Arthur Ashe Courage Award

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award (sometimes called the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage or Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award) is presented as part of the ESPY Awards. It is named for the American tennis player Arthur Ashe. Although it is a sport-oriented award, it is not limited to sports-related people or actions, as it is presented annually to individuals whose contributions "transcend sports".[3] According to ESPN, the organization responsible for giving out the award, "recipients reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost".[1] The award was presented as part of the ESPY Awards ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles from 2008 to 2019.[4] The 2020 ESPYs ceremony was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Ashe Award being one of the few awards presented, and the 2021 ceremony was held in New York City.

Arthur Ashe Courage Award
Awarded for"reflect[ing] the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs"[1]
LocationThe Rooftop at Pier 17, New York City (2021)[2]
Presented byESPN
First awarded1993
Currently held byVitali Klitschko
WebsiteOfficial website

The inaugural award, made at the 1993 ESPY Awards, was presented to the American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster Jim Valvano.[5][6] In 1993, ESPN partnered with Valvano to create the V Foundation which presents the annual Jimmy V Award to "a deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination."[7][8] Suffering from cancer, Valvano gave the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage Award acceptance speech which "brought a howling, teary-eyed Madison Square Garden to its feet".[9] Valvano died two months after receiving the award.[9] Although the award is usually given to individuals, it has been presented to multiple recipients on seven occasions: former athletes on United Airlines Flight 93 (2002), Pat and Kevin Tillman (2003), Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah and Jim MacLaren (2005), Roia Ahmad and Shamila Kohestani (2006), Trevor Ringland and David Cullen (2007), and Tommie Smith, John Carlos (2008), and survivors of the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal (2018). The accolade has been presented posthumously on five occasions.

The award has not been without controversy: in June 2015, ESPN's announcement of Caitlyn Jenner as the recipient of that year's Arthur Ashe Courage Award led to significant criticism among online commenters and some members of the media,[10] with Bob Costas calling the decision to give Jenner the award a "crass exploitation play".[11] Many critics of the Jenner award considered Lauren Hill, who played college basketball despite suffering from a brain tumor that would claim her life only a few months later, a more worthy recipient. Others cited Noah Galloway, an Iraq War double amputee who competes in extreme sports and was also a finalist in the 20th season of Dancing with the Stars in 2015, as a worthy candidate.[12][13][14]

The 2022 recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award was Vitali Klitschko.

Recipients
Key
† Indicates posthumous award
Arthur Ashe Courage Award recipients
Year Image Recipient(s) Notes Ref(s)
1993 Jim Valvano Jim Valvano American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster, died from adenocarcinoma [6]
1994 – Steve Palermo Major League Baseball umpire paralysed from the waist down after attempting to prevent a mugging [15]
1995 Howard Cosell in 1975 Howard Cosell Journalist, creator of ABC SportsBeat, the first serious investigative sports journalist program [16]
1996 – Loretta Claiborne Multi-sports Special Olympics athlete [17]
1997 Muhammad Ali in 2006 Muhammad Ali Boxer, an example of racial pride for African Americans and resistance to white domination during the civil rights movement. [6]
1998 Dean Smith in 2007 Dean Smith College basketball coach for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill [18]
1999 Billie Jean King in 2016 Billie Jean King Tennis player, campaigned for equal prize money in both men's and women's tennis [19]
2000 - William David Sanders† High school sports coach killed defending students during the Columbine High School massacre [20][21]
2001 Cathy Freeman in 2008 Cathy Freeman Track and field athlete, first Indigenous Australian person to become an Olympic Games gold medallist [22]
2002 Flight 93 National Memorial Todd Beamer†
Mark Bingham†
Tom Burnett†
Jeremy Glick†		 Athletes onboard United Airlines Flight 93 (National Memorial pictured) who tried to reclaim control from the hijackers [20]
2003 Pat Tillman in 2003 Pat Tillman (pictured)
Kevin Tillman		 Pat was an American football player who played for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL, his brother Kevin a Minor League Baseball player; both enlisted, forgoing their sporting careers [20][23]
2004 George Weah in 2019 George Weah Association footballer who became a UN Goodwill Ambassador [24]
2005 – Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
Jim MacLaren		 Yeboah brought attention to disabled people in Ghana, himself with a deformed leg, by cycling across the country. McLaren became a successful triathlete after having his leg amputated. [25]
2006 – Roia Ahmad
Shamila Kohestani		 Championing girls' and women's sport, specifically the Afghan women's association football team [26]
2007 David Cullen in 2008 Trevor Ringland
David Cullen (pictured)		 Members of PeacePlayers International which uses basketball to unite and educate children [27]
2008 Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 1968 Tommie Smith
John Carlos		 Olympic track athletes, medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics, who gave the Black Power salute on the podium [28]
2009 Nelson Mandela in 2008 Nelson Mandela South African President, his presentation of the 1995 Rugby World Cup to Francois Pienaar was described as "an iconic moment in sports history" [29]
2010 – Ed Thomas† High school American football coach, shot and killed by a former student [20]
2011 – Dewey Bozella Boxer, wrongly imprisoned for 26 years [30]
2012 Pat Summit in 2008 Pat Summitt College basketball coach with, as of 2018, the most wins in NCAA basketball history, retired with early-onset Alzheimer's disease [31]
2013 Robin Roberts in 2010 Robin Roberts Broadcaster, increased awareness in bone marrow donation through public coverage of her own illness [32]
2014 Michael Sam in 2008 Michael Sam American football player, first publicly gay player to be drafted in the NFL [6]
2015 Caitlyn Jenner in 2015 Caitlyn Jenner Former Olympic track and field athlete and transgender television personality [33]
2016 Zaevion Dobson† Fifteen-year-old American football player who used his body to shield three girls from a drive-by shooting [20]
2017 Eunice Kennedy Shriver Eunice Kennedy Shriver† Founder of the Special Olympics [6]
2018 The Fierce Five in 2012 Survivors of the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal
(The Fierce Five pictured)		 Over 300 girls and women, mostly gymnasts, including but not limited to Rachael Denhollander, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, and Maggie Nichols, who survived the abuse of Larry Nassar, spoke out about and shined a light on sexual abuse in sports, and demanded change and accountability [34]
2019 Bill Russell Bill Russell First African American coach in NBA history, a role he held while also continuing to play [35]
2020 Kevin Love Kevin Love Advocacy for and openness about mental health [36]
2021 Maya Moore Maya Moore Walked away from basketball to help free a wrongfully convicted man. [37]
2022 Vitali Klitschko Vitali Klitschko Showed great courage and bravery by defending Ukraine as a soldier along with his brother Wladimir Klitschko and was vocally critical of Vladimir Putin, using his position of mayor (longest serving Mayor of Kyiv) to do so. [38]
2023 – United States women's national soccer team Fought for equal pay. [39]

