These which sports are harder discussions are so pointless.
Hamilton would likely never beat McIlroy at a round of golf, no matter how much he practised and vice versa, McIlroy would probably never be able to beat Hamilton in a motor race.
Formula One drivers are at the pinnacle of their profession and you need special skills, that are true of a lot of other sports, to be able to drive a formula one car fast:
a) fearless, b) fantastic reactions, c) intense and sustained concentration, d) a natural sense/instinct for what you are doing - in this case how the car is behaving as felt through the seat of your pants, f) cool under pressure e) you have to be very fit as you are subject to extreme and ever shifting g-force and often extreme temperatures - it's no coincidence that a lot of the drivers compete in triathlons in their spare time. Jenson Button was considering quitting motor sport to compete in the world triathlons at one point before his contract at McLaren was renewed because he's already at that kind of fitness level.
Yes the car affects you ability to win but so can the technology within your choice of clubs in golf. How good the midfield in your team is can affect how many goals a striker scores - would the likes of Henry have scored so many playing for Charlton in front of Bryan Hughes and Matt Holland? Probably not, but in football the cream tends to rise to the top and gets to play in the same teams as the other best players. Same in Formula One, the best drivers drive the best cars and there have been plenty of examples of decent drivers in good cars who have not been able to win as many races as they could have given the vehicle they were driving.
Lewis got the job done this year and is a World Champion so is just as worthy of the award as anyone else. What he does is certainly nothing like driving a Ford Focus a bit faster than usual to try and get Tesco before it shuts.
At last a sensible post. Why can't we just be happy that a Brit has won the F1 Championships twice. I am also Happy that Rory won some many tournaments in the past year. Very happy for Jo Pavey, to be running and winning at the age of forty is a great achievement. The great British public voted for who they wanted so that will do for me.
I gave up on this snobby and elitist ceremony years ago. Pretty much anyone who works on screen for BBC Sport is a smug, know it all dickhead. However, I would consider golf to be the toughest sport in the world - no two shots are ever, ever the same. There are always variables. I'm not a fan but McIlroy has dominated like this year like no one has since Tiger, and no one is likely to until Rory has another such year. If you want to talk about 'personality' (ha) then there are far more deserved winners than both.
As someone who followed F1 in the Brands Hatch British Grand Prix era of Stewart, Clark, Graham Hill etc I still cannot quite get used to an F1 driver wearing earrings. Also in those days the likes of Brit Peter Gethin - Italian GP winner - used to get out the racing car after practice and go down to a pub at Farningham for lunch, freely chatting with the supporters, then back up the hill for the race. On the Sunday after the Saturday GP all the drivers also used to play a charity cricket match at a lovely village green style ground near Ashford. Emerson Fittipaldi at Slip, Graham Hill opening the bowling, Jacky Ickx at Mid On .... those were the days. Now its straight into the private chopper and back to the tax haven home.
Can't understand the golfing community and their comments. Every race there were 17 other drivers (I think) who Lewis had to negotiate his way round to finish the race first.
This made me chuckle because my brother-in-law is an old man from Nebraska City. He's a big sports fan (Go Cornhuskers) and has certainly heard of Rory. I've just asked him - we're on holiday in Florida with our other halves - and he's never heard of Hamilton. He could rattle off some names I've never heard of from Nascar and Indycar though.....
F1 really hasn't made it to the mid-west. (I think they are still listening to doo-wop too.)
Thing is I think of Tiger Woods as someone who is 'A List' in sporting terms, and a golfer. But I am not sure why, but I don't see Rory in the same light.
Something about Tiger Woods said Megastar. Does McIlory need to win more to be seen in the same light? Is he on the way to be seen in the same light already?
People I speak to in the US (like you say) are not massively knowledgeable on F1, but many will say that they have heard of Lewis Hamilton because of his missus. Or because he is the first black F1 winner.
I could have been wrong when I said Bale and Rooney are British global A list sports stars as 'soccer' is not that big in the States. I would be interested if your brother in law has heard of any of them? Maybe not.
Now - most marketable can be another way of saying high profile. Sportspro run an annual report....
@Stig sums it up perfectly for me. Until Saturday I had no idea what Rory had won this year nor did I care. I also didn't really care what Lewis had won but I certainly knew all about it. I suspect I am not atypical
Thing is I think of Tiger Woods as someone who is 'A List' in sporting terms, and a golfer. But I am not sure why, but I don't see Rory in the same light.
Something about Tiger Woods said Megastar. Does McIlory need to win more to be seen in the same light? Is he on the way to be seen in the same light already?
People I speak to in the US (like you say) are not massively knowledgeable on F1, but many will say that they have heard of Lewis Hamilton because of his missus. Or because he is the first black F1 winner.
