THE ESPY AWARDS SHOW 2013: HIGHLIGHTS & WINNERS

Photo Credit, Getty Images

It’s that time of year again. With football and basketball in the depths of its offseason and baseball in the throes of the all-star break, many consider this the lowest point in the American sporting season. However, with the annual ESPY awards making their presence known, it was hardly a boring time!

The ESPY’s are an annual event that honor athetes, both team and individual, as well as their accomplishments, for the past year. This year’s show which took place at the Nokia Theatre featured host Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and celebrity presenters including Jack McBrayer (30 Rock), Jay Pharoah (Saturday Night Live) and Jay Z. Honors were given to Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts who received The Arthur Ashe Courage Award and was saluted via video by First Lady Michelle Obama for her public bravery in dealing with a life-threatening blood and bone marrow disease. Actor-Director Ben Affleck presented The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance to father-son duo Dick and Rick Hoyt. The duo has competed in over 1,000 events including 31 Boston marathons. Dick Hoyt pushes his son Rick who has cerebral palsy in a custom made wheel cheer and the duo inspire each other and the nation.

Taking home top individual honors were athletes LeBron James and Serena Williams, the latter of which is somewhat surprising considering Serena’s lackluster performance in the recent Wimbeldon tournament. However, she is still the top ranked player, so the award was given justifiably. Other honorable awards included Jadevon Clowney for Best Play, Michael Phelps for Best Record Breaking Performance and Missy Franklin or Best Female US Olympic athlete.

There are some that say that championships are sufficient recognition for an athlete’s performance. To them I say bunk; there are so many people whose lives are touched and enhanced both by watching professional athletes in addition to their charitable donations to various organizations, that giving them a little something extra for all of their hard work is far from overly rewarding these strong men and women.

For a complete list of winners see below:

Best Male Athlete- LeBron James

Best Female Athlete- Serena Williams

Best Championship Performance- LeBron James

Best Breakthrough Athlete- Colin Kaepernick

Best Record Breaking Performance- Michael Phelps

Best Upset- Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown

Best Game- Heat vs. Spurs Game 6

Best Moment- Jack Hoffman

Best Play Jadeveon Clowney’s big hit

Best Team- Miami Heat

Best Coach/Manager- Rick Pitino

Best Comeback- Adrian Peterson

Best International Athlete- Usain Bolt

Best NFL Player- Adrian Peterson

Best MLB Player- Miguel Cabrera

Best NHL Player- Sidney Crosby

Best Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay

Best NBA Player- LeBron James

Best WNBA Player- Candace Parker

Best Fighter- Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Best Male Golfer- Tiger Woods

Best Female Golfer- Stacy Lewis

Best Male Tennis Player- Novak Djokovic

Best Female Tennis Player- Serena Williams

Best Male College Athlete- Johnny Manziel

Best Female College Athlete- Brittney Griner

Best Male Action Sport Athlete- Nyjah Huston

Best Female Action Sport Athlete- Stephanie Gilmore

Best Jockey- Joel Rosario

Best Male Athlete With A Disability- Jeremy Campbell

Best Female Athlete With A Disability- Jessica Long

Best Bowler- Pete Weber

Best MLS Player- Thierry Henry

Best Male US Olympic Athlete- Michael Phelps

Best Female US Olympic Athlete- Missy Franklin

For highlights from the show, visit ESPN