NOMINATIONS | Gurgler 2020 Person of the Year

2020 has been a truly awful year, as highlighted by our 2020 Jerk of the Year nominations, but to ensure this website is not drowning in cynicism we have nominations open for the Gurgler 2020 Person of the Year.

The Person of the Year is a tradition of the website, this year being the seventh edition, and as you can tell from the list of previous winners below the Person of the Year is not a mainstream selection, nor is it a human being very often. Sometimes, human don’t deserve it.

2020 is no different to the nominations of previous years, most are favourites of the website or we are celebrating those who made the year a little bit better in a quiet way. Celebrating the lesser lights. Some are return nominees, because they still provide much joy, and joy is what we needed most in 2020. That and a vaccine and a Trump-less USA. The end of the year did bring promise for some.

As with other years ultimately the readers select the 2020 Gurgler Person of the Year from our list. As ever Vote Early Vote Often.

PREVIOUS PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNERS

It is a pretty eclectic mix our Person on the Year nominations, so you should see the previous winners list.

2019 – BANDIT from BLUEY

2018 – SBS WORLD CUP COVERAGE & GREG NORMAN

2017 – FARMER from SHAUN THE SHEEP

2016 – CHARLES STRUNK

2015 – WILLIE MINOGA

2014 – REGGIE THE RABBITOH

GURGLER 2020 PERSON OF THE YEAR VOTING

Vote below for as many or as few of the 2020 Person of the Year nominations you can be bothered with.

2020 GURGLER PERSON OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS 

A quick run through of who and why in case you are wondering about the Person of the Year nominations.

ADEBAYO AKINFENWA

Whilst not an all-time blockbuster sports story, the tale of Wycombe Wanderers getting promoted to the second tier Championship in UK Football was a good feelgood sporting story for 2020.

The Chairboys, as they are sometimes known, had one of the smallest budgets in recent history to move up to the second tier, where a stack of former Premier League teams awaited. This is after the season ended early because of Covid and average points was worked out to finish the top six teams for playoffs. Wycombe were outside of the playoffs places as the season stopped, but were launched into the top six when average points was decided.

They got lucky then, but won their way through to the final and won the big show v Oxford Utd. Up to the second tier they went. That’s not long after they were promoted from the fourth tier.

At the heart of all the good things was one of football’s great personalities – Adebayo Akinfenwa. Whose back story for 2020 is interesting. 

A few years ago the strongest man in football helped get then fourth tier team AFC Wimbledon promoted to the third tier. But “The Beast”, as he is known to many fans, was told by the Wimbledon hierarchy that he wasn’t going to be sticking around for the next season. Not good enough for the third tier it seemed.

So here he is a few years later playing for a second tier Wycombe after being well good enough for the third tier. The new season sees him doing a decent job. Always rating highly in the Who Scored player ratings, despite Wycombe’s lowly position.

But best of all from Akinfenwa in 2020 was his now quite-famous post match interview. It is gold, and you must watch below. Best sporting interview of the year. For sure.

GREG NORMAN

We can hear the groans from here, more Greg Norman from this website.

But Greg offers so much, and asks for so little in return.

His social media offer #MondayMotivators, #WorkoutWednesdays, and he even had enough time to lay down a sensible four point plan to combat Australian bushfires from the other side of the world.

The below sent the internet in a spin a few weeks ago. On the back of his now infamous nude photo shoots that we all enjoyed. Too much.

Just to prove he is human, he got Coronavirus, and was still upbeat despite suffering badly. His F*** Covid advice is as sound a summary as we’ve heard this year.

The only cross for 2020 was supporting Trump in an interview with local news. He thinks Trump has done a great job. Our Jerk of the Year voters think otherwise.

But we think there’s more coming from the Great White Shark, with his involvement in the upcoming TV show Holey Moley, which promises It’s a Knockout crossed with Mini Golf and Greg Norman. 2021 is looking better already.

GARBOS

Whilst lockdowns in some area of Australia weren’t as bad as other areas, or other places around the world, most have had some form of lockdown in 2020.

At the height of lockdown you looked for anything to find joy with. One thing was rubbish.

There was the dressing up to take the bins out, highlighted by this Facebook page, which was an outstanding idea.

But for us, it is those tireless workers in the big trucks picking up our crap on the same day every week regardless.

And in 2020, they had to work extra hard on Recycling Bin week. For one reason or another.

Every bin, every week, they picked up the rubbish with their usual style and seemed to grow in enthusiasm with the extra audience of some excited kids watching on. Always a wave to the excited crowd, and usually a honk of the horm to go with it.

They loved it. We loved it.

So a 2020 Person of the Year nomination is the least we can do.

HEALTH WORKERS

OK, so Garbos did an excellent job in 2020, but in the grand scheme of things around the world, Health workers of all levels, skills, passport and personality should all be equally saluted.

They have probably worked harder than anyone on the planet during 2020, most in a workplace that they would probably rather swap with the Garbos.

As if it isn’t hard enough to deal with Coronavirus, and the playing of God to decide between patients who get treatment, and working longer hours than ever is protective equipment that makes that twice as hard, they are abused as well. Even in some cases by people who die of the disease not long after.

The UK stood outside and clapped each night for them, but we’ll settle for a Person of the Year nomination to show out appreciation. 

JEFF/JUDY etc – THE ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED THE RULES

2020 has seen some of the worst side of humanity, and much has been made of the people who protested about masks, lockdowns, 5G and everything. That includes the keyboard warriors and amateur social media commentators and infectious disease experts. All of these such types are up for 2020 Jerk of the Year by the way….

But what about the silent majority who did what they were told, for the benefit of everyone to try and take Coronavirus down. 

The ones who went against the usual Australian way and dobbed on the selfish idiots breaking the rules.

The ones who just rolled with the punches, did the home schooling without moaning about it to Facebook or their parents group.

The ones who worked harder than ever during 2020 trying to balance work and home and family life, doing more hours than ever before as they were working through the pandemic. While others who got nearly as much money to do nothing complained because they were bored of Netflix already.

These are people who aren’t exactly heroes like Garbos and Health Workers, or maybe they are. 

These are people called Jeff and Judy, and are our next inclusion for the 2020 Person of the Year.

PETER V’LANDYS

So this man didn’t save lives, but he did save rugby league, and the Australian sporting scene really by grabbing the sport by the scruff of the neck and getting the game restarted in May. Which seemed truly fanciful at the time, but like a lot of things V’Landys did in 2020, he was right.

Not only did he get the game underway well before most other sports around the world, but he even had time to change some rules, most of which worked and ironed out some annoying picky things that previous NRL decision makers could only dream of.

Well, if they weren’t so weak or incompetent. 

Hell, previous NRL chairmen could tell the different between Newcastle or Barcelona. Though Messi would look good in a Knights jersey.

A rare commodity these days. A competent sports administrator. And the return of rugby league was so welcome by most rugba leeg fans. With the possible exception of Brisbane Broncos fans and Peter Fitzsimmons.

MARCUS RASHFORD

Most Premier League football players are too selfish and rich to care about much else than football, but Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford took on the UK Government over free meals for the poor of Manchester and across the nation.

Showing a love of humanity that far exceeds the usual footballer code of conduct, and showing maturity beyond his years, he got his way too, despite the occasional gem from social media.

It hasn’t stopped him scoring goals either, especially recently in the new Covid affected season.

Although, his goals are for Manchester United, so he is nominated for the taking on the government for Person of the Year.

THE OCEAN BREEZE SKATEBOARDER

2020 hasn’t brought much joy. Especially from the internet where a lot of celebrities in million dollar houses felt the need to tell the rest of us in far smaller accommodation to chill out and do the right thing. The second or third Zoom concert had us hating the internet and news more than usual. Or it was filled with conspiracy theories or even worse drivel on social media.

Normally a guy drinking Ocean Breeze on a skateboard lip synching to Fleetwood Mac would produce a groan and a pffft, but for some reason this tickled our fancy for it seemed genuinely innocent and enjoyable. Perhaps 2020 has lowered the standards for entertainment.

Of course it was ruined by others trying to copy it, worst of all celebrities (except for Fleetwood Mac band members), but for a little period of time he brought some joy.

That small window is enough for a Person of the Year nomination for this website.