2013 ESPY's

The ESPY's are held once a year, it's an award show dedicated to sports hosted by ESPN.  On Wednesday, July 17th, 2013 ESPN hosted the 20th annual ESPY awards ceremony in Los Angeles at the Nokia Theatre.  In attendance were athletes from all sports, past and present with opening monologue jokes being directed at LeBron James and the Miami Heats' hair lines to Dwight Howard finally helping the Lakers by switching teams.  A band named Vintage Trouble entertained guests during commercial breaks and allowed the home audience tidbits of their performances as the show continued.  Below I've documented this years nominees and award winners in each category.  The winners are chosen by a fan vote taken on ESPN.com.  The host was Jon Hamm.  Here is the video of his opening monologue.

Best Breakthrough Athlete:

Nominees: 

Russell Wilson - NFL

Mike Trout -MLB

Colin Kaepernick - NFL

Yasiel Puig - MLB

Johnny Manziel - NCAA FB

Winner - Colin Kaepernick

Best Comeback Athlete:

Nominees:

Buster Posey

Adrian Peterson

Mariano Rivera

Peyton Manning

Winner - Adrian Peterson

Best Game:

Nominees:

Ravens vs. Broncos (NFL Playoff Game)

Bruins vs. Maple Leafs (Game 7)

Heat vs. Spurs (Game 6 NBA Finals)

Winner - Heat vs. Spurs (Highlight footage below)

 

Best Record-Breaking Performance:

Nominees:

Drew Brees - Consecutive games with a Passing Touchdown (47 games was the record)

Abby Wambach - Breaks Mia Hamm's scoring record

Michael Phelps - Most decorated Olympian ever.

Calvin Johnson - Most yards receiving in a single season.

Winner - Michael Phelps

Arthur Ashe Award for Courage Winner (Presented by LeBron James) - 

Robin Roberts, a woman that has faced adversity first as a female story teller in a world of story tellers that only allowed men.  The world of sports broadcasting.  Then she began a cross over adventure into news broadcasting with "Good Morning America".  However she also faced illness starting with breast cancer, then a rare form of leukemia.  During her fight against cancer she lost her mother, the story is simply overwhelming.

Her Journey:

 

Here is her acceptance video:

Best Female Athlete:

Nominees:

Gabby Douglas

Serena Williams

Missy Franklin

Brittney Griner

Winner - Serena Williams

Behind the scenes other awards were handed out, such as:

Best Male U.S. Olympian - Michael Phelps

Best Male College Athlete - Johnny Manziel

Best Female College Athlete - Brittney Griner

Best Upset Winner: Florida Gulf Coast University over Georgetown

Best Moment Winner: Jack Hoffman (Video below)

Best Male Athlete: 

Nominees:

Adrian Peterson

Miguel Cabrera

Michael Phelps

LeBron James

Winner: LeBron James

 Here is Jimmy Valvano, Jimmy V's famous speech.  There was a tribute from the winners and other celebrities recreating this speech during the 2013 ESPYS.

Here is the Tribute:

Here is the video for this year's winner of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance; the Hoyt Family.

Best Play:

Nominees:

Ray Allen - 3 Pointer to win Game 6 of the NBA Finals  

Jadeveon Clowney - Hit vs. Michigan

Khalil Edney - Cross Court game-winning 3 pointer

DeAndre Jordan - Amazing Dunk

And the winner:

Jadeveon Clowney - Hit vs. Michigan

Best Team:

Nominees:

Ravens

US Women's Gymnastics

Giants

Oklahoma Softball

Heat

Alabama Football

Blackhawks

Here is the Winner:

The Miami Heat

There were also comical moments scattered throughout the awards show, here they are. 

 If you love sports the way I do, these players, plays, and teams are well deserving of their awards.  I don't always see eye to eye with how the NBA, MLB, and NHL operate, but I can't deny the hard work, dedication, and time these individuals and teams put into their respective crafts.  Thank you for reading my blog.