A whole slew of talented athletes are about to descend on Los Angeles. The 2024 ESPY Awards are taking place tonight at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood (Thursday, July 11) at 8pm ET/PT. Here’s what you need to know and how to catch the show.
A brief history of the ESPY Awards
ESPY stands for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards and was created in 1993 by ESPN. It celebrates all things sports, both the individuals and the teams who play them.
The first man to win Best Male Athlete was Michael Jordan and the first woman to take home Best Female Athlete was Monica Seles. The first team to take home an ESPY were the Dallas Cowboys.
The awards were held in New York City until 1999. The next two years were in Vegas, baby. Beginning in 2002, Los Angeles has had the honor of being the host city.
How are the ESPY Award winners chosen?
This event is unique because players and teams across different sports compete against each other. For example, this year in the Best Female Athlete category, Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson are nominated for their basketball skills, but are up against Coco Gauff in tennis and Nelly Korda in golf. The nominees are picked by the ESPYs Select Nominations Committee. The winners are chosen by fans who vote for their favorite players and teams online.
What’s new with the ESPY Awards this year
Tennis great Serena Williams will serve as this year’s host for the first time ever. The 23-time Grand Slam champion has won 25 ESPY awards, so she’s no stranger to the event.
Audiences can expect to see big names such as Patrick Mahomes and Shohei Ohtani. Viewers might even see royalty. Prince Harry is set to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service. However, this decision has received some criticism. Pat Tillman was an NFL player who enlisted in the U.S. Army after the September 11 attacks.
Harry is being honored for his work as the patron of the Invictus Games. Tillman’s mom, Mary Tillman, has spoken out against this, saying there were more fitting recipients. “I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” she told the Daily Mail. “There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans. These individuals do not have the money, resources, connection, or privilege that Prince Harry has.”
ESPN has defended its position. “ESPN, with the support of the Tillman Foundation, is honoring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, specifically for the work of The Invictus Games Foundation as it celebrates its 10th year promoting healing through the power of sport for military service members and veterans around the world,” a statement explained. “While we understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating.”
How can I watch or stream the ESPY Awards live?
ABC will broadcast the ceremony, so traditional cable subscribers can find it there. If you have an over-the-air antenna and reception, you are also golden.
Cord-cutters also have options among live-TV streaming services, some of which are offering free trials for new subscribers.
DirecTV Stream carries ABC and has a free five-day trial. ABC is also on Fubo and Hulu + Live TV and their free trials are seven and three days, respectively.
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