I admit, I don't understand the ESPYs (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly awards, for those that don't know). The event seems like a big deal, and ESPN spends a lot of time trying to make me care, but it just doesn't work. Perhaps its that I know it was taped days ago, or perhaps its that I feel winning the championship is all the award atheletes need, or perhaps its my dislike for the meshing of sports and Hollywood. That being said, I would not want the ESPYs to go away. It is ESPN's night. A chance for the network to showcase itself alongside the atheletes it feels some need to honor.
There is something very good that comes out of the ESPYs. At the first ESPYs in 2003, Jim Valvano was the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and announced the formation of the V Foundation for Cancer Research with a speach that all ESPN fans know. He passed away less than two months later at the age of 47 after a year long battle with cancer. To date, The V Foundation has donated over $60 million to cancer research. So the ESPYs might come across as self indulgent, but they do serve an important purpose.
To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number 1 is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number 2 is think. You should spend some time in thought. And Number 3 is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."
-Jim Valvano 1993 ESPYs