The ESPYS is the unofficial Oscars of the modern sports world. Since 1993, professional athletes have been praised for their achievements in their respective sports in a touching ceremony which traditionally aims to celebrate not only athletic prowess but exceptional character as well. Moving speeches are typically given every single year. However, this year's ESPY awards began with the most admirable, moving speech that I have ever witnessed.

"The Brotherhood" decided via group text to begin the ceremony with a speech calling on all athletes to use their voices to speak out against the troubling amount of violence which is currently tearing apart the nation. In the wake of several recent high-profile shootings in Dallas, Baton Rouge, Orlando, and St. Paul, it is more important than ever for professional athletes to use their voices to evoke urgency out of their fans. In a sports world so dominated by social media, even bench players have hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Even if a no-name posts something controversial, it makes the news. The Brotherhood understands this well; Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James understand this power well.

Carmelo spoke first and delivered a striking opening statement. "The system is broken, the problems are not new, the violence is not new, and the racial divide definitely is not new, but the urgency for change is definitely at an all-time high." Chris Paul spoke second, adding, "Generations ago, legends like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali... Arthur Ashe and countless others set a model for what athletes should stand for. So we choose to follow in their footsteps." Dwyane Wade followed the Clippers superstar, emphatically proclaiming, "The racial profiling has to stop... the endless gun violence has to stop." LeBron concluded, "Let's use this moment as a call to action for all professional athletes to educate ourselves, explore these issues, speak up, use our influence, and renounce all violence... We all have to do better."

Carmelo Anthony has never won an NBA championship. He is constantly scrutinized for being a high-maintenance player, for never passing to his New York Knicks teammates, and for being greedy with his contract negotiations. Chris Paul has never won an NBA championship either. In fact, he has never even played in a Conference Finals series. So much for his talent-packed team with Blake Griffin, JJ Redick, and Deandre Jordan. Dwyane Wade is being criticized more than ever for his recent decision to leave the Miami Heat after contract negotiations with owner Pat Riley failed. After a storied 13-year career with the Heat which resulted in 12 All-Star game appearances, seven All-NBA Team selections, and three NBA championships, Wade elected to join his hometown Chicago Bulls for $47 million over two years over the Heat's offer of $40 million over two years. And, of course, LeBron James is no stranger to attacks from the media and the NBA fan base. Throughout his entire career, James has been called soft, selfish, and cocky. He now has three NBA championships under his belt but still can't escape the immense amount of hatred from so many NBA fans.

Yet, in spite of these players' alleged flaws, they represent everything that is right with modern professional athletes. In the wake of so many innocent black men dying, cops being shot, and racial divide skyrocketing more than our generation has ever seen, the voices of the famous are louder than ever. For as much as everyone loves to make fun of pro athletes and criticize everything they do, high-profile champions like Anthony, Paul, Wade, and James really are wonderful people.

Carmelo Anthony is one of the most charitable athletes in the world. He is a spokesman for several organizations, has donated to countless causes, and has an extremely successful foundation which provides a number of services for at-risk and disadvantaged youths.

Chris Paul is a devout Christian and also runs an extremely successful foundation, which provided a number of benefit programs for Louisiana residents affected by Hurricane Katrina. He has worked closely with NBA legend Magic Johnson to reach out to a number of causes in the Los Angeles community as well.

As a rookie in 2003, Dwyane Wade founded The Wade's World Foundation, which offers support to community-based organizations which seek to promote education and health for at-risk children. He also manages a host of other outreach programs in Chicago and Miami. He consistently visits dying children in hospitals in private to avoid media spotlight. In 2009, surprised the owner of a local library in Robbins, Illinois with a $25,000 check in order to keep it from being shut down.

As the face of the NBA, LeBron James is, perhaps, the greatest of them all in regards to philanthropic efforts as well as social activism. He has been notably outspoken in the aftermath of several deaths mentioned by Chris Paul in his speech, including the likes of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice, all victims of police brutality. In addition to countless donations to various causes throughout his career, James announced he would partner with the University of Akron to provide full, four-year scholarships for 2,300 students. He paid full tuition costs for 2,300 students.

All of these athletes are heroes. Some will say that it is easy for these players to be so generous when their annual salaries surpass $20 million, not to mention large checks from endorsements and appearances. What is so important about their actions, however, is the influence that each good deed has. In spite of so many innocent deaths and so much racial tension, the sports world is making rapid advances in the way that it affects the social climate of the United States. More and more high-profile athletes are beginning their careers by founding their own philanthropic organizations. They are beginning to use their social media accounts more and more to speak out against injustices. Now, they have even taken it upon themselves to stand before national audiences on television to demand change. It is not only a call to their fellow pro athletes, but to everyone; it may be impossible for us to put an end to the violence and tension on an individual basis, but what is more noble than doing all that we can to speak out against it? Professional athletes serve to entertain audiences in the sports world, but in this day and age, they also serve to be role models for the younger generations of the sports world.

I see this opening series of speeches at the ESPY Awards as a wake-up call for not only the sports world but the entire United States. "The system is broken," as Carmelo Anthony said. Our situation is bad--disturbingly bad. Why do we all hate each other so much? Why are so many innocent black men being shot? Why do we discriminate against homosexuals? Why do we not do more with our lives to evoke social change in our respective communities? Take this touching moment from the 2016 ESPY Awards as a wake-up call for yourself to do more. "We all have to do better," as LeBron said.