The Bbc Should Remove Homophobic Tyson Fury From Sports Personality Of The Year Shortlist Petition By Scott Cuthbertson

[DTCwordfan]

Yes or No?

125000 have signed the petition.

For those of you who want to sign, http://www.change.org/p/the-bbc-should-remove-homophobic-tyson-fury-from-sports-personality-of-the-year-shortlist

[Baldric]

Lifestyle choice isn't exactly inaccurate either

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/lifestyle-choice

[pixie374]

I can't see any plus points anywhere, then, Vulcan...

[ichkeria]

No, he should not be withdrawn and I sincerely hope he isn't
Regardless of his views, which are appalling, he's there for his sporting achievement of becoming a boxing world champion (in fact at least three titles in one go, although I see one has already gone!)
I wouldn't vote for him as
1) I find him pretty obnoxious and 2) I have no interest in professional boxing.
So I disagree with Matthew Syed in the Times who has urged people to vote for him just to make a point. People should certainly be allowed to vote for him, but I hope they do it for sporting reasons and no other.

[Cloverjo]

He's not meant to be a role model, he's a boxer. Why do we try to hold sportspeople to be shining beacons of sainthood? They're evidently not, and nor should we expect them to be.

[Togo]

John Curry wasn't withdrawn for being a contentious role model. Differences of opinion only count in one direction though I suppose.

[mikey4444]

Signed....he also said women should be "on their back"

What a charmer !

[DTCwordfan]

Khandro, I saw this and am on the middle, his comments on women were totally misogynist though.....

[ichkeria]

One thing Matthew Syed points out is that Muhammad Ali, someone I admire greatly, at the peak of his boxing powers had views on women and white people which made Tyson Fury look like an avant-garde liberal
Ok, changed times these days: Ali has long since recanted, and in the goldfish bowl all famous people live in now everything is much more blatant.
Nonetheless I do deplore the mania nowadays for petitions like this, which I think are a sort of "secondary picketing".

[bazwillrun]

Of course he could have just been saying a lot of what he did to just to wind people up, exactly as it has with the regular "i love to be offended" brigade on here....seems to have worked atreat..no surprise there

[Cloverjo]

I agree he's said some despicable things, but calling for the BBC to take him off the list is drawing too much attention to him and will make people vote for him in retaliation, as Matthew Syed of The Times is calling for.
I think Greg Rutherford is miffed that he hasn't had too much recognition for holding all the major titles in long jump and knows he won't win.
I wouldn't vote for Fury anyway, as I hate boxing , and Andy Murray is on the list.

[mikey4444]

Its been suggested on here that Fury is not Einstein and is "only a boxer" and as such can't be held responsible for what he says.

Why ?

He is world sporting champion and therefore should be aware that what he says will be broadcast. He knew exactly what he was saying but went ahead and said it anyway. His ethnic status of being a "gypsy" is neither here nor there.

[Togo]

I wonder if everyone who would like to sign it have decided not to because these petitions always get leaked. The travelling community would no doubt like a list of signatories.

[ummmm]

BBC should remove 'personality' from the title.

[ummmm]

Togo - lol - I very much doubt they give two hoots.

[ichkeria]

"The travelling community would no doubt like a list of signatories. "

Well that would keep them busy then

I find myself, however, applauding Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, for just revoking the honorary degree they - inexplicably - awarded Donald Trump.

[andy-hughes]

I did hear an interview with Mr Fury where he qualified the statement about women being 'in the kitchen or on their back' and he was at pains to point out that he was referring to his own domestic situation, and not suggesting that he was offering a set-up for anyone else to live by.

The problem with the contest is its title. If you refer to a 'personality' - then you will get people like Mr Fury who speak without thinking because that have no inkling of how the press will use anything they say against them.

Most media personalities have media training, and advice on what to say, and when to keep quiet - Mr Fury is still a newcomer to this nonsense.

Better would be to call it 'Sports Achievement' because then it will be on ability, rather than 'personality' because the phrase 'sports personality' is often an oxymoron.

A word to Mr Fury - fame is like a barbed-wire treadmill, you need to learn exactly how to run on it, or it will cut you to pieces.

[Togo]

What no lucky heather?^^

[Togo]

//I did hear an interview with Mr Fury where he qualified the statement about women being 'in the kitchen or on their back' and he was at pains to point out that he was referring to his own domestic situation, and not suggesting that he was offering a set-up for anyone else to live by. //

andy hughes They don't want to hear that. The baying pack is in full chase and howl mode.

[ichkeria]

I don't think what you call it makes the slightest difference.
He's on a list and that is that.
The BBC are partly to blame for all this. They never had a list until a few years ago, and they could avoid all this grief by reverting to the previous format where you could vote for anyone, and most people chose a simple fisherman :-)