And The ESPY Goes To… 🏆

07/13/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

Patrick Mahomes & Lionel Messi Take Haul of Awards in Entertaining 2023 ESPY Awards Ceremony

The ESPY awards is that signifying summer moment that turns the page from one sports year to the next. We, The Sportsletter Team, often look to the ESPYs as the seasonal bookmark, and it helps reminds us of last season’s top performers and stories (like a time capsule of everything we’ve written about). With the pegged host, comedian Kevin Hart, joining the Hollywood writer’s strike, ESPN turned to an always-entertaining backup as Pat McAfee delivered the opening monologue. There were plenty of jokes from my guy, Pat (I’ve met him a few times in my sports media shoulder-brushings). More importantly than comedy, there was this:

“Sports are the greatest thing in the world. Sports are amazing. In a world that is seemingly divided by everything, if you go to any stadium, arena, locker room, you will see people from all different backgrounds, socioeconomic classes, races, religions, differing of opinions, all uniting for one thing.” — Pat McAfee

By night’s end, two athletes secured multiple awards — Patrick Mahomes and Lionel Messi. Messi wasn’t in attendance (he’s in Miami preparing for his Inter Miami unveiling this weekend), but it was a Mahomes-driven night. The show also featured skier Mikaela Shiffrin as the best female athlete and moving tributes for the sportsmanship award winners (videos below).

The Big Takeaway: With a blend of heart-warming features and intermittent comedy, the three-hour ceremony was one of the most entertaining ESPYs in recent memories. Here’s a look at the full list of winners, from performances to sportsmanship.

Top ESPY Award Winners

Best Male Athlete: Patrick Mahomes (NFL)

Best Female Athlete: Mikaela Shiffrin (Skiing)

Best Team: Kansas City Chiefs (NFL)

Performance-Based ESPY Awards

Record-Breaking: LeBron James (NBA Points Record)

Championship: Lionel Messi (World Cup Final)

Best Play: Justin Jefferson’s Catch (NFL)

Male College Athlete: Caleb Williams (USC FB)

Female College Athlete: Caitlin Clark (Iowa WBB)

Comeback Athlete: Jamal Murray (Nuggets)

Breakthrough Athlete: Angel Reese (LSU WBB)

Best NBA Player: Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)

Best NFL Player: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani (Angels)

Best Soccer Player: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Best NHL Player: Connor McDavid (Oilers)

Best Golfer: Scottie Scheffler

Best Tennis Player: Novak Djokovic

Best WNBA Player: