MY VIEWS in this blog will no doubt rile many sporting observers. I'm sure I will be accused of ignorance and disrespect, amongst others. That said, I'd be failing if I wasn't, wouldn't I?

The controversy will arise when I call into question why a jockey has been awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.

Tony McCoy was presented with the prestigious gong on Saturday evening – to save any argument about the accuracy of the award's title, let's just call it what it is, the sportsman of the year award – to the delight of horse racing lovers across the country.

He is the first jockey to win the award, and a glance at his achievements suggests he is a worthy winner. He has ridden a galloping steed to victory more than 3,000 times in a glittering career spanning almost 20 years, which has seen him widely regarded as the greatest jump jockey to date. Among his achievements is being named the British jump racing Champion jockey 14 years in succession, winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, a bunch of races with the names of royalty attached, and the crowning glory, the Grand National, which he won this year for the first time in 15 attempts while mounted on Don't Push It.

To add possibly the greatest sporting statistic I've ever come across into the mix, McCoy has ridden over 13,000 races, which equates to a distance of more than 31,000 miles. To put that in to perspective, that is the equivalent of riding 1.25 times around the earth.

Why, then, would I be so reluctant to hand AP McCoy the sportsman of the year award for 2010?

For the same reason that no jockey has won it before; that there are plenty more sports out there that require far greater skill and expertise than sitting on a horse and whacking it with a whip.

Here's the ignorance part. Evidently, I am no fan of horse racing. The annual flutter on the gee-gees when the Grand National comes around aside, I have no interest nor extensive knowledge on the sport.

Here's what I do know: if the horse is slower than the other horses, that horse will not win, no matter who is attacking it from above.

Yes, I'm well aware that jockeys need to be in tip-top condition to ride a horse over tough jumps. They also need to be light, obviously - a fat lad on a fast horse is not going to win the race. They need to be confident, have exceptional balance, be mentally and physically strong and know how to handle the horse. But the fact remains, the horse is the one running the race. Point them in the right direction, give them the right amount of encouragement and, if they are faster than the other horses, they will win.

That may encompass the disrespect part. Although, I can assure you, I mean not an ounce of it. There can be no doubting that McCoy has established himself as the finest jockey of his generation and his achievements are unparalleled in the sport.

However, if you stand him alongside someone who swings a golf club for a living and has come back from the brink at number 275 in the world to topple the greatest player in the sport's history, as well as leading a European team to a stunning Ryder Cup victory, then I'm afraid there is simply no comparison.

Lee Westwood, for my mind, should have claimed the sportsman of the year prize for a quite brilliant comeback in one of the most demanding of all pursuits.

To knock the seemingly insurmountable Tiger Woods off his number one perch – irrespective of his recent off-course problems – is a huge feat, whichever way you look at it.

Westwood has been a picture of magnificent consistency over the past two years, and the only trophy now missing from his cabinet is that elusive major triumph.

For those who would argue Westwood does not deserve such recognition because he has not performed on the big occasion should really take a look at the stats.

The Worksop player was second in two of the four major championships – The Masters and The Open – in 2010 but, arguably more importantly, was the fulcrum of Europe's Ryder Cup triumph over the United States at Celtic Manor.

He set the tone alongside Martin Kaymer and then Luke Donald in two of the opening three sessions, taking two points, as well as halving another in the second session. While he lost his singles match in an epic affair against Steve Stricker on the final day, Westwood was imperious throughout and was the rock around which captain Colin Montgomerie built his team.

Take nothing away from McCoy. He is clearly superb at what he does. But when you factor in the circumstances that have surrounded Westwood's fall and rise to the summit of the game, combined with his outstanding contribution to the world's premier team sporting event, he really is 2010's sportsman of the year.