Piers Morgan has weighed in on who has to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award this year after the announcement of a six-person shortlist on Thursday
Piers Morgan believes the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award will be “pointless and irrelevant” if Rory McIlroy does not win this year. The firebrand TV personality spoke out after the six-strong shortlist for the annual award came out on Thursday morning.
McIlroy is the early favourite. European Championship-winning England players Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton, Rugby World Cup star Ellie Kildunne, darts world No.1 Luke Littler and Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris are also in the running for the annual prize.
Last year’s winner was Olympic champion middle-distance runner Keely Hodgkinson. The 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu and seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton have also recently won the award.
This year’s winner will be announced at a live awards ceremony in Media City, Salford, on December 18. Alex Scott, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan will host the event.
Morgan is adamant that McIlroy is the only deserving winner, taking to social media to declare: “If McIlroy doesn’t win this, it will render SPOTY utterly pointless and irrelevant. He’s had an unbelievable year, transporting him into the ranks of true sporting greats.”
McIlroy has indeed enjoyed a phenomenal year. He became only the sixth man in history to complete a Grand Slam of golf’s four major championships with his triumph at the Masters.
The 36-year-old’s play-off victory in April marked his first major win in over a decade. His previous one dated back to 2014.
This year also saw McIlroy rack up three-and-a-half points as Europe won the Ryder Cup away from home against the United States of America in September. Yet, what Morgan overlooks is that the other contenders on the SPOTY shortlist are just as worthy of their nominations.
Norris, for instance, clinched his maiden F1 championship when he secured a podium finish at a tense Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend. He pipped title rival Max Verstappen by a mere two points in the driver standings.
Hampton and Kelly were instrumental in England’s victory during the summer. Sarina Wiegman’s squad bested Spain in a thrilling final in Switzerland to become back-to-back champions.
Hampton also bagged the inaugural Women’s Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards in September. Kildunne was a key figure in England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup triumph on home turf in the summer.
Littler kicked off the year in spectacular fashion by becoming the youngest world champion in darts history at just 17. He also claimed November’s Grand Slam of Darts, propelling him to the world No. 1 spot for the first time.