Carl Frampton slams 'anti-Northern Ireland' BBC SPotY awards after snub

[Ruthless-RKO]

Carl Frampton has blasted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year "anti-Northern Ireland" after he missed out on the extended shortlist for this year's award.

The 29-year-old was speaking on the BBC Stephen Nolan radio show on Tuesday morning following the announcement on Monday night.

He said: "I think there are people on the shortlist that I deserve to be in front of.
"Credit to Andy Murray he deserves it and should run away with it.

"But I think of at least one of Jonny Rea, Bethany Firth and myself should have been on it."
Asked what he thought the reasons were behind his omission, he responded: "It looks to me, maybe anti-boxing, maybe anti-Northern Ireland.

"There's five Yorkshiremen on it."
Jonathan Rea this year celebrated winning back-to-back World Superbike titles. Bethany Firth was the most decorated athlete in Rio winning three golds and a silver in Rio. She missed out ahead of three other Paralympians.

Of the 16 shortlisted - the biggest shortlist in the award's history - only two are from outside England. Scotland's world tennis number one Andy Murray and Real Madrid and Wales footballer Gareth Bale.
And only Bale and Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy are the only non-Olympians or Paralympians on the list.

Frampton said he was convinced if he was English he would be on the list.
He said: "I think they look favourably toward them.

"Take Nicola Adams she has had an incredible achievement this year. And if she made the list, then I think I should have been in with a shout."
Frampton said he was "slightly disappointed" with missing out on a nomination.

He added: "I unified a title, defended a title and beat a three-weight champion, and all on the road.
"But I'll not complain, I wasn't picked for whatever reason, maybe they didn't have the space."

[ThereByTheGrace]

Total joke bbc bending over for women's boxing instead of a top champion. Noone cares about women's boxing Frampton is the best we have

[mfc_se15]

I do have to laugh reading an article like that when it ends with the quote:

"But I'll not complain, I wasn't picked for whatever reason, maybe they didn't have the space."

That said I think his achievements mean he deserves to be on this list, don't think its anti Northern Irish more a problem that in an Olympic year (and a very successful one at that) there is going to be a massive bias towards Olympic sports over all others.

[Counter-puncher]

fvcking Paralympians, fvck off.

[Horse]

Where's the link?

[Boxerbeetle]

It's nothing to do with Northern Ireland. The BBC just doesn't give a toss about boxing.

[olij999]

SPOTY has been an appallingly bad show for years now. It is predominantly governed by what the BBC have footage of, namely fewer and fewer major sports and major events each time. Reminds me of the Homer Steals Cable episode of The Simpsons where Homer, Carl and Lenny want to watch the Drederick Tatum fight - Lenny: "Come round to my house and we can listen to it on the radio". Carl: "Yeah, then we can go to mine and watch the still photographs on the news." So while I sympathise with Frampton, pro boxing is just one of many major sports not to be represented properly on SPOTY and the BBC more widely.

[Realistic]

It's nothing to do with Northern Ireland. The BBC just doesn't give a toss about boxing.

Boxing is 4th in the overall ratings?

Winners by sport
Sporting profession
Athletics 17 14 18 49
Formula One 7 6 1 14
Football 5 6 9 20
Boxing 5 4 1 10
Tennis 5 2 2 9
Cricket 4 3 3 10
Cycling 4 1 0 5
Figure skating 3[nb 1] 1[nb 1] 0 4
Golf 2 5 2 9
Swimming 2 2 6 10
Eventing 2 0 1 3
Snooker 1 4 2 7
Rugby union 1 3 2 6
Rowing 1 2 1 4
Show jumping 1 0 5 6
Horse racing 1 0 3 4
Motorcycle racing 1 0 1 2
Sailing 0 2 0 2
Rugby league 0 1 0 1
Darts 0 1 0 1
CART 0 0 1 1
Gymnastics 0 0 1 1
Rallying 0 0 1 1

[nitro5912]

He should be on the shortlist at least. And at the expense of vardy who helped Leicester to the title but in a team sport you could argue that as he wasn't captain he shouldn't be there

[Boxerbeetle]

It's nothing to do with Northern Ireland. The BBC just doesn't give a toss about boxing.

