| Bruna Nessif 15. Juli 2015 – 20:33
It’s the night of the ESPYs, and although this awards show is to honor our favorite athletes, it also becomes one of the more inspirational shows of the year.
And one of the most emotional! Seriously, if you don’t have at least two boxes of tissues nearby, you’re in trouble.
Hosted by our very own Joel McHale, the 2015 ESPY Awards held in downtown Los Angeles highlighted some of the most accomplished sports studs and ladies of the past year, while also sharing heartfelt stories by those who have made an impact far beyond any stadium, field or court.
Here are some of the biggest moments from tonight’s award shows…
MORE: See the best & worst dressed from the 2015 ESPYs
Zingers: Obviously, Joel opened the night with a monologue full of inappropriate jokes that were slightly awkward but absolutely hilarious. From recalling the infamous Super Bowl play by telling Russell Wilson to hand the mike instead of throwing it, because that’s the “obvious” choice, to mentioning that Victor Espinoza is the first Latin jockey to win the Derby—and will be the first immigrant deported once Donald Trump becomes president—McHale had a number of punch lines that stuck.
Whoa Mama!: Oh, hello, Lindsey Vonn! The skiing champion made heads turn in a sexy red dress that had a very high slit. It was so high, you guys. We though an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction was going to happen, but luckily, it didn’t.
Challenge Accepted: Army veteran Danielle Green was on-hand to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service. The 38-year-old shared her story of fulfilling her dream to play basketball for Notre Dame and then enlisting in the army. However, things took a catastrophic turn when Green ended up losing her arm in battle.
The inspirational woman went back to school and became a counselor for vets, and when she took the stage tonight, presented the audience with one challenge: “Ask yourself: What’s my purpose? What’s my passion? What do I want my legacy to be? How can I live as a full human being?”
Emotional Moments: The emotions kept running high with another tribute to Lauren Hill, the 19-year-old former college basketball player who died in April after battling an inoperable brain tumor. “Today was the best I’ve had, probably in my entire life. Today I wanted to play basketball and that’s what I did,” she said in the heartfelt video.
The Tears Are Flowing: OK, any chance of holding it together completely failed once Devon Still and daughter Leah Still were honored. The Cincinati Bengals football player accepted the Jimmy V Perseverance Award on behalf of 5-year-old daughter who has been battling cancer. The extremely emotional speech left everyone in the room in tears, and although Leah couldn’t be present tonight, she taped a sweet video for everyone, saying, “Sorry I couldn’t be there everybody but thank you for supporting me while I beat up cancer.”
Pop Princess Takes on Sports: Whaddya know? It’s Britney Spears! The singer looked gorge as she took the stage in a short, silver sequin dress alongsize J.J. Watt to present the award for Best Female Athlete. There was a little awkward back and forth between the two, but we enjoyed it.
Pseudo-Apology: So, Alex Rodriguez apologized for a lot of things tonight, via Ken Jeong (yeah it was a little strange), but guess what was not on his list of things to say sorry about? Using performance-enhancing drugs. Oh well.
WTF, BEN AFFLECK?!: Surprise! The actor, who has been in headlines recently for other news, shocked everyone when appeared (along with his wedding ring) on stage to present Derek Jeter with the ESPYs Icon Award.
Caitlyn Jenner’s Big Moment: Everyone was already anticipating the big moment from tonight’s show—Caitlyn Jenner would make her debut among her peers as she accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
“It is an honor to have the word ‘courage’ associated with my life, but on this night, another word comes to mind, and that is ‘fortunate.’ I owe a lot to sports. It showed me the world. It’s given me an identity,” she told the crowd.
Here’s the list of winners for the 2015 ESPYs:
Best Team: U.S. Women’s Soccer
Best Male Athlete: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Best Play: Odell Beckham catch vs. 16. Albany goalie lacrosse goal
Best Comeback Athlete: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Best Female Athlete: Ronda Rousey, MMA
Best Moment: Lauren Hill
Best Championship Performance: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Pat Tillman Award for Service: Danielle Green
Best Male College Athlete: Marcus Mariota, Oregon Football
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Mo’ne Davis, Little League Baseball
Best NBA Player: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warrior
Best Record-Breaking Performance: Peyton Manning throws record-509th touchdown pass
Best Upset: Mississippi over Alabama, FBS
Best Fighter: Ronda Rousey, MMA
Best Jockey: Victor Espinoza
2015 ESPY Awards red carpet arrivals
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