Surprise, surprise, no Sam Burgess on the shortlist

Give it a year...

No surprise given the judging panel:



I was in contact with Carl Doran a few years ago when I suggested Steve Prescott for the Helen Rollason award and he was aware of his story but I imagine the other have little knowledge of rugby league.

They won't know who Sam Burgess is

I'd say it's actually quite difficult for an individual member of a team sport to be nominated for spoty.
Sure Bale is on there, but he plays our national sport and even then there is no way he's winning the thing.
Sam's story is a brilliant one but something like this needs to appeal to the general public and sadly, for now at least, the general public have no idea who the hell Sam Burgess is.

There are no yawnion players either, though it has been a dull year even by the standards of that game. As had been pointed out team game sport stars are at a disadvantage (2 in the last 10 years), plus its a top nine really as there has to be the politically correct allocation of a paralympic spot these years.

Hamilton will win - his victory is fresh in everyone's mind and he doing much publicity to promote SPOY. For McIlroy should win it but he will be second.

I watch a lot of sports but I've no idea who some of them are. So it's pretty irrelevant their popularity.

Angry, but not surprised Burgess isn't in. Snobbery and ignorance on the highest level.

What has Sam achieved?

And I'm sure the people that watch the sports you don't, will never have heard of Burgess either - so swings and roundabouts!!

But if I was on the panel I wouldn't just research the sports i watch. I didn't watch much of the Winter Olympics or the commonwealth, but I would research it.

Can you really see Jason Roberts researching rugby league?

McIlroy is 1/5, Hamilton 7/2 and the rest nowhere. It's a really thin list this year. McIlroy should win it by miles.

To be honest I only recognised 3 at first glance. Having read the full entry I thought what a thoroughly uninspiring bunch. Maybe there could be a new category this year for services to tedious advertising. McIlroy would be nailed on to win that.

SPOTY has been a BBC-centric circle jerk for a few years now. It mainly exists to give their already ubiquitous gravy train favourites even more airtime.

I won't be watching it. Again.

I agree with you, but a small time sport that gets no limelight whatsoever is never going to get a look in at these type of things unless something miraculous happens within it - an undefeated season, a team winning all the trophies available (team and personal) etc.

Burgess is playing on the other side of the world, in a competition that very few RL fans in this country actually watch, never mind anyone watching it that doesn't really follow RL. He didn't play for England in the 4 Nations, therefore not been able to get column inches for dragging England to a victory (had he done so) so how do you really expect that panel of judges to actually know anything about who he is or what he does?

As someone else said, there are no RU players on the list either, so why people get so bent out of shape about RL not getting a sniff, I don't know - why would you expect anything different?

Alpine Skiing and Skeleton are as niche as it gets.

But are Olympic sports that have had a lot of media coverage due to the success we will have had or major improvements due to certain individuals within that sport, and therefore a lot of exposure to a lot of the country.

Where's Carlton Kirby when you need him?

But I bet you watched some of them when they were on the TV during the Winter Olympics didn't you?

Who, outside of the North West and Yorkshire, was watching the recent 4 Nations? Very few I would imagine.

If Burgess had been nominated, the same people currently moaning about his non inclusion would be saying he's only been nominated because of his move to RU.

He plays in a domestic competition that is unknown and unseen to 99% of people outside of Australia, and isnt covered by any major channels in the UK. Plus he hasn't represented his country in 2014. I cant see how anybody actually expected him to be nominated?

Didn't see a single minute of the whole event.

yeah...FFS dressage is ALL over the place....high on the list of everybody's sporting interest.



Sam's sporting achievement deservers to be mentioned....never mind who is or isn't watching.

He'll get a mention (and probably a knighthood) if he wins the RU world cup next year.
Unfortunately, the reality is that, there are many, many, more high profile sportsmen and women ahead of him this year and Lewis Hamilton will win the main prize.

What are his achievements?

Are they any greater than his Brothers, James Graham.............

The Beeb don't really give us a mention do they. I know saints won a couple of awards in 2006, but that's it.

It became clear to me they've no interest in us when Shaun Wane wasn't even on the list for coach of the year last year. Challenge Cup and Super League Title, plus both Junior sides won their grand finals.

The only mention we'll get on the night will be about 10 mins, 9 of which will be about ben flower.