacArthur nine days earlier.
But Becks had been England’s hero against Greece that year, and Sports Personality has always been a popularity contest. That’s why Owen won it in 1998 and why Gazza won it 1990. It’s even why Ryan Giggs won it in 2009 – different times…
It’s also why the award is still relevant. There was no better illustration of the rise of women’s football than Beth Mead winning it last year. For the first time, it was undeniable evidence that a female footballer was the most popular sportsperson in Great Britain. This time, Mary Earps is the odds-on favourite to win it, further proving that point.
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As a football fan, shouldn’t that make the award more relevant than ever?
Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.
