Unbelievable. You must be the only person who believes that. I genuinely do agree with other posters that you are on one massive wind up on DS.

You think The Rock was a greater sportsman than Ali and now you think Andy Murray wouldn't have got nominated had he not gone to Rio. You are out there on your own.

Of course, Andy could have have been in hibernation oost Wimbledon and would still have been nominated.

Willett won a major 8 months ago and has done absolutely nothing since and is nominated.

I think its fair to say that if you win a tennis or golf major then you will be nominated no matter what you do in the other 51 weeks of the year.

Murray is in Miami doing pre-season training at the moment as the tennis tour kicks off again shortly.

You must have typed that with a massive grin on your face, I know for a fact you don't believe it

If I am on my own, then so be it, but Andy Murray fully deserves this award this year, no doubt about that, and that is due to his overall record.

This year has been outstanding in terms of having so many people achieving so much, in 2015, or 2014, winning Wimbledon alone would of course mean an automatic nomination, but this year the competition from so many people means that the level on which someone should be nominated needs to be that much higher.

It is not a criticism towards Murray, more of a compliment towards the amount of top level sports people that we have, and what they have achieved in this year of 2016.

So high that someone who won 1 golf tournament and done nothing else all year was nominated?

Game, set and match

Just caught up on the Michael Phelps news and it has annoyed me quite a bit. I don't think that winners need to be saints - everyone has their flaws - but I'd draw the line at honouring someone with two drink-driving offences to his name. Maybe I can overlook the first one as a youthful mistake by someone with a lot of pressures in his life, but the second one is completely unacceptable.

Of course I recognise his outstanding sporting achievements but, in this particular context, I think you should be looking to people who are at least half-decent role models as well as exceptional athletes. And I can't believe that the judges couldn't come up with anyone who fits both those criteria.

Personally I wouldn't have had him nominated, but he was, and fair play to him, what he did was win a very highly prestigious tournament, there can be a debate about if that was on the same level as a double gold medal winning sportsperson, but that I suppose is more of a personal dilemma.

would have thought Angelique Kerber would have been mentioned for overseas, two Slams and world No1 after being about 6k points down on Serena at the start of the year

Only because they make it so . Two or more Gold medals this time , or repeating 2012 is an objective criteria. Its going to do for handing out the OBEs and dame/knighthoods. Winning Wimbledon and Number One reinforce Murray's claim - any two would do to win him a nomination - tho doing badly at the Olympics in an Olympic year would have weakened his case , . Equaling ,or establishing, a record for medals won, is a landmark achievement. Best national team is easy, when so few won anything much.

Impact is an unknowable , subjective, criteria . The paraolympics had zero impact on most people - they didn't watch. Skelton attracted less attention than Valegro. You don't get much attention if your olympic sport is schedules for 3AM. You just end up second guessing what most viewers watched, and liked, - which is determined by what you bothered to show them.

Murray will win - on both a regional vote, and Wimbledon viewer numbers - but they can at least include everyone with an equal claim with him in the race.

Murray to win Dour Sports Personality of the year

Which double gold winning medalist do you mean ? We only have one this year and he's nominated

Murray has a very good sense of humour.

If Murray is indeed in Miami, who will the BBC have arranged to hand him over the trophy? Usually its Lennox Lewis' time to shine!

Only one?? There were quite a few at Rio, Hannah Cockcroft for example (who got three golds!), or Libby Clegg, or Susie Rodgers, all of whom were unbelievably successful in Rio.

Maybe Lendl can do the honours....

Its a real shame that Sue Barker doesnt present SPOTY anymore, best presenter of it in my book. Since she scaled down her work to only Tennis and A Question of Sport i doubt she will ever do it again.

Lendl congratulating him would be hilarious

Which he keeps to himself

nope. Besides, pretty sure you are in no position to be calling anyone else dour.....

Murray for the win again.

Anyone else spot the fish?

Blimey they've really packed in the punters. Looks totally full.

Ah it's time for the Andy Murray award show

BBC continuing to try and force Laura Mvula on us *yawn*

Really hope Leicester City win team of the year, but no doubt they will give it to 'Team GB', even though they are not a team, instead a bunch of different teams