Just as actors have Oscars and musicians have Grammys, British sportsmen and women have SPOTY awards – that is, the Sports Personality of the Year awards presented by another acronym, the BBC (that is, the British Broadcasting Corporation). Think ESPYs for British citizens or residents, but with four more decades of history. There are seven categories – best team, coach, youth athlete, etc. – but the top honor of the night is SPOTY itself, which is decided by popular vote.
The inaugural SPOTY, in 1954, was won by Christopher Chataway, a long- and middle-distance runner, who that year broke the world record for 5,000 meters; The most recent SPOTY, a year ago, was won by Keely Hodgkinson, also a sprinter, who won Olympic gold in the 800m at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
Distinguished sportsmen have won the award 19 times; next on the list are Formula 1 racers with eight wins, followed by tennis and soccer stars with seven titles each.
Only two golfers have won the honor: Dai Rees in 1957, when he led Great Britain and Ireland’s Ryder Cup team to victory over the Americans, and Nick Faldo in 1989, when he won the Masters and three times on the European Tour. In 2016, when England’s Danny Willett stunned the golf world and won the Masters, he finished last among the 16 SPOTY finalists, earning 0.3% of the vote. When Georgia Hall of Dorset, England, won the Open Championship two years later, she didn’t even get on the ballot. Likewise Matt Fitzpatrick (the pride of Sheffield!) in the wake of his US Open victory in 2022. This perceived disregard led England’s Ian Poulter to tweet his disdain for the SPOTYs, calling the organisation’s “complete disregard” for Fitzpatrick’s achievement a “farce and a joke”.
And then there’s Rory McIlroy, who, yes, has had a banner few years of his own.
In 2014, McIlroy won the PGA Championship and the Open Championship – and this high praise from Jack Nicklaus: “I think Rory has an opportunity to win 15 or 20 majors or whatever he wants to do if he wants to keep playing.” Sadly, British sports fans felt that McIlroy was still not worthy of SPOTY glory, despite being the 6-1 bookies’ favorite to triumph. Instead, it was F1 racer Lewis Hamilton’s night. When Hamilton accepted the award, he had a message for McIlroy: “I really didn’t expect it because, mate, you’ve had such an incredible year.”
If McIlroy took second place in stride, his peers did not. “Funny,” Poulter tweeted. Noted Luke Donald, also at X: “A lot of angry people in my time.”
McIlroy was again shortlisted for a SPOTY in 2023 (after a season in which he won twice, had three top-7 finishes in majors and went 4-1 in the European Ryder Cup) but caused a minor stir when he chose not to attend the ceremony or provide any video commentary. “Every time I saw the results, I forgot I was nominated,” McIlroy said at the start of 2025. “So that’s how much I think about it. It’s a popularity contest. It’s not like it used to be.”
And in 2025?
Yes, McIlroy, no surprises in his wake monster yearis a finalist again. Pebble winner. Winning players. Masters winner. Career Grand Slam champion. Covered by Irish Open, Ryder Cup and DP World Tour Championship titles. The stuff of dreams. Legendary stuff. But enough for a SPOTY?
This will be decided on Thursday, at the awards ceremony in a brilliant space near Manchester, England. McIlroy said British golf writer James Corrigan that this time he plans to be in attendance, saying, “I have a better chance of winning if I’m actually there, and I understand that with the audience that’s drawn to the show it can only be a good thing for the game. With a sly smile, he added, “I think if I don’t win this time, I never will.”
His competition: England footballers Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly; rugby star Ellie Kildunne; darts player Luke Littler; and F1 driver Lando Norris.
McIlroy is the heavy betting favorite, but is the smart money on him?
