What are the ESPY Awards?
The ESPYs — Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards — are ESPN's annual televised sports awards, presented since 1993. They cover the American sports year and, increasingly, the international one: Best Athlete in men's and women's sports, Best Team, Best Record-Breaking Performance, Best Play, Best Comeback, and sport-by-sport categories alongside a set of honorary awards.[1] [2]
How are winners chosen?
An ESPN panel of writers, editors and executives selects the nominees from the preceding twelve months; the winners in the competitive categories are then decided by public online voting. The honorary awards work differently: the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance and the Pat Tillman Award for Service are chosen by ESPN and are not put to a vote.[1] [3]
Why does it matter — and what are its limits?
The ESPYs are the most-watched sports awards show in the United States and confer significant public recognition, particularly on athletes outside the major leagues who win a sport-specific category. But the competitive categories are decided by fan vote, not by a federation, a coaches association or a peer academy — so the honour measures public standing rather than technical judgement, and the site labels it as such.[1] [2]
References
- ESPN — The ESPYS. Accessed August 2026.
- ESPN Press Room — ESPYS. Accessed August 2026.
- ESPN — Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Accessed August 2026.