ESPN Announces Special Honorees of the 2025 ESPYS
The additional awards honor those in the sports world who have made an impact past their athletic passions.
We are just under three weeks away from the 2025 ESPYS. While last week, we reported the list of this year’s nominees, we now have a list of those receiving special awards at this year’s ceremony.
What’s Happening:
- ESPN is gearing up for the 2025 ESPYS!
- The annual award ceremony is designed to celebrate top athletes and moments throughout the last year’s college and professional sports seasons.
- Hosted by Shane Gillis, ESPN will also honor athletes and leaders in the world of sports with three special awards.
- Oscar Robertson will receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.
- The award was established to honor members of the professional sports community for making a difference beyond the sport they play.
- The former NBA star is being recognized for his integral position in establishing free agency for NBA players.
- Robertson served as the president of the NBA Players Association from 1965 to 1974, where he filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league during their planned merger with the ABA with the intention of helping players escape exploitative contracts and restrictions.
- After successfully delaying the merger and fighting the NBA in court, the Players Association reached a settlement and founded “the Oscar Robertson Rule."
- The rule removed the option for contracts to bind players to one team for life.
- Katie Schumacher-Cawley will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.
- The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance honors those who have proven incomparable resilience in the face of challenges and adversity.
- Schumacher-Cawley is being given the award for her commitment to the Penn State University women’s volleyball team as she battled stage 2 breast cancer.
- The head coach, who was diagnosed in September of 2024, never missed a practice, leading the team to win the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship.
- David Walters and Erin Regan will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
- This award honors the commitment to service by former athletes who have made strong impacts on their community.
- Walters and Regan were integral to fighting the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year.
- The pair are being chosen in recognition of their selfless choice to serve their communities and as representatives for all the first responders who battled the fires.
- Walters is an Olympic gold medalist swimmer, world record holder, and NCAA champion swimmer for the University of Texas.
- He won his gold medal as part of the US men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay team at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
- He broke the world record for the 4x200 meter freestyle at the World Aquatic Championships alongside Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Ricky Beren.
- He’s been with the Los Angeles City Fire Department for nearly a decade.
- Regan, a former professional soccer player, was a goalkeeper at Wake Forest University from 1998-2002.
- There she helped bring the team its first All-ACC honors and set several school records.
- She went on to join the Washington Freedom in the Women’s United Soccer Association and helped bring the team the WUSA Founders Cup.
- Regan strived to make a bigger impact on the world around her, prompting her to leave the league for a career at the Los Angeles County Fire Department in 2008.
- She has also been integral to helping create more space for female firefighters, co-founding the one-day event “Girls Fire Camp" and helping launch the Women’s Fire Prep Academy.
- The athletic celebration is set to be broadcast live on ABC from Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre on July 16th at 8PM ET/ PT.
ESPYS Fight Against Cancer:
- The ESPYS began back in 1993, and have held a long commitment to raising awareness and money for the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
- The organization was founded by Jim Valvano and the sports network and has since raised over $250 million dollars from ESPN alone.
- While sports are one of the biggest forms of entertainment in the world, it's incredible to see the community come together to make a difference beyond the field, court, pool, etc.
Read More ESPN: