The Betfair Contrarian: Why Ryan Giggs will be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year

BBC Sports Personality Of The Year / The Betfair Contrarian / 11 December 2009 / Leave a Comment

"Football is the most popular sport in Britain and as Giggs is the sports only player on this year's shortlist, there is no danger of fans' vote being split. There are also few more universally popular British footballers than Ryan Giggs."

The Contrarian already warned [2.04] Betfair favourite Jenson Button back in October not to clear a space on his mantelpiece for the trophy. He can now reveal who will be going home with the prize this Sunday.

Ryan Giggs already has 11 Premier League, four FA Cup and two Champions League winners medals struggling for breathing space in his trophy cabinet. After this Sunday, he will have to find a spot for the BBCs top trinket. Heres why hes well worth backing at [4.0]:

There's a strong case against Button

If you missed the Contrarian's argument as to why favourite Jenson Button will miss out then these are the key points. The frontrunner in the betting has failed to win in each of the last two years, as has the shortlist's Formula One entry (Lewis Hamilton). There is also a widely-held opinion that Button's success owed plenty to the car he was given, so his recent decision to leave Brawn (now Mercedes GP) hasn't been well received, with some critics accusing him of being a money-grabber.

Giggs is the media choice...

For awards voted on by the public, the media portrayal of the candidates has a huge influence and the majority of sports reporters appear to be firmly in the Giggs camp. Over the past week, numerous articles have popped up championing the Welsh winger. The Telegraph has claimed that Ryan Giggs deserves BBC Sport Personality of Year award above Jenson Button while the Western Mail are even more direct, imploring readers to Vote for Ryan Giggs in BBC Sports Personality poll.

...and the beneficiary of an online campaign...

There have been a dozen Facebook groups created calling for Giggs coronation, the most prominent of which was created by BBC-employed journalist Martin Kelner. In comparison, there are only five groups favouring Button, the same number as are supporting third favourite Jessica Ennis [6.6].

He's the only footballer nominated

Football is the most popular sport in Britain and as Giggs is the sports only player on this year's shortlist, there is no danger of fans' vote being split. There are also few more universally popular British footballers than Ryan Giggs; only David Beckham and Jimmy Bullard can compete when it comes to transcending rivalries. Whereas just as many fans would want to stop the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard winning as there would be voting for them, even Manchester United's biggest rivals struggle to find reason to dislike Giggs.

The whole of Wales will be voting for him

After a run of nine consecutive English successes, and six years in which no sportsman from Wales or Scotland made the top three, they have taken turns to provide the last two winners (Hoy and Calzaghe), which suggests that regional pride has surged in the voting in recent years. That could be great news for Giggs, as he is the only one of the Betfair top five not to either hail from or represent England. Proof of his popularity in Wales was provided earlier this week when he won Wales Sports Personality of the Year award.

He's improved since April

When the 36-year-old was named PFA Player of the Year back in April, many claimed that it was undeserved and more a reflection on his performances since debuting in 1991 than in that specific season. However, he has since proven that it was no fluke by earning a Ballon d'Or nomination and his form so far in this campaign has been even better with nine league assists to his name already. He also recently scored his 100th Premier League goal.