DISCLAIMER: This article is an opinion of a writer and does not particularly reflect the thoughts and views of The Odyssey Online. It has no intention to offend or insult anyone in any way.
Following the ESPY Awards on ABC Wednesday evening, many opinions arose concerning the Arthur Ashe Courage Award presentation. From comments on national media posts to personal Facebook statuses, both critics and supporters of Caitlyn Jenner shared their thoughts and views of what “courage” means and if Caitlyn truly deserved the award.
In my opinion, Caitlyn Jenner should not have won this award. Regardless of my stance on transsexual and transgender topics (which is irrelevant to this conversation), other nominees fit the description of the award better than Caitlyn did.
The award description states that the award is given to “individuals whose contributions transcend sports” through courageous acts.
Sure, Caitlyn was courageous and an inspiration for people struggling with similar adversities. But can someone remind me of how her contributions transcend sports?
One could even argue that Caitlyn is not even a sports figure. If she no longer wants to be known as Bruce, why tie Bruce’s Olympic accomplishments to Caitlyn?
And how could she talk about such joy and happiness in her life when she was just the cause of a car accident and death of a woman and injury to others? Is that true courage that transcends sports?
One person involved in the car accident even stated, “I find it difficult to understand how the culture we live in can honor a person who is responsible for taking a life and injuring several others with both an award and a reality show. I would hope that someone who seems to greatly value the importance of human existence would be more sensitive to the fact that she ended another person’s life.”
Or what about the hurt she must have caused her family? Bruce married into a family without revealing the truth of his gender issues to them. Imagine the pain they must have felt when they were lied to. Is that true courage that transcends sports?
Noah Galloway had contributions that transcend sports. The Army veteran lost an arm and a leg to a bombing in Iraq while defending our nation’s freedom, but continues to participate in extreme sports, marathons, and Crossfit events, encouraging other disabled people to chase their dreams along the way. He even completed the 58 hour Death Race and inspires people to never take anything for granted.
Lauren Hill also had contributions that transcend sports and was probably the most deserving of this award. Hill was a college basketball player at Mount St. Joseph University who battled with a brain tumor. She played in four collegiate games, scoring five baskets in total while packing out the stadium each game. Hill not only was an inspiration worldwide, but also raised $1.5 million for cancer research through the platform of athletics and her nonprofit organization. She tragically died April 10 of this year.
People may pose the question, “Well does Leah Still deserve her Jimmy V Perseverance award although she is simply the daughter of an athlete?” First of all, the award was presented to both Leah and her father Devon who plays for the Cincinnati Bengals. Also, their award describes “a member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination.” If you listened to Devon’s speech, there was no one more fitting of that description.
Previous winners of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award include cancer survivors, people who died protecting our nation, and others who raised awareness and money and inspired Americans to look at cancer, homosexuality, and true courage in sports in a new light.
If ESPN wanted to make a political statement, they should have done it in a way that does not rob other deserving recipients of their recognition for true courage. So I’ll pose the question one last time– what courageous contributions did Caitlyn Jenner give that transcended sports?