I could have been wrong when I said Bale and Rooney are British global A list sports stars as 'soccer' is not that big in the States. I would be interested if your brother in law has heard of any of them? Maybe not.
Now - most marketable can be another way of saying high profile. Sportspro run an annual report....
So Lewis is as A list as they come in terms of a Brit globally. When will / can Rory get up there?
The world’s 50 most marketable athletes 2014 – the top ten 1) Lewis Hamilton – motorsport, Great Britain 2) Virat Kohli – cricket, India 3) Robert Griffin III – NFL, USA 4) Cristiano Ronaldo – football, Portugal 5) Grigor Dimitrov – tennis, Bulgaria 6) Usain Bolt – athletics, Jamaica 7) Neymar – football, Brazil 8) Missy Franklin – swimming, USA 9) Blake Griffin – NBA, USA 10) Sloane Stephens – tennis, USA
I could have been wrong when I said Bale and Rooney are British global A list sports stars as 'soccer' is not that big in the States. I would be interested if your brother in law has heard of any of them? Maybe not.
I've just asked him - he looked bemused - neither name meant a thing to him. You've got to laugh!
I would be the same if you gave me some names from sports that I'm not interested in, i.e basketball/ice hockey but loads of Americans would know them.
I've continued with my experiments on the b-i-l. I thought, I know, I'll try an American - that'll work. Tim Howard? He plays football, right? No, soccer. Never heard of him. Okay, how about Cristiano Ronaldo? Nope. Lionel Messi. I don't follow soccer. Wait though, wasn't there some English soccer player's daughter who married an American golfer? We discussed this for a while and neither of us could come up with names. Then in desperation I asked if he knew the names of any soccer players. Well, there's that guy who has retired but I can't remember his name. David Beckham I ask? Yes, that's the one! Do you only know him because of who he's married to then? No, I don't know who he's married to. He's now gone back to Nebraska. Which is a shame as he likes his movies and I've just realised he'd have probably heard of Vinnie Jones. But I doubt he knew he used to play "soccer". It's a strange world.
Comments
Geraint Thomas won BBC Wales SPOTY 2014
BBC Scotland seem to have given up on theirs a while back
I voted for the partially sighted skier and her guide who went down a mountain at 75mph following only an orange blob.
The result cannot be wrong, it is opinion of the public.
F1 really hasn't made it to the mid-west. (I think they are still listening to doo-wop too.)
Something about Tiger Woods said Megastar. Does McIlory need to win more to be seen in the same light? Is he on the way to be seen in the same light already?
People I speak to in the US (like you say) are not massively knowledgeable on F1, but many will say that they have heard of Lewis Hamilton because of his missus. Or because he is the first black F1 winner.
I could have been wrong when I said Bale and Rooney are British global A list sports stars as 'soccer' is not that big in the States. I would be interested if your brother in law has heard of any of them? Maybe not.
Now - most marketable can be another way of saying high profile. Sportspro run an annual report....
http://www.sportspromedia.com/most_marketable
Hamilton at 1 in the world here.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/lewishamilton/10840853/Lewis-Hamilton-is-named-the-worlds-most-marketable-sportsperson.html
So Lewis is as A list as they come in terms of a Brit globally. When will / can Rory get up there?
Most marketable - judged on age, home market, charisma and “willingness to be marketed and crossover appeal”.
Bit subjective in parts.
1) Lewis Hamilton – motorsport, Great Britain
2) Virat Kohli – cricket, India
3) Robert Griffin III – NFL, USA
4) Cristiano Ronaldo – football, Portugal
5) Grigor Dimitrov – tennis, Bulgaria
6) Usain Bolt – athletics, Jamaica
7) Neymar – football, Brazil
8) Missy Franklin – swimming, USA
9) Blake Griffin – NBA, USA
10) Sloane Stephens – tennis, USA
Somebodies been smoking the crack me thinks.
This would explain why she has been spotted swinging on the crossbar at sparrows lane.
I thought, I know, I'll try an American - that'll work.
Tim Howard? He plays football, right? No, soccer. Never heard of him. Okay, how about Cristiano Ronaldo? Nope. Lionel Messi. I don't follow soccer. Wait though, wasn't there some English soccer player's daughter who married an American golfer?
We discussed this for a while and neither of us could come up with names.
Then in desperation I asked if he knew the names of any soccer players. Well, there's that guy who has retired but I can't remember his name. David Beckham I ask? Yes, that's the one! Do you only know him because of who he's married to then? No, I don't know who he's married to.
He's now gone back to Nebraska. Which is a shame as he likes his movies and I've just realised he'd have probably heard of Vinnie Jones. But I doubt he knew he used to play "soccer". It's a strange world.