Sports 'personality'

Not watched/watching this, due to it being a bit crap and bike racing never
getting any recognition[1], but I'm intrigued to find out if there was a
shortlist for the 'Overseas' award....

I mean how did Shane Fucking Warne rank as a bigger 'personality' than
Rossi?[2]

Esp as the Beeb haveMotoGP on TV but not the cricket....

Dave

[1] We all know Foggy's a twat, but it was a bit gutting when, in 1999 the
presenter said "Hello, Carl. So you won World Superbike for the 4th time
this year, eh? Well if you can win it a 5th time *maybe* you'll be up for
the award!". I would've twatted the presenter, personally, and I'm not
exactly a fighting fella....
[2] OK admit I'd rather go down the RSL with Warnie and sink a few schooners
talking about the 'flippa', but Rossi has done so much for the sport and
been such a good ambassador for MotoGP, whilst still being, in fact, a total
racing ****, that he's a much more interesting bloke...

 

The clue is in the question. The word beginning with 'p'.

 

Well that doesn't count - Mansell? Rooney? Owen? Beckham? Wilkinson? Not
really about 'personality' is it? It's about ability to make a sport
popular... In which case Flintoff will win the award for making cricket
cool.......................

And in the same vein, Rossi should win for making bike racing cool.

Or something.

They should at least make one award to someone that the BBC shows, eh?

Dave

 

Quite easily I would have thought. His good humour during the summer
tour and general media exposure.

Bike racing is a minority sport that relatively few people really care
about. How many people packed the streets when Carl Fogarty came back
with his championships?

 

I expected that drug abusing cyclist to win the overseas award so
Warne getting it was a pleasant surprise. Rossi got a decent enough
mention but MGP is never going to be bigger than an ashes series,
especially when England win.

 

And cricket will be a minority sport in 12 months time again, just like
rugby union is now.....

Rossi is the first since Sheene to make bike racing accesible to the
general public in the UK, in a way that Warne and Wilkinson have done with
their sports. I don't think it's strange that Warne won, I just wondered if
Rossi got a mention.

And thought it'd be weird if he didn't, given that the BBC are supposed to
be putting money into bike racing coverage, yet they only have cricket on
radio..

Dave

 

He got a mention? OK I'll let the beeb off...

Dave

 

Doesn't matter, the PowersThatBe are Old School types, and cricket
will always be first in their world. Motorsport is terribly
proletarian, don't y'know?

 

Cricket wouldn't be "cool" at zero Kelvin. Flannels by Burberry,
anyone?

 

If Rossi was British then he'd be short listed for the main award but
I doubt if he'd ever win it because it's voted for by viewers. The
viewing figures for any of the Ashes tests will have been higher than
any MGP just the same as the figures for any England football match
next summer will be higher.

Anyone want to argue that if the England football team make it to the
World Cup semis they won't win the team award and either Beckham or
the top scorer won't get the main award?

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, DR

I'm assuming that both of you voted for Rossi in the telephone poll?

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - There are few things in life more sinister than a
public toilet with the lid closed.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

True enough, it will have a smaller audience. However that small
audience will still be *much* bigger than the motorcycle racing
audience.

What leads you to this conclusion? How has Rossi made bike racing
accessible to the UK general public? He's not British and I don't think
he's based here either (though I could be wrong on the second point)

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique,
typed

Ackshirley, I think you are. He lives in That London, IIRC.

Which does nothing to invalidate your point, BTW.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - There are few things in life more sinister than a
public toilet with the lid closed.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

Self-evident, I would have thought, although I reckon just turning up
practically guarantees them the team award. What else is on in the
next 10 months that could compete?

 

Why? He'd never have been allowed to win, and I'd have wasted money
on a pointless phone call. Results on the field/track/whatever are
more important than popularity contests anyway.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, DR

Thought not.

So why are you bleating about his failure to win the poll?

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - There are few things in life more sinister than a
public toilet with the lid closed.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

Was I?

Bloody good stuff, this. I think I'll have some more.

<falls over>
<gets up>

No, I'd have been prepared to bet body parts on the certainty of
England's noble and valiant cricket team taking all the main plaudits.
Even if they had lost, I reckon they would have got it for being good
sports, because that's the way the thing is. I really wish they would
stop calling that bloke Freddie though, it's not his bloody name and
the "joke" isn't particularly funny anyway.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, DR

Quite. And that **** Rossi's not a real doctor either.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - There are few things in life more sinister than a
public toilet with the lid closed.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

In other news 'Salad Dodger in eating salad shocker'.

 

WavyDavy emerged from their own little world to say

Warne is better known in the UK. His every move is monitored by the British
press. Rossi lives in the UK because the press ignores him.

If you did the Clapham omnibus test I'm willing to wager that a
significantly higher number of the passengers would identify Warne as a
cricketer than would recognise Rossi at all.

I think the BBC award reflects British public opinion. Especially when you
factor in the dominance of cricket in the culture of people with Indian,
Pakistani and West Indian heritage.

Few media broadcasts attract as big an audience as Test Match Special. The
viewing figures for MotoGP pale into insignificance in comparison.