December 17th 2024.
For the past 23 years, Gary Lineker has been the familiar face of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony. However, this year's event marked a significant first, with an all-female line-up taking over the hosting duties for the first time in history. Alex Scott, Clare Balding, and Gabby Logan returned to co-present the ceremony at Salford's MediaCityUK, where athletes such as Keely Hodgkinson, Luke Littler, Jude Bellingham, Joe Root, Dame Sarah Storey, and Alex Yee were vying for the coveted prize.
Last year, Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps took home the award, becoming only the second female footballer to do so after Beth Mead. Since joining the presenting team in 2020, former England and Arsenal footballer Alex Scott has been a familiar face on the BBC. The line-up remained unchanged in the three years following her arrival. However, there was one noticeable absence at this year's glitzy ceremony – Gary Lineker. The ex-England striker, who had been the face of the programme for 23 years, stepped down from his role as co-presenter following the news of his departure from Match of the Day at the end of the season.
Lineker's departure has left a void in the line-up, but viewers were still treated to the reunion of Scott, Balding, and Logan as they took on the hosting duties for this year's show. Although Lineker will no longer be hosting Sports Personality of the Year or the weekly Match of the Day programme, he will remain with the BBC until the 2026 World Cup and continue to front their coverage of the FA Cup next year. He will also continue to work on the MOTD Top Ten podcast alongside pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
In March 2023, Lineker's relationship with the BBC became strained after he publicly criticized the government's refugee policy on social media, resulting in him being taken off air. However, he later returned to TV screens after a boycott involving many of his BBC colleagues in support of him during his suspension. But with the appointment of Alex Kay-Jelski as BBC Sport's new director, the corporation is looking to shake things up and freshen up their sporting coverage.
One of these changes includes Kelly Cates joining the new three-person Match of the Day presenting team alongside Logan and Mark Chapman. Cates, who is the daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, will leave Sky Sports at the end of the season to join the BBC. This news comes just weeks after Cates had distanced herself from rumors that she would be taking over from Lineker on the BBC's flagship football programme. With a mix of TV, live matches, radio, and the potential for covering major sporting events, Cates feels content with her current role and is not looking to change it anytime soon.
As for this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, the bookmakers' favorite is middle-distance runner Keely Hodgkinson, who stunned the world with her gold-medal win in the women's 800m at the Paris Games. Darts prodigy Luke Littler is a close second, thanks to his record-breaking performances on the oche. Jude Bellingham and Sarah Storey are considered outsider bets for the prestigious prize, which is decided by a public vote. Along with the main award, seven other prizes will be awarded throughout the evening, including the Young Sports Personality of the Year, the Lifetime Achievement award, and the Team of the Year.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
