A staple in the run-up to Christmas is settling down for another yearly round-up of sporting triumphs, montage after montage, romanticising the world of British sport in poignant reflections and commemorations.

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards illustrate the transformational power of sport. It’s a perfect time to take stock and recognise those individuals who understand that it is so much more than just a game at play.

The raw emotion of those sportspeople reminds us of the beauty of many sporting journeys, of ordinary people blessed with a talent to do extraordinary things. Yet, their platform has always come with a responsibility – a responsibility to inspire, as well as entertain.

“Lumps in the throats of those boys’ idols, who dare to be vulnerable and open… have more of an impact than can be measured.”

So many stories in sport, being one of the few places where class is often embraced and not demonised, also serve to affirm John Lennon’s assertion that “a working class hero is [indeed] something to be”. These journeys offer the precious commodity of hope and a symbol of progress – whether it’s Chloe Kelly’s from the cages of West London to the cathedral of Wembley, or Luke Littler’s from his Warrington home to Ally Pally.

Sport cannot be divorced from the society it is played in. This is one of the key messages of the ceremony, for all the criticisms of ‘sticking to sport’, it has never been more important for sportspeople to be role models and advocates for issues away from the game.

The Secretary of State for Health has declared a “crisis of masculinity” as young men increasingly struggle to navigate their way during an evolution of masculine roles in society, and so many boys look up to athletes as a role model. Thus, lumps in the throats of those boys’ idols, who dare to be vulnerable and open, who advocate in the absence of justice, have more of an impact than can be measured.

The initiatives of the Premier League and other sporting bodies over the last decade are welcome: recent partners include the Men’s Health Strategy and the Together Against Suicide campaign, as well as the ‘Enough.’ Campaign to End Violence Against Women and Girls. However, it is incumbent too on individual athletes to take up the mantle, influence their followers positively where others beyond the sporting arena seek to exploit issues off the pitch and negatively define ‘success’.

“We need our sporting class to unashamedly offer that desperately needed hope.”

Thierry Henry’s reflections brought a perfect moment during this year’s awards ceremony, with his children on stage, whom he dedicated and gave his ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award to. With a choking emotion he spoke of what they’d taught him, above all how to be a “more vulnerable man and … have empathy”. The Arsenal legend’s willingness to be vulnerable flies in the face of pessimistic masculine ideals which are being pushed in other quarters.

The fathers of two of the girls killed in last year’s Southport attacks also displayed how sport has an incredible power to heal, to ignite hope where it may have seemed impossible. Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe collected the Helen Rollason Award (given for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity) for their London Marathon run to raise funds for a playground in memory of Alice, Elsie and Bebe.

I write in the hope that these stories receive more coverage and gain greater standing, and that acts of leadership that don’t just end with the donning of an armband are encouraged. Increasingly, there are sportspeople opening up about and advocating for action on issues of mental health, racism, homophobia and misogyny. I feel even greater weight needs to be given to their advocacy, to combat the strengthening counter-forces they wish to defeat.

However, it feels as though the great sporting personalities – individuals who spoke out just as they played, with their hearts on their sleeves – may be lost in them becoming brands themselves. There appears to be too much calculation or timidity in the management of people, whose ‘outbursts’ seem too few and far between, and it’s assumed to be right to keep things that way.

Amidst a rising tide of hate and fear, we need our sporting class to unashamedly offer that desperately needed hope. It was refreshing to see the likes of Eric Cantona continue his advocacy just this week in seeking to get Together for Palestine’s charity Christmas single to number one; an individual whose reputation precedes him, but whose values drive him.

“Acts of leadership that don’t just end with the donning of an armband are [to be] encouraged.”

The Lionesses and Red Roses were also highlighted throughout the ceremony, as they both took their respective international stages by storm this year, and their stories are inspiring women across the country as pioneers in their own right. Sir Alex Ferguson also knew that his days organising workers in the shipyards of Glasgow were integral to his skills as one of the greatest football managers of all time, invoking that Glaswegian grit many times throughout his career.

The most inspirational sporting personalities have that quality: to go onto ‘greater things’ but never forget where they began, how they got there, and what they’ve had to overcome. They are at their best when they are bold. The great Muhammad Ali put his story in this context: “I know I got it made while the masses of black people are catchin’ hell, but as long as they ain’t free, I ain’t free.”

We need more sportspeople to acknowledge a moral responsibility in remembering, and advocating for, those younger versions of themselves; to be a guiding light for young people who may feel lost in despair – it is needed now more than ever.