It will be an exciting day of sports on Sunday, when the Pukka Pies UK Championship of Snooker draws to a conclusion, along with the 9-ball Pool Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas, Liverpool and Arsenal will have finished their big Premier League match, and the evening will be rounded off with the Sports Personality of the Year from Sheffield.
The Sports Personality of the Year is the end of calendar year award ceremony which gives the British public the chance to vote for the sporting icon who best represents capturing the imagination of the public. With a strong cast of 10 this year, it shows that Britain continues to be well represented across the world at the top of the highest level of sports. So who represents the best chance of picking up the honourable prize of being Britain’s favourite sports star of the year?
There is one clear favourite, and that is F1 Driver Jenson Button, who, on the back of a spectacular driving start to the season, won the Driver’s Championship for the first time. He had a strong, blitzing start when he won 6 out of the first 7 Grands Prix. It was then a strong battle of determination and resilience for Button to get to the finish line of winning the title. Other driver’s started to come back into form and Button had to dig really deep, but he showed a lot of control and composure to get the job done in the end. The victory in winning the F1 Driver’s Championship, means that Button joins an elite list of British Driver’s who have won the title. It is the pinnacle of driving in a dangerous sport, and that is what will likely give Button the edge on Sunday night.
One person, from Athletics, which is represented well this year, who could come close to beating Button, would be Jessica Ennis. Despite missing out on the Olympics due to injury, she roared back to a massive personal best at the World Athletics Championships, when she led all the way from the first to the seventh event. The Heptathlon is one of the toughest, most gruelling sports in women’s Athletics, and it is a field which the UK has done well at before, with the might of Olympic Gold medallist Denise Lewis. Lewis though could only manage runner’s-up twice in the Sports Personality of the Year, and for Ennis to come in a take it would be momentous, but she is a great future hope of British Athletics.
Ryan Giggs, Manchester United’s long serving winger, could be in the running. He is the epitome of professionalism, serving his club and country at all levels, with the minimum of fuss, which has seen him win everything on the domestic and European level. He is the most decorated active footballer in England, and at the ripe old age of 36, still plies his trade with the enthusiasm of a teenager. He has played alongside some of the best in the world, like David Beckham, Eric Cantona and Ruud Van Nistlerooy and keeps going with the current young crop, like Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick. Has he won enough in the year to take the Sports Personality of the Year? Truth be told he is probably more personable and down to earth than the Playboy persona of Jenson Button, and he did win yet another Premier League medal.
As for the others: Beth Tweddle, similarly is just as deserving. As a gymnast, she is a double Gold Medallist, at a sport that Great Britain has never really excelled at. She is a stand-out perfomer and something of a pioneer in bringing the best of gymnastics to the nation. It is not one of the most glamorous sports, and therefore she may fly under the radar a little bit when compared to likes of F1 drivers and footballers. What of Britain’s great Tennis hope, Scot Andy Murray. Yes, he has excelled again, pushing for the World Number One spot, but only holding the second seed for two weeks. He faded away a little towards the end of the season, but still without a Grand Slam title, has he done enough to capture the public’s heart? A win at Wimbledon would have made him a shoe-in for the award. England Cricket Captain Andrew Strauss led his country with dignity to regain the Ashes over Australia in the summer. As skipper, he has led with the utmost professionalism and decorum that is expected of a national cricket captain. Perhaps if England had performed better in the subsequent ODI Series against Australia, had put up more of a fight in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy, then he would be a stronger candidate. Tom Daley could sneak the Sports Personality of the Year Award, simply only from the point of view that he is a smart looking young man, with a picture perfect smile, who has taken on and beaten the world at the tender age of 15. Will draw a lot of votes simply because of becoming a world champion at a young age.
Remember it is the public who can vote for their favourite sporting star on Sunday night, during the award show. Latest Odds for Sports Personality of the Year Betting:
Jenson Button – Evens at 888Sport
Ryan Giggs – 11/4 at Bet365
Jessica Ennis – 11/2 at BetFred
David Haye – 25/1 at BetFred
Mark Cavendish – 33/1 at BetFred
Andrew Strauss – 40/1 at BetFred
Beth Tweddle – 50/1 at SkyBet
Tom Daley – 125/1 at Boylesports
Andy Murray – 200/1 at Ladbrokes
Phillips Idowu – 250/1 at SportingBet
