MMA is vastly underrated I would agree with you there, Connor definitely deserves some sort of award for what has been a truly outstanding, and history making year.

Hardly the most household name tbf - I am sure some more high profile athletes could have been named as well (Chris Froome for example) and some boxers.

With the Olympics I think the Beeb probably have a more wide ranging collection of sports nominated than they used to..

The Connor guy BA is talking about will win the Irish version it seems..

In the Mail it talked about Tanni-Grey Thompson being at the even so is she in line for the life time achievement award.

There should be an announcement about the Lifetime Achievement award soon, it is usually announced before the event.

Connor should win the overseas personality award, as he would fully deserve it.

48 pages - not got time to read them all but have read the last 3 or 4.

Everyone seems to think Murray is a cert - so he probably is as i have heard that said elsewhere too.

Personally my vote will go to Farah, my team of the year = Leicester, my lifetime achievement probably Tanni Grey Thompson and my overseas personality Cristiano Ronaldo.- altho I wonder about that as it has 2 footballers winning awards and I admit that is unlikely

I am also a bit disgusted that Frome did not make the short list.- and Jade Jones to a lesser extent.

But its all about opinions and no doubt many will disagree with me - no problem with that.

I will watch it of course, as I am a sports fanatic but I am not that keen on the glitzy format which they use these days tbh as it feels too much like the Oscars and other awards ceremonies - but then I know i am an old fart and most people love the way it now is and if it had not changed it would have been phased out as it would not get the viewing figures with only people like me watching!!

I'll probably vote for Mo but don't expect him to make the top 3.

They've given it to Michael Phelps.

Be nice to see a new name win it.

But its not subjective until you start with applying a criteria and then stop applying it mid list. Given there's so many Gold medalists - winning two or more in 2016, or two by repeating 2012 seems a useful criteria. Murray is also there for being world number one and winning his biggest home match - but then so are Kenny J and L, Farah M , Adams, N, and Jones J.

Life time achievement suggests Walsh and jher role in developing Hockey, and the people like Skelton - around for ages who finally got a medal . do you need to retire to qualify ?

Team seems a more appropriate award for the Hockey players - rather than singlling one out - and then not the goalkeeper.

it looks like they thought of a criteria, decided to make it look politically correct ,and dumped some names relatively randomly to get to a manageable number .

Pretty meh about Phelps winning the lifetime achievement award. It has on several occasions been given to an oversees star, but typically tends to be those that have had a major impact on this country, which for all his fantastic achievements I don't think Pheleps has really done.


Who deserves to be on the list is entirely subjective from start to finish. There are a number of people who were easy picks because subjectively speaking there is a consensus, but its still subjective. What you need to remember is this is not and never has been about pure sporting achievement - it is about making an impact. It can be argued for example, that someone like Nick Skelton made a hell of a lot more of an impact with his gold than, say Jade Jones. It doesn't mean one achievement is greater than the other necessarily.

As I said, they will never come up with a list that meets everyones approval because of the subjective nature of it. Therefore no point in extending the list further to try and please everyone because it is impossible.

eta: by the way Skelton won a gold in the team comp in 2012 so it wasn't a case of him finally winning a medal

Disagree completely with Phelps, would agree with it if he was overseas winner, but lifetime achievement should have gone to Tanni Grey Thompson or Steve Davis. I think it is time all of the awards should be public vote only

Disagree with this decision

Unsurprisingly Conor McGregor was voted Irish Sports Personality last night:
https://www.joe.ie/sport/conor-mcgre...he-year/571065

you know your stuff could you give me next weeks lottery numbers please

With all the surprise results this year, including Strictly last night, it wouldn't surprise me if there's a surprise winner tonight.

Even more of a reason to give him the overseas award, he has had an unbelievable and history making year.

He's never been Overseas Personality so this seems to be a way of giving him something.

Surely his achievements are exceptional by any standard?

They are. I would have been very happy had Steve Davis or Tanni won it but you'd need a very cold heart to deny Phelps the gong. What he has achieved, and we are in Olympic year, is truly outstanding

If we are giving a lifetime achievement award to an American sports person, I would have given it to Kobe personally, but that is just me I suppose.

Phelps is still a credible and worthwhile winner.

what is your obsession with Kobe Bryant ?

if michael jordan didn't with a lifetime achievement award then kobe bryant certainly isn't going to ...

bryant doesn't even make it into the top ten of all-time NBA players, and in a sport that is extremely niche in the UK he just isn't well enough known. its more likely that an NFL player will win it at some point than anyone from the NBA.

Phelps winning lifetime achievement is on one hand deserved, the fact he has won 23 gold medals is incredible. In fact it is an achievement so great that it will probably never be matched or beaten. If he were a british athlete then i doubt there would be anyone querying this award. However Phelps has had controversy as well in his lifetime and with the awards celebrating a fantastic year for british sport there is a strong argument that the award should be given to someone else.

I wouldn't quite call it an obsession, and yes Jordan would be a worthy winner of the award as well, but it does seem that the award only gets given to those who have retired fairly recently, so alas since Jordan retired (for real) a while back, then he will not be getting it anytime soon.

but jordan didn't get it when he retired and given he would be a far more worthy recipient than bryant, who isn't rated anywhere near as high as jordan was, then why on earth would bryant get it now ?

especially in a sport that isn't mainstream in the UK

Shouldn't they just have a public vote for second and third place.

Murray is 1-9 with Paddy power - the next person is Alastair Brownlee on 9-1..

It seems almost as certain that Murray wins on those odds as Christmas Day being on 25th December this year.

Think it should revert back to the old format of public vote, with no shortlisting at all. In other words 100% public vote on the following
Sports Personality of the year
Young sports personality of the year
Lifetime achievement
Team of the year

The Helen Rollason award could maybe continue in its current format

But really disappointed they chose Phelps, why didn't they give him overseas personality