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[Aileen]

Thing is - and Redgrave is a good example of this - many of the population don't really follow tennis and don't understand the magnitude of what he's achieved, of how difficult it was to obtain or how incredibly hard he's worked and devoted his life to this.

Andy should win it for the way he's responded to being knocked down time and time again. Wimbledon was the worst, yet just a month later he came back to trounce the same man who ended his dream for the 3rd time, and then another month later he beat the other guy who had ended his dream to finally win that elusive Slam.

But people don't realise this - how unbelievable the other top three are, how incredibly hard - almost impossible - it is to break past them, how Andy has not just put himself on their level, but above them (which would be indisputable had he just taken one of those match points in Shanghai). It's an unbelievable achievement.

But most people just see that he's won a couple of big tournaments, good on him, Federer probably tired/not trying, etc. Whereas they see Wiggins as achieving something no other Brit has ever done. Yet he's had the help of an entire team dedicated towards him and tonnes of money splashed to get the best riders on his team.

So in my eyes, and ok I am biased, Andy's achievements far outweigh anything any other British sportsman has even come close to. He's not just won a gold medal (and a silver!) he's bounced back from an almost inhuman amount of setbacks, almost entirely on his own, to win the biggest title there is to win, whilst beating the best guys in the world to do so. But as Wiggins is more popular (almost entirely down to being English - I believe that Andy's football joke is the main reason for the petty 'hate' from those too dull to be able to think for themselves using any form of rational thought), he will probably win it. And it will be a joke. But I'm sure, given all that he's achieved, that Andy won't care that much in all honesty. We all know the magnitude of these achievements, and now the entire tennis world knows that he's to be feared. This year is just the start.

..apologies for the mammoth post.

No need to apologise MH, I agree with every word of it.   Also I don't think it will trouble Andy either.  Apart from anything else, he knows within himself what he has achieved and what he has had to go through to achieve it, and that must give him great personal satisfaction.  Shanghai was so unfortunate.  If only he had served an ace when he had the chance on one of those MPs ... but there will be plenty more such opportunities in the future that he won't let slip.

[ProdigyEng]

Just spam vote for Andy this year.

[colin]

I agree with MadHatter and Aileen on comments here about Andy. Cycling last year and it looks like it again this year for SPOTY. I hope it does not come back to haunt the BBC if in a few years we find that the Lance Armstrong legacy has not yet been eradicated from that sport (Road Cycling).
Andy has a good chance of winning SPOTY next year when he picks up the trophy at Wimbledon.

Wow what an insinuation! You might like to read Bradley Wiggin's blog explaining why he could never dope, written before he won the Tour de France. It includes this:

"If I doped I would potentially stand to lose everything. It's a long list. My reputation, my livelihood, my marriage, my family, my house. Everything I have achieved, my Olympic medals, my world titles, the CBE I was given. I would have to take my children to the school gates in a small Lancashire village with everyone looking at me, knowing I had cheated, knowing I had, perhaps, won the Tour de France"

[Alis]

Andy will win it next year when he has two more major titles in his bag and the world number 1 ranking!

[Alis]

It's ironic that in a normal year anyone of the nominees would probably be a sure fire winner.  This year it really comes down to a popularity contest - which probably means Andy will lose out - but whoever wins will be a worthy winner.  I agree with those that say Andy won't be too bothered about it but it would be nice for him to know that he has the acclamation of the British public, particularly after all the flack he takes from some quarters.

[Littlebuddha]

Andy will not win but he deserves to. Maybe he could be the Scottish sports personality of the year. Apart from playing tennis he is a good representative for the game. When and if his new tennis centre is up and running he will receive recognition for all the work he has done for tennis in this country.

[*Sparkle*]

There are so many deserving people this year, that I'm sure each and every one of the twelve nominees would be a worthy recipient.  I think the winner will come down to what sports the voters rate the most, and simple stuff like how many people were tuned into the tv at the time.  Mo Farrah's first gold was watched by a massive audience, thanks in part to Jess and Greg's victories attracting and holding the audience.  Jess's victory happened over hours, so he audience was growing, during the day, but Farrah's victory was much less certain, so the reaction to him crossing the line first was more intense.

Wiggins got a lot of attention for the final stages of the Tour de France, and because they decide the winner before it actually finishes, there is a whole day of high profile celebration and photo opportunities for journalists and spectators to get their teeth into.

Andy's story of going from Wimbledon finalist under great scrutiny, to Olympic gold medalist, while the nation was in a state of euphoria, to keeping a lot of people up until the wee small hours for his US Open win was a genuine roller-coaster ride.

Up until now, I don't think Wiggins has had any negative press.  I can't say I follow him closely, but tabloids seem to like his blokeyness, while the broadsheets admire his achievements.  There was a story in today's Mail, suggesting Wiggins has been putting some of his earnings into a dodgy tax dodge scheme.  I've no idea if the article was fair or accurate, but I have noticed that it's not been picked up by other news sources in the same way that previous celebrity tax dodging scandals have been.  This might be because they'd decided it's a non-story, or that tax stories are boring, or simply that Wiggins is too much of a national hero for them to risk a witch-hunt.

This isn't the time or the place to discuss the merits of other likely nominees, but it does bug me that Andy has had a lot more scrutiny, and unfair and wrong press, than any of them.

[IonaRed]

Wiggins isn't a doper. GB cycling as a whole is the best Cycling nation, and that's down to the hard work and dedication of all the team, which includes the technical staff finding the best ways to improve bikes, and the cyclist themselves putting in 100%

I think we have a lot to be proud of when it comes to GB cycling. However, I'm not sure how anyone can say for certain that ANY sports star isn't doping.