The characters and narratives are the secret sauces for broadcasters covering sport.
It’s athlete’s stories that give a match more oomph and the casual viewers hooked.
Heroes and villains are vital. And 2022 was full of them.
Let’s go over who we viewed as heroes and villains of sport in 2022 on our podcast season finale.
The Only Sports Show | LISTEN TO OUR FULL AWARDS EPISODE:
NOMINATIONS for Hero of the Year:
STEPHEN CRICHTON
ALEX VOLKANOVSKI
TIM TSZYU
BEN STOKES
ISAAC HUMPHRIES
JAKARA ANTHONY
*There are obviously hundreds of others, but a whole heap of them were nominated for other awards, like Athlete of the Year (eg Sam Kerr & Cam Smith), Moment of the Year (eg Buddy & Ash Barty) Breakout Cult Figure (eg Nedd Brockmann & Andrew Redmayne), etc.
Embed from Getty ImagesJakara Anthony claimed Australia’s only Winter Olympics gold, completely devouring the mounting pressure at the top and slaying the medal run. And what a star she is.
Isaac Humphries became the only openly gay men’s player in a top-tier basketball league; the brave address was a landmark moment in Australian sport.
Ben Stokes made a statement that the ICC should be taking very seriously, retiring from ODI cricket for scheduling concerns.
Tim Tszyu passed his first international test, beating Terrell Gausha in Minneapolis to become the mandatory WBO super welterweight challenger, setting up a spicy new year showdown with Jermel Charlo*
*Tszyu’s scheduled fight with Charlo has since been called off, with the Louisiana native breaking his hand in a sparring session
RELATED: The boxer standing between Tim Tszyu and supremacy
Another of Australia’s combat stars is Alex Volkanovski, who was breathtakingly unbeatable in the Octagon this year.
And Stephen Crichton not only played a key role in the Panthers’ premiership this year, but also helped Samoa progress to the Rugby League World Cup final, an incredible story to cap off the season.
WINNER: Isaac Humphries
NOMINATIONS for Villain of the Year:
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
RICKY STUART
KYRIE IRVING
GREG NORMAN
It takes a lot to upset an entire country the way Novak Djokovic did at the beginning of 2022, sudenly becoming a medical expert and seeking visa exceptions to play in the Australian Open… before ultimately being deported.
Kyrie Irving went full anti-semitic and that’s as much oxygen as we’re going to give it.
Greg Norman is attempting to ‘shake up’ golf with LIV, but he’s all but shattered the reputation he carefully built as a great golfer with a cool nickname. Now he’s essentially the Trump of golf and it’s not great.
RELATED: The sad truth about LIV Golf and its ‘mishmash’ field
RELATED: Opinion: LIV’s glorified exhibition tour will ruin world golf
RELATED: You do you, Cam, but we see straight through your spin