Boxing is 4th in the overall ratings?

Winners by sport
Sporting profession
Athletics 17 14 18 49
Formula One 7 6 1 14
Football 5 6 9 20
Boxing 5 4 1 10
Tennis 5 2 2 9
Cricket 4 3 3 10
Cycling 4 1 0 5
Figure skating 3[nb 1] 1[nb 1] 0 4
Golf 2 5 2 9
Swimming 2 2 6 10
Eventing 2 0 1 3
Snooker 1 4 2 7
Rugby union 1 3 2 6
Rowing 1 2 1 4
Show jumping 1 0 5 6
Horse racing 1 0 3 4
Motorcycle racing 1 0 1 2
Sailing 0 2 0 2
Rugby league 0 1 0 1
Darts 0 1 0 1
CART 0 0 1 1
Gymnastics 0 0 1 1
Rallying 0 0 1 1

Did the BBC even report Frampton's win over Santa Cruz? Don't remember them doing so.

[PredatorHayds]

As mentioned before they favour sports that they have coverage of. This is getting less and less.
In a Olympic year because they have as many olympians in the list as possible so on the face of it it looks like they've broadcast all the years great sporting moments.

BBC turned this award into a joke years ago.

[freddydoesdallas]

I can understand Frampton not being on the shortlist this year with it being an Olympic year and having a lot of very successful people on it. What i can't understand is the amount of people who are saying that it's a disgrace that Joshua hasn't been shortlisted for it

[Ruthless-RKO]

Where's the link?

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 53348.html

[coneye]

CRY CRY CRY

[banjo]

No Michael Dunlop again either.

Only accepts PC sports though.

[Noxy]

This debate comes up most years

[banjo]

To be fair though only 2 of the last 9 award winners have been English. There's 2 Scots - Hoy and Murray(2wins), 2 Welshmen - Calzaghe and Giggs, a Northern Irishman - McCoy and a Manxman - Cavendish.

[boxingknockout]

It's surely more about visibility, boxing and politics rather than country.

[CaptainSpacerod]

In the old days the SPOTY list was short and filled with household names whose achievements that year were indisputable

These days it's just a politically correct checklist including every fvcking minority you can think of featuring athletes you've mostly never heard of.

Carl would be a worthy nominee in any sensible list judged as it should be solely on outstanding sporting performance

[lefty]

fvcking Paralympians, fvck off.

You brute lol.

[keirw]

Seems he had to make way for paralympians and show jumpers.

Not that it really matters who is on the shortlist as Andy Murray already has it in the bag, dspite having the personality of a paving slab.

[Counter-puncher]

fvcking Paralympians, fvck off.

You brute lol.

I can see why they are included, as if they weren't the disabled lobby would be screaming discrimination, but in a celebration of sporting excellence i find the presence of athletes who compete in such a shallow talent pool to be somewhat offensive, and I am sick of the bbc trying to ram the 'just as good as able-bodied athletes' argument down my throat.

[Counter-puncher]

Seems he had to make way for paralympians and show jumpers.
.

Which is rather nauseating, exactly my point.

[keirw]

Seems he had to make way for paralympians and show jumpers.
.

Which is rather nauseating, exactly my point.

I'd rather the horses themselves be nominated rather than the toffs who sit on them

[Shambles]

He should be on the shortlist at least. And at the expense of vardy who helped Leicester to the title but in a team sport you could argue that as he wasn't captain he shouldn't be there

Oi leave Vardy out of it. He helped win us the Premier League. He's also got a book out and he needs all the publicity he can get for it, to ensure that his family is set up for life.