The BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year awards are heading to Belfast’s SSE Arena on the 20th December. But there is public outcry about one of the twelve shortlisted candidates.
Of course the title of the show includes the word personality, but is merely based on the individuals up for the top awards sporting prowess during the year and has little to do with the actual personability and personality of the individual concerned. Therefore on sporting prowess Tyson Fury who recently won the World Heavyweight boxing title.
However, last month, and not for the first time, he made homophobic remarks. In an interview with The Mail on Sunday he said:
“There are only three things that need to be accomplished before the Devil comes home. One of them is homosexuality being legal in countries, one of them is abortion and the other is paedophilia. So who would have thought in the 50s and early 60s that those first two would be legalised.”
Earlier in 2012 he had tweeted “dont like gays should all b shot dead.”
But it is not just the LGBT community that are up in arms with Fury although there are only three women on the short list he has made misogynistic comments about one of their number, Jessica Ennis-Hill. When asked about her he said:
“That’s the runner, isn’t it? She’s good, she’s won quite a few medals, she slaps up good as well. When she’s got a dress on she looks quite fit.”
Three years ago when Jess was last nominated a fellow nominee was fboxer and Olympic gold medalist Nicola Adams. But when asked about female boxers Fury added:
“I’m all for it. I’m not sexist. I believe a woman’s best place is in the kitchen and on her back. That’s my personal belief. Making me a good cup of tea, that’s what I believe.”
Fury’s comments are so outmoded that he doesn’t deserve to be considered a personality in the 21st Century. In the same year that Jose Morinhio allegedly made sexist comments about his team’s doctor the last thing the BBC should do is honour a homophobic, misogynist boxer whose views offend many sports people, fans and members of the public.
LGBT Lib Dems Northern Ireland 