What You Need To Know About Sports Most Fashionable Night - The ESPYs
Athletes ditch their uniforms for couture this Wednesday, July 20.
The ESPYs are like the Golden Globes – you get the best of both worlds. It's the one night of the year when athletes and celebrities gather to celebrate their achievements in the world of sports while giving us the summer red carpet we've all been missing.
Here for the championship-level fashion,
The Last Night's Game Team
1. Typically, the awards show takes place on a Wednesday in July after the MLB (Major League Baseball) All-Star Game, referred to as "Black Wednesday." That's the one day a year where there are no live sports, although as sports have evolved over the year, that's not entirely true, but close. There is one morning WNBA game on the day of the ESPYs, Wednesday, July 20, but all other major professional sports are off. SO CLOSE
2. Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors (NBA - National Basketball Association) is the host of this year's ESPYs in Los Angeles. Presenters include Lindsey Vonn, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jon Hamm, Ciara and Billie Jean King.
3. The list of nominees includes household names like Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, NFL (National Football League) quarterback Joe Burrow, Olympic figure skater Nathan Chen, MLB (Major League Baseball) star Aaron Judge, WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) star Candace Parker, Olympic track and field veteran Allyson Felix and international soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé, among many others. After upsetting fans by not inviting best college player nominee Aliyah Boston to the event (and others), ESPN said the new, smaller venue and COVID-19 healthy restrictions impacted invites, which only went out to the athletes who will receive awards during the main broadcast. BIG NIGHT OUT
4. Although the ESPYs are always hosted by ESPN, the name actually stands for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award. Unlike the Oscars, where you've never heard of most of the movies, the fans get a say in who receives some of the awards like the best athlete in women's sports, best game and best team. EVERY VOTE COUNTS
5. ESPN can put together a video package that'll pull at your heartstrings while leaving you inspired, and the awards at the ESPYs are no different. Here's a quick summary of each of the major awards:
The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance will go to Dick Vitale, the ESPN college basketball broadcaster now recovering from cancer.
The Arthur Ashe Courage Award will go to Vitali Klitschko, former boxing champ and currently mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine's embattled capital city. (Also ex of actress Hayden Panettiere).
The 2022 Pat Tillman Award for Service will be presented to author, athlete, and retired Army Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans.
That's What I Want
It's not all sunshine and roses for Ronaldo, coach buys beer to fill the stands and the hire that makes us happy.
Who is ready for the weekend?
So close, yet so far away,
The Last Night's Game Team
SOCCER
Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Manchester United seemed all sunshine and roses, thanks to Instagram. But behind the scenes proves otherwise. After only three weeks, the Ronaldo family moved into a new mansion because the local sheep kept them awake. And it turns out he's having a more significant impact on his team than thought. Ronaldo is such a health nut that his teammates are afraid to eat dessert in front of him at team meals. GUESS THEY'RE NOT GOING FOR SECONDS EITHER?
Overtime
The Milwaukee Bucks (NBA - National Basketball Association) have made a historic hire. The defending NBA champions named Lisa Byington as their new play-by-play TV announcer. This hire makes Byington the first woman to serve as a full-time TV play-by-play announcer for a major men's professional sports team. LOVE TO HEAR IT
Sideline stat
It's been a rough go for live sports TV ratings over the past year or so, but it seems like the NFL (National Football League) is headed in the right direction. They saw a seven percent increase in viewers in their opening week over last season. Those 17.4 million viewers remain the highest viewership numbers since 2017. MOVING ON UP
COACHES' CORNER
Portland State football hasn't had a win yet this season, but their head coach devised a plan to fill the stands despite the rough start to the season. Bruce Barnum offered to buy "all the beers" for fans who drop his name at the beer garden in the stadium. This offer seems like a great deal since tickets to the game start at $10. COLLEGE DREAMS COME TRUE
We Choose You
The sporty affair that'll make your jaw drop, break out the spandex - it's Le Tour time and the soccer player who stepped up for 1.7M children.
Thanks for waking up with us three times a week. We hope we make your day a little brighter and the small talk a little easier.
Thank you for being a friend,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS – Remember, if you have any feedback, questions or something you want to learn about, reply to this email and let us know.
Tour de France
If you’re looking for motivation to jump on the Peloton this weekend, turn on the Tour De France, which starts on Saturday. Here's a fun fact about the tour. Until the 1960s, it was common for participants to drink alcohol to numb the pain. Despite its 'healing power,' alcohol was later banned because it's a stimulant. This 21-day race with only two days of rest will make your 30-minute HIIT class looks like a breeze. SADDLE UP
Overtime
This week, retired Chicago Cubs (MLB - Major League Baseball) player and former World Series MVP Ben Zobrist filed a lawsuit against Byron Yawn, his former pastor who was allegedly having an affair with Zobrist’s wife, Julianna. Yawn provided the couple with marital counseling and worked with Zobrist on his depression and anxiety while carrying on the alleged affair. Unbeknownst to Zobrist, he hired Yawn to be the executive director of his foundation, which is where the lawsuit comes into play. There won’t be a happy ending for anyone, but this story is far from over. SO MANY SECRETS
Sideline stat
Manchester United (European soccer) star Marcus Rashford spent the pandemic concerned with how the children in his country would eat. He rallied Parliament to provide support for children who received free lunch. After failing the first time, he raised millions of dollars for the cause and then on his second try, he successfully secured a $556 million grant to provide meals into 2021, impacting the lives of 1.7 million children in the UK. Rashford will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2021 ESPYS on July 10. Rashford was also recently named to Time's Top 100 List for his advocacy work on homelessness and child hunger. GOOD GUY ALERT
Coaches’ corner
It’s been a day or two since Ted Lasso (aka Jason Sudekis) and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) announced the Olympic roster for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. But if you need a smile this Friday morning, it’s worth checking out. EXPERT OPINION