We really shouldn't be surprised at how the BBC has ignored the opinions of over 135,000 people who want the Boxer Tyson Fury removed from the BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist. In a very different scenario not too long ago they completely ignored a huge proportion of license payers calling for Jeremy Clarkson not to be removed from the BBC's biggest show, Top Gear. This was for a personal infraction with a producer which no one even knew about until Clarkson owned up to the Beeb himself. But no, this outrage was ignored and Clarkson was fired and the BBC has lost millions of pounds resulting in less made television for license payer's money. They made a principled stand by sacking Clarkson and many thought they were right but surely in the face of this man's appalling behavior this now this looks very much like double standards? Or is it that the BBC don't like being told what to do?This is a public Corporation funded by taxpayers for God's sake and yet it acts has if it is an independent and private enterprise working completely under its own weirdly warped, politically correct volition. It advances on relentlessly in its problematic stumbling, apparently unhearing and certainly unheeding of the views and opinions of many of its subscribers.
Fury, as angered or offended almost every normal, well adjusted and reasonable person in the country with his ignorant rant which was first expressed in an interview with The Mail on Sunday in November. It included Fury's theory that; "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."
I know, I don't know what is worse, him for saying it or that deplorable, inciting rag for publishing it. In any case it is preposterously reductive language, offensive to a very wide and sweeping proportion of the country and anyone using such foul, fascist rhetoric should not only be instantly removed from any list of Sports People to be decorated with an award, BY OUR PUBLIC SECTOR BROADCASTER, but almost certainly be considered to be brought forward by Police for prosecution. I'm sorry to come on so strong about this but Boxing is my sporting passion and to have its once valiant and noble image dragged through the mud by this imbecile is bad enough but salt is rubbed in the wounds when the supposed backbone of British Broadcasting does and says nothing in response to a vitriolic campaign to remove this person from a list of prolific sporting candidates who are meant to be examples and role models for young people. It is truly beyond the pale. Look up the definition of this term if you like, it means beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior, it further means; unacceptable, unseemly, improper, indiscreet, unsuitable, irregular, unreasonable, intolerable, disgraceful, deplorable, outrageous, scandalous, shocking, insupportable, objectionable, offensive and distasteful. I find the kind of language used by Mr Fury to be all of the above and so do most decent and respectable people. How many adjectives have I or others got to use before the BBC listen?!?
Anyway, there is a better and more considered article on this subject on the Huff Post by the originator of the petition to get fury off the SPOTY list, Scott Cuthbertson, that you might want to read. His diction is less angry and more measured than mine-but only just.
You can sign the petition on the link below. Please do and let's all let this guy know he can't abuse such a position in sports to denigrate other people.