COMMENT: Sports Personality of the Year? No, SportsMAN of the Year

Yesterday, the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year was announced. It's always a talking point between sports fans (as the Americans might say, a "water cooler" topic) and there's always some surprises about who has been included on the list. The 2011 shortlist, however, is more likely to be the topic of heated debate because of who it excludes.

There isn't a single woman on the 10-man shortlist despite the UK having a couple, at least, of noteworthy world champions and other successes.

What has gone on?

Now, I'm. Or one for insisting that there HAS to be a woman otherwise it's sexist (that sort of nonsense should be left with bigots like Harriet Harman) but there are very strong arguments for a couple of women to have been included on the shortlist and very weak arguments to support the inclusion of some of those who made the cut.

The shortlist, which the public can then vote on during the live show in December, includes 2 cricketers, 3 golfers, 2 athletes, a boxer and a tennis player.

There's two questions that list screams to me:

1. Does any sport REALLY justify more than one entry?

2. Why the boxer and tennis player? After all, Amir Khan and Andy Murray have had, what I think it's fair to describe as, journeyman years - achieving little that stands out or deserve major credit.

So, which women should or could have been included?

Well, there's the gymnast Beth Tweddle who won a third consecutive European gold at the bars; there's Sarah Stevenson the taekwondo world champion; and there's Rebecca Adlington returning to winning form during 2011; and I'm sure there are others who've achieved as much in their field as the names on the published shortlist.

The BBC insist the list isn't THEIR list. It's drawn up by consulting the editors of 30 publications, national press, regional press and magazines. Maybe it shouldn't just be editors of publications but organising bodies of sports? Or maybe it needs a wider pool of ideas - 30 is, after all, fairly limited.

In its defence, I guess it avoided having any footballers or rugby players in a year of disappointments. And I, personally, am pleased that no jockeys are listed - animal abuse has no place in sport.

Here is the shortlist (in alphabetical order). I think nobody should vote in protest at the nonsense that this list demonstrates.

*Mark Cavendish (Cycling)
*Darren Clarke (Golf)
*Alastair Cook (Cricket)
*Luke Donald (Golf)
*Mo Farah (Athletics)
*Dai Greene (Athletics)
*Amir Khan (Boxing)
*Rory McIlroy (Golf)
*Andy Murray (Tennis)
*Andrew Strauss (Cricket)