first a knighthood and next a sainthood?

Not really, just a regular guy.

Wouldn't you be doing the same if it was your brother?

In your earlier post you said RL supporters would only vote for a great player and never just a good club player and Sinfield would not be supported outside Leeds as in your opinion he is not a great player.

So now after the huge support shown for Sinfield, to avoid accepting your opinion was wrong, you not only suggest the voting was only for RL and not the man and therefore was a "shame" as it somehow demeaned the value of SPOTY!

Did you ever consider much of Murray's support was because he was a Scot?

Thankfully more than a quarter of a million fair RL fans didn't share your predjudice.

But you must acknowledge the point he is making surely. Voting for someone/anyone just because they play Rugby League is just cynical. I actually feel sorry for Sinfield who must have felt more than a bit embarrassed by the whole thing. I mean he wasn't even regarded highly enough to be considered in the top 3 for the Man of Steel voting. How on earth he can be the Sports Personality of the Year is beyond comprehension. Look at the achievements of Fury and Ennis for example, the best in the world in their disciplines, Sinfield isn't even the best at his own club.

I suppose that's what you get when you allow the 'public' to choose. At one end of the scale you get Jeremy Corbyn leading a party he has dedicated his life to voting against in Parliament, who none of the PLP can get on with, because the membership think they know better. And at the other end of the scale you get Jeremy Vine and the likes entering and succeeding week after week, a dancing competition, when he cannot dance, but the public like him because he's a laugh.

Voting for someone for any reason other than you think he or she is the best is cynical and renders the trophy worthless.

Firstly I was pointing out the inconsistency in his two postings. I too was also surprised at Sinfield's inclusion in the listings for SPOTY perhaps he earned it in the discipline of best captain as he led his team to the treble. He certainly would be worthy of a lifetime achievement award. Having said that he was listed and he won a huge amount of votes as the RL community, outside of Wigan, got behind him just as the Scots got behind Murray which I would suggest is even more cynical. Playing 4 Davis Cup matches against 2nd rate opposition is hardly best in the tennis discipline in a season where he failed against the best in the grand slams so you could equally argue Murray didn't deserve to win or indeed be listed. Yet he was favoured by the BBC with front row seats and numerous camera exposure shots as was his mother. The whole competition cannot be taken too seriously with with questionable team and coach of the year awards being chosen by BBC producers.

I fully agree with your comments on the equally unlikeable Corbyn and Vine and any voting competition where the public are allowed, even encouraged, to vote more than once.

That was actually a good post, which makes me wonder why you had to make the following up?

Prick.....

A genuine "well done" to all those Wigan fans - and there must have been many - who cast a vote for the sport they care about.

One also to those who protected the "integrity" of SPOTY by not doing so. Double marks to those also not voting for Jeremy Vine in the dancing contest. I can only applaud your moral fibre regarding the issues that really matter.

My aside was a tongue in cheek dig at Dave O who obviously did not vote for Sinfield. Apologies to all Wigan fans that did vote for Sinny as no slight intended. No apologies for those that deliberately abstained for tribal reasons though..

Happy New Year to you too!

Actually I doubt there would be that many. Once you add up all the Leeds 'fans' and all of the inhabitants of 'Yarkshire' who support everything and anyone linked to Gods Own County I doubt there'd be many voters left.

If there was a category entitled '"Which sport do you care most about?" then Rugby League would get my vote, but there isn't.

Sinfield is neither the greatest sportsman in Britain, nor is he the greatest player in Rugby League, so unfortunately he doesn't get my vote for SPOTY. As Man of Steel Hardaker surely qualifies to be in the argument. However as it is entitled Sports PERSONALITY of the Year, poor Zak loses out (probably on the same basis that Fury loses out - you understand this, being familiar with the 'moral fibre' argument).

I can assure you that in deepest castleford and Wakefield, my favourite bent nosed Lancastrian is not always the subject of universal love and appreciation, lol

Isn't the award basically along those lines though. The people who care most about tennis vote for Murray (as well as the Scottish vote). People who like boxing most vote for Fury, F1 for Hamilton etc. It happens every year so why does it become a problem when RL fans do it?

That's why the likes of Adam Peaty in swimming and Max Whitlock in gymnastics have been nominated a couple of times now but finish comfortably near the bottom just making it into 5 figures because those sports don't have the same supporters numbers as others, yet their achievements are up there with the others.

Jebus h christ, is this STILL going on....

I don't suppose it is a problem. As successful captain of England and Man of the Series against NZ, you might argue that Lockers had a shout, but to even suggest that his achievement is greater than Fury or Ennis is just madness. Would you have voted for Lockers if Sinfield hadn't been shortlisted just because he plays Rugby League?