Marcus Rashford has emerged as a genuine force for good off the football pitch.
The Manchester United striker has been spearheading a free school meals campaign to ensure that schoolchildren do not go hungry throughout half-term.
He forced a governmental U-turn earlier this year, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson provided food vouchers for some of the poorest families in the country after Rashford’s campaign won public support.
The 22-year-old is, per The Daily Mail, the bookies’ favourite to win the Sports Personality of the Year award but he is facing a remarkable disappointment.
They report that he is set to miss out on the prize because the criteria states that it must reflect “sporting achievements”
The BBC, who run the award, are wary of a possible backlash if they do not honour Rashford and there is the possibility that he may win the Helen Rollason Award instead, which is for “outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.”
There is also the possibility that the BBC could announce the shortlist on the day of the prize-giving in order to avoid any widespread public backlash.
F1 star Lewis Hamilton is another potential winner but Rashford seems to have won the public vote already.
A decision will be made over the shortlist next month, when a panel of judges meet to make their decision.
Rashford may not be included on it, though.
In football terms, he has endured a mixed start to the season, scoring twice in the Premier League and once in the Champions League, but United’s results have been poor.
Apart from their win over PSG – when Rashford scored the winner – United have yet to have a truly eye-catching result of their own, barring the 3-1 and 6-1 defeats to Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
That may ultimately bar him from winning the prestigious prize.
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
No, sorry, but this is a nonsense.
Rashford has been on a quest of social justice and has used his sporting platform for genuine good.
If he weren’t a footballer, his campaign simply wouldn’t hold the same weight.
And that surely qualifies him to win Sports Personality of the Year.
Hamilton has been excellent in his own sport but, ultimately, he’s been driving a car quite quickly around a track; Rashford has been attempting to end child hunger in Britain.
This isn’t a contest.
The United striker should be winning the award hands-down.