"Award Ceremony Ridiculed"... Controversy Over Excluding Fitzpatrick from Player of the Year Award

BBC excludes major champ Fitzpatrick from Player of the Year nominees
Historically unkind to golfers, raises issues with Rose and Poulter

Matt Fitzpatrick

[Asia Economy Reporter Seohee Lee] Matt Fitzpatrick (England), the winner of this year's US Open, was excluded from the BBC's annual Athlete of the Year award nominees. Golf stars such as Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood (both England) raised concerns about this issue.

On the 22nd (local time), the BBC announced that the 2022 Athlete of the Year was Beth Mead (England), a female football player. The BBC Athlete of the Year award is so prestigious in the UK that it is often called the 'Academy Award of the sports world.'

Mead is a forward who led her team to victory at the European Women's Football Championship last July. She scored 6 goals, earning both the top scorer and Most Valuable Player awards. Having previously received the BBC's Best Footballer award and UEFA's Player of the Year award, Mead's eligibility for this award was generally accepted.

The issue lies in the exclusion of Fitzpatrick from the Athlete of the Year nominees. The nominees this year included Mead, the winner, as well as Ben Stokes (cricket), Eve Muirhead (curling), Ronnie O'Sullivan (snooker), Jessica Gadirova (gymnastics), and Jake Wightman (athletics).

Many sports stars and golf fans raised concerns over the fact that Fitzpatrick, who became the first British golfer in 9 years since Rose in 2013 to win a major golf tournament, was excluded.

In the past, the BBC Athlete of the Year award has been notably unfriendly toward golfers, causing controversy. The last golfer to receive this award was Nick Faldo (England) in 1989. Ian Poulter (England), who won all four matches in the 2012 Ryder Cup, was also excluded from the nominee list, sparking controversy.

Rose, who won the 2013 US Open, expressed his displeasure on his social media, saying, "Have you forgotten Fitzpatrick's US Open victory this year?" A reporter working for the American sports media 'Sky Sports News' indirectly criticized the unfairness of the nominee selection by saying, "Try to win at least two major tournaments next year, Fitzpatrick!" Poulter also sarcastically remarked, "The BBC has made the US Open a very ridiculous tournament."