‘Rea should be in the running for BBC’s SPOTY this year’
Our man reckons Rea deserves a top spot on BBC’s SPOTY
Iheard they have changed Sports Personality a bit this year in a bid to stop what happened with Jonathan Rea last year when he came second? That’s wrong, isn’t it? I usually get an invite and go along, it’s a great night but sometimes I’m sat in the crowd wondering who some of the nominees are. I don’t mean it disrespectfully, it might be a swimmer who has won millions of medals but I don’t follow the sport so I don’t know who he is. He’s obviously brilliant at what he does and I sit there and respect it, so I don’t understand
‘HE’S A CHAMP. HE’S NOT COME THIRD, OR GOT A BRONZE MEDAL’
why people can’t do the same with Jonathan.
He’s a World Champion. He’s not finished third, or got a bronze medal. He’s the most successful guy at what he does, so why shouldn’t he be on sports personality?
I think it’s because of the perception that motorbike racing is dangerous. I just don’t get it, you can get hurt in a load of sports; horse riding or downhill skiing. What is the problem with bikes?
He finished second last year because he got so many votes. I was sitting there with Hutchy, cages on our legs, full of painkillers, and we were cheering for him louder than anyone in the room as he rode in on his Kawasaki. It was brilliant entertainment and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be in the running for it this year. Lewis Hamilton can’t even be arsed to turn up but Jonathan was there on stage promoting our sport and giving it everything he had. So what if there were a load of people in Northern Ireland voting for him? Of course they would… even if ex-racer Greg Lavilla did call him ‘uncharismatic’.