An evening full of laughter and strong messages: many athletes gather in Hollywood for the ESPY Awards – and take the opportunity to campaign for social issues.
Olympic, NBA and Super Bowl champions: Numerous athletes and other celebrities converged on Wednesday evening at the ESPY Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California. These are awarded annually by the media group ESPN for the best athletes in the USA.
As part of an award ceremony, both individual sporting best performances and team successes during a calendar year are recognized. These prizes have been awarded since 1993. Up until 2004, viewers, sportswriters, pundits, athletes and ESPN personalities determined the winners. It has been voted on online since 2005.
A night full of laughter and emotional moments
This year, Golden State Warriors NBA player Stephen Curry hosted the awards ceremony. In addition to the traditional opening monologue, he also performed several skits, including a musical number.
In addition to many other spectacles and laughter on the evening, many champions also use the award to draw attention to social problems and to campaign for them. Some of the issues raised included women’s rights, cancer research, mental health awareness, and calling on the US to bring WNBA star Brittney Griner home from her detention in Russia.
