{"id":302841,"date":"2023-12-19T05:24:06","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T05:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=302841"},"modified":"2023-12-19T05:24:06","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T05:24:06","slug":"every-ronnie-osullivan-sports-personality-of-the-year-rant-after-another-snub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/nba\/every-ronnie-osullivan-sports-personality-of-the-year-rant-after-another-snub\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Ronnie O’Sullivan Sports Personality of the Year rant after another snub"},"content":{"rendered":"
Ronnie O’Sullivan makes history with EIGHTH UK Championship<\/h3>\n
Snooker legend Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan has rarely held back when giving his view on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) award. Despite being widely regarded as the game\u2019s greatest-ever player, he has never won SPOTY and finished outside of the top three on his nominations in 2020 and 2022.<\/p>\n
Even though O\u2019Sullivan became the oldest winner of the UK Championship at the beginning of the month, the Rocket was once again left off of this year\u2019s list. Many fans were incensed at yet another snub, as Stuart Broad, Frankie Dettori, Mary Earps, Alfie Hewett, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Rory McIlroy were nominated instead.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Sullivan over the years has made his disapproval of the award well-known. In 2016, he blamed the BBC\u2019s lack of coverage compared to other sports as one of the reasons why snooker became \u201ca nothing-type sport\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re competing with Formula One, tennis, golf and the Olympics,” he said. “They give it like 10 seconds on BBC Sports Personality – it\u2019s a complete insult to the sport. But it\u2019s what they think of it and what they believe it warrants, and that says it all really.<\/p>\n
“Snooker is becoming a nothing-type sport \u2013 it\u2019s a bit like a garage sale, but with other sports it\u2019s like shopping at Harrods. They\u2019re playing so much of it, it\u2019s cheap TV. I think snooker has lost that respect among other sports \u2013 the Olympics are such a massive thing now as are sports like golf and tennis.”<\/p>\n
MUST READ <\/strong> Ronnie O’Sullivan’s rival Shaun Murphy speaks out after ‘disrespectful’ comment[REACTION] <\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A year later, O\u2019Sullivan confirmed that he would never attend the annual ceremony – which he lived up to in 2022 by speaking at the event via a video link while in Dubai, despite being nominated for last year\u2019s award.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m so happy I don’t get nominated because I never would want to go,\u201d he claimed in 2017. \u201cIt’s not my type of thing – standing around at some gathering. It’s not my scene and I really hope I never get nominated.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Sullivan won the World Snooker Championship in 2020 but failed to finish in the top three for SPOTY, prompting him to claim that he would never take the award. “I won\u2019t ever get that one,” he said. “I don\u2019t know why. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll be in the hunt. I don\u2019t think so. It\u2019s not one I want to win. I\u2019m not bothered about awards, trophies or accolades.”<\/p>\n
O\u2019Sullivan relived the biggest moments of his career during a Eurosport Seventh Heaven Show, in which he spoke at length about his frustrations having not won SPOTY. \u201cI can\u2019t think of any other British sportsman that\u2019s been as successful as I have,” he said last year. “There probably is one but I can\u2019t quite think of one.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> Snooker star Mark Allen blasts ’embarrassing commentary’ after winning title[INTERVIEW] <\/strong> Ronnie O’Sullivan blasted by Scottish Open opponent over ‘disrespect’ before tie[REACTION] <\/strong> Ronnie O’Sullivan withdraws from Scottish Open due to ‘medical reasons'[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cBreaking the major record, 21 majors, equalling Stephen Hendry\u2019s seven world titles, I think that resonates with people. I\u2019ve been around a long time and the British public have supported me really, really well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be nice [to win SPOTY] but obviously I understand that there are other sportspeople out there that maybe come ahead of me in the popularity stakes. It\u2019s probably more of a popularity contest and what type of sport you play.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was a golfer or a tennis player, I would probably have won it seven or eight times. 10 times! But I\u2019m not, I\u2019m a snooker player, so it probably doesn\u2019t get the recognition as other sports do.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He insisted that the Beeb would \u201cfind a reason\u201d not to give him the award even if he had an unbeaten year in snooker. \u201cIf it was taken on your achievements for what you do in the sport, I would have probably won it a few times by now,\u201d O\u2019Sullivan added.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo to not even get in the reckoning, I sometimes question what is the BBC Sports Personality? What does it stand for? If I can\u2019t win it at least three or four times with the career I\u2019ve had, then it probably doesn\u2019t matter what I do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could probably win every tournament, not lose a match, make 12 maximums and they would still find a reason to not give it to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of think what\u2019s the point of entering a race that you can\u2019t win? So I don\u2019t pay too much attention to it because I can\u2019t think of any British sportsman that has dominated their sport, been as successful at their sport as I have. I\u2019m trying to figure out why I don\u2019t fit in. It\u2019s OK, it is what it is. I don\u2019t feel any less of a player or a sportsman because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n