Rory's Grow-The-Game Award Goes To A Billboard Driver
/Talking to The Guardian's Ewan Murray about the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award that had yet to be handed out, Rory McIlroy saw his likely win as a chance to reset the golf-is-for-old-people discussion.
Talking about his hopes for winning for a golf world (apparently) clamoring for its first BBC award since Faldo in 1989...
“So it’s understandable, but at the same time it would be a great thing for golf if I was to win. It would transcend across all sports and not just stick to the golf community.
“It could be an inspiration to young kids to pick up a set of golf clubs and go and play. It would be a huge honour for me but I think it would be a pretty big thing for golf.”
McIlroy's hopes for the award, voted on by the public, were dashed as Professional Billboard Driver Lewis Hamilton was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY). Hamilton won by 86,000 votes in a 620,932 vote poll, so the British public is not as smitten with young McIlroy as the various scribes, players and Twitterers who took to social media to condemn the vote.
Lot of angry people on my timeline... Unfortunately as long as SPOTY continues to be a public vote then this will continue to happen! #Rory
— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) December 14, 2014
Obsolutely ridiculous that @McIlroyRory has not won Sports Personality 2014. Huge respect to @LewisHamilton but come on.
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) December 14, 2014
Obsolutely ridiculous that @McIlroyRory has not won Sports Personality 2014. Huge respect to @LewisHamilton but come on.
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) December 14, 2014
However, continuing the driver theme, the people voted European Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley Coach of the Year.
And if it's any consolation for Rory, the Daily Mail said you looked handsome as you walked the red carpet.
**James Corrigan is mad as hell and suggesting Rory should not take a ticket to the BBC awards ever again!
If I was McIlroy I would not bother turning up again. He does not need it, certainly not for his ego. Hamilton turned up at the Glasgow Hydro with his dog. McIlroy turned up with the responsibility of being No 1 in his sport. Golf is struggling with its participation levels and McIlroy saw an opportunity to spread the gospel to a wider audience.
But no, it seems that this wider audience prefers fast cars to a sport in which integrity is at its core. It seems that this wider audience do not grasp the fact that Hamilton essentially had one serious rival to beat on his way to the world title, while McIlroy had at least 70 serious rivals, as well as so many more invariables, to conquer on his way to becoming the first European golfer to win three different majors.