See also

References
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  2. "Actor-producer Anthony Mackie named host of the 2021 ESPYS". ESPN. June 16, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  3. Jenkins, Nash (July 15, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner at the ESPY Awards: 'It's About What Happens From Here'". Time. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  4. "Microsoft Theater Tickets". Microsoft Theater. Archived from the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  5. Smith, Gary (January 11, 1993). "As time runs out". Sports Illustrated. p. 10. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016.
  6. Czachor, Emily Mae (July 13, 2017). "Celebrating 25 years, the ESPYs have become more than a sports awards show". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  7. "Eric LeGrand receives Jimmy V Award". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  8. "V Foundation". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  9. Czachor, Emily Mae (July 13, 2017). "Celebrating 25 years, the ESPYs have become more than a sports awards show". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  10. Falzone, Diana (June 3, 2015). "Anger over Caitlyn Jenner being chosen over Lauren Hill for ESPY courage award". Fox News. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  11. "Bob Costas slams ESPN over Caitlyn Jenner ESPY courage award". Fox News. June 10, 2015. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  12. Moyer, Justin Wm. (June 16, 2015). "Why some critics don't think Caitlyn Jenner deserved the Arthur Ashe Courage Award". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  13. Schilken, Chuck (June 4, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner, Noah Galloway or Lauren Hill: Who should get the ESPY?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  14. Falzone, Diane (June 3, 2015). "ESPN criticized for rewarding Caitlyn Jenner over cancer-fighting hoopster". New York Post. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  15. Snyder, Matt (May 14, 2017). "Former MLB umpire Steve Palermo dies at age 67". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  16. Sandomir, Richard (February 17, 1995). "Sports of The Times; A Celebration Of Virtuosity That Is Cosell". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  17. Cavenagh, Lauren K. (December 15, 2016). Winnick, Joseph P.; Porretta, David L. (eds.). Adapted Physical Education and Sport (6th ed.). Human Kinetics. p. 153. ISBN 978-1-4925-1153-3. LCCN 2015048232. Retrieved November 5, 2017 – via Google Books.
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  19. Lamphier, Peg A.; Welch, Rosanne (January 23, 2017). Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection. ABC-CLIO. p. 161. ISBN 978-1-61069-602-9. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017 – via Google Books.
  20. Payne, Marissa (June 6, 2017). "ESPYs to honor Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver with posthumous courage award". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  21. Miller, Jeff (April 19, 2009). "Coach remembered on anniversary of Columbine tragedy". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  22. "Cathy Freeman selected as Arthur Ashe Award winner". ESPN. February 6, 2001. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  23. "Tillman brothers to receive Ashe Award". ESPN. July 1, 2003. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  24. "Weah to receive award in US". BBC Sport. June 14, 2004. Archived from the original on June 16, 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  25. Dylan, Jesse (March 30, 2009). The Good Life with Jesse Dylan: Redefining Your Health with the Greatest Visionaries of Our Time. John Wiley & Sons. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-470-15694-0. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017 – via Google Books.
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  27. "ESPY winners unite kids divided by Belfast conflict". ESPN. July 4, 2007. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  28. Rhoden, William C. (August 25, 2008). "Contributing to the Struggle With Grace and Dignity". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  29. "Mandela named Ashe Award recipient". ESPN. June 15, 2009. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  30. Onwuazor, Chudi (October 21, 2011). "Dewey Bozella's one and only shows Bernard Hopkins the way to go". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  31. Quinn, Sam R. (July 12, 2012). "Pat Summitt: Arthur Ashe Courage Award Is Great Honor for Legendary Coach". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  32. Scott, Nate (July 17, 2013). "Robin Roberts wins Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  33. Lutz, Tom (July 15, 2015). "Caitlyn Jenner accepts courage award: 'If you want to call me names, I can take it'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  34. "Larry Nassar Sexual Assault Survivors to Receive Arthur Ashe Award For Courage At ESPYs". Sports Illustrated. May 16, 2018.
  35. "Bill Russell will receive the 2019 Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs". Boston.com. May 30, 2019.
  36. "All the 2020 ESPY Winners That Have Been Announced, Including Kevin Love and Boxer Kim Clavel". People.com. June 18, 2020.
  37. "WNBA legend Maya Moore to be presented with Arthur Ashe Courage Award at 2021 ESPYS". ESPN.com. June 28, 2021.
  38. "Kyiv Mayor And Boxer Vitali Klitschko Wins ESPY's Arthur Ashe Award For Courage". huffpost.com. July 21, 2022.
  39. "USWNT to receive Arthur Ashe Award at ESPYS for equal pay fight". ESPN. June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.

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