The Arthur Ashe Courage Award (sometimes called the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage or Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award) is presented as part of the ESPY Awards. It is named for the American tennis player Arthur Ashe. Although it is a sport-oriented award, it is not limited to sports-related people or actions, as it is presented annually to individuals whose contributions "transcend sports". According to ESPN, the organization responsible for giving out the award, "recipients reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost". The award was presented as part of the ESPY Awards ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles from 2008 to 2019. The 2020 ESPYs ceremony was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Ashe Award being one of the few awards presented, and the 2021 ceremony was held in New York City.
The inaugural award, made at the 1993 ESPY Awards, was presented to the American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster Jim Valvano. In 1993, ESPN partnered with Valvano to create the V Foundation which presents the annual Jimmy V Award to "a deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination." Suffering from cancer, Valvano gave the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage Award acceptance speech which "brought a howling, teary-eyed Madison Square Garden to its feet". Valvano died two months after receiving the award. Although the award is usually given to individuals, it has been presented to multiple recipients on seven occasions: former athletes on United Airlines Flight 93 (2002), Pat and Kevin Tillman (2003), Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah and Jim MacLaren (2005), Roia Ahmad and Shamila Kohestani (2006), Trevor Ringland and David Cullen (2007), and Tommie Smith, John Carlos (2008), and survivors of the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal (2018). The accolade has been presented posthumously on five occasions.
The award has not been without controversy: in June 2015, ESPN's announcement of Caitlyn Jenner as the recipient of that year's Arthur Ashe Courage Award led to significant criticism among online commenters and some members of the media, with Bob Costas calling the decision to give Jenner the award a "crass exploitation play". Many critics of the Jenner award considered Lauren Hill, who played college basketball despite suffering from a brain tumor that would claim her life only a few months later, a more worthy recipient. Others cited Noah Galloway, an Iraq War double amputee who competes in extreme sports and was also a finalist in the 20th season of Dancing with the Stars in 2015, as a worthy candidate.
Recipients + Key Indicates posthumous award
+ Arthur Ashe Courage Award recipients Year Image Recipient(s) Notes 1993 American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster, died from adenocarcinoma 1994 – Major League Baseball umpire paralysed from the waist down after attempting to prevent a mugging 1995 Journalist, creator of ABC SportsBeat, the first serious investigative sports journalist program 1996 – Multi-sports Special Olympics athlete 1997 Boxer, an example of racial pride for African Americans and resistance to white domination during the civil rights movement 1998 College basketball coach for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1999 Tennis player, campaigned for equal prize money in both men's and women's tennis 2000 - High school sports coach killed defending students during the Columbine High School massacre 2001 Track and field athlete, first Indigenous Australian person to become an Olympic Games gold medallist 2002 Todd BeamerMark BinghamTom BurnettJeremy Glick Athletes onboard United Airlines Flight 93 (National Memorial pictured) who tried to reclaim control from the hijackers 2003 Pat Tillman (pictured)Kevin Tillman Pat was an American football player who played for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL, his brother Kevin a Minor League Baseball player; both enlisted, forgoing their sporting careers 2004 Association footballer who became a UN Goodwill Ambassador 2005 – Jim MacLaren Yeboah brought attention to disabled people in Ghana, himself with a deformed leg, by cycling across the country. McLaren became a successful triathlete after having his leg amputated. 2006 Shamila Kohestani (pictured) Championing girls' and women's sport, specifically the Afghan women's association football team 2007 David Cullen (pictured) Members of PeacePlayers International which uses basketball to unite and educate children 2008 John Carlos Olympic track athletes, medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics, who gave the Black Power salute on the podium 2009 South African President, his presentation of the 1995 Rugby World Cup to Francois Pienaar was described as "an iconic moment in sports history" 2010 – High school American football coach, shot and killed by a former student 2011 – Boxer, wrongly imprisoned for 26 years 2012 College basketball coach with, , the most wins in NCAA basketball history, retired with early-onset Alzheimer's disease 2013 Broadcaster, increased awareness in bone marrow donation through public coverage of her own illness 2014 American football player, first publicly gay player to be drafted in the NFL 2015 Caitlyn Jenner Former Olympic track and field athlete and transgender television personality 2016 Fifteen-year-old American football player who used his body to shield three girls from a drive-by shooting 2017 Founder of the Special Olympics 2018 Survivors of the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal(The Fierce Five pictured) Over 300 girls and women, mostly gymnasts, including but not limited to Rachael Denhollander, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, and Maggie Nichols, who survived the abuse of Larry Nassar, spoke out about and shined a light on sexual abuse in sports, and demanded change and accountability 2019 First African American coach in NBA history, a role he held while also continuing to play 2020 Advocacy for openness about mental health 2021 Walked away from basketball to help free a wrongfully convicted man. 2022 Defended Ukraine as a soldier along with his brother Wladimir Klitschko and was vocally critical of Vladimir Putin, using his position of mayor (longest serving mayor of Kyiv) to do so 2023 United States women's national soccer team Fought for equal pay 2024 Advocate for ALS 2025 Fought for free agency in the NBA 2026 First openly gay player in the NBA.
See also Laureus Sport for Good Award SEC community service team Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award (football) Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Bart Starr Award (football) NBA Community Assist Award (basketball) J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (basketball) List of volunteer awards
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