As the BBC lurches from crisis to disaster and back again, the seasoned observer would surmise they have no one else to blame but themselves. Whether it be the numerous sex scandals, cover ups or dreadful decision making: the magnificent Steve Wright being a point in question (whose passing followed hot on the heels of the Beeb’s unceremonious dumping of the legend of the airwaves).

It is now little more than a politically correct box ticking entity whose remit is unclear: Maybe their actions are taken to divert attention away from the Bashir, Westwood, Harris, Saville, and Edwards’ scandals as they instead use vehicles such as Sports Personality of the Year and its winner, Mary Earps, to try, and ultimately fail, to redress the irreparable reputational damage they have self-inflicted.

As an advocate of the women’s football game, I do believe the ladies are attempting to run before they can walk. Now, much as they would convince you otherwise, it is still a game in its infancy which, for some peculiar reason, is now being lauded as an equal to the established men’s game.

SPOTY, won in recent years by luminaries such as Mo Farah, Geraint Thomas and Emma Raducanu, commenced box ticking in 2022 when the Lionesses, who have also now had a train line named after them, won the women’s Euros. An achievement that was admirable, yes, but the SPOTY title won by Beth Mead, had sports fans like yours truly running off to Google who she was and what she had achieved to merit such a heady accolade.

Okay, I thought, the BBC have given some airtime to what is, in effect, a minority sport and will, finally, shortlist and award the 2023 trophy to the greatest living British sportsperson of them all, with the possible exception of Lewis Hamilton, Ronnie O’Sullivan. But, alas, with yet another box to tick, the Beeb again awarded it to a Lioness, the England goalkeeper Mary Earps, whose popularity is such that the kit manufacturers, Nike, refused to produce a goalie's top just last year as it was not financially viable.

She saw off competition from legends of sport who have proved that longevity and global superstardom count for little including Rory McIlroy, Frankie Dettori and Stuart Broad with, you guessed it, Rocket Ronnie not even making the shortlist.

With 41 ranking titles and the ability to go southpaw when required, he is quite simply the most natural of sportsmen any sport has ever seen, as he continues to fight demons of self-doubt, nerves, anxiety, and self-worth. A record equalling world champion seven times over, he became the oldest winner of the UK Championship for the eighth time, an amazing 30 years after he first lifted the title as the youngest ever winner in 1993.

He is quite simply a freak of nature: revered in a sport that used to be a staple of BBC viewing with wall to wall coverage which culminated in songs (who can forget Snooker Loopy), the making of household names of Steve ‘interesting’ Davis and Cliff ‘the grinder’ Thorburn’ and the popular at the time, Pot Black and Big Break. Now having reached a happy place, Ronnie’s honesty is disarming, and he is the Liam Gallagher of the baize: unafraid to say it as he sees it as he knows, still, he is indispensable to a sport that relies on him as much as it wishes it did not have to.

And so, with frequent trips to overcome mental health issues and addiction to the Priory, one would have thought he would ‘tick the box’ for the Beeb who continue to turn a blind eye to Lineker veering from his lane as a bog standard sports commentator into one of a political talking head, as they continually overlook the genius of those like O’ Sullivan who sticks around like a bad smell, and instead turn their heads and laud those with a less than impressive back catalogue, such as Mary Earps.

But no, this is not misogyny, or an attack on the women’s game: good luck to Earps as winning such an accolade will do little but help her career and marketability. Yet, ultimately, by adhering to this folly we are but celebrating adequacy as the true legends in our midst are overlooked as they are deemed too opinionated, or controversial, or likely to heap scorn and derision on an institution who manage time and again to drag abject defeat from the jaws of victory…

  • Brett Ellis is a teacher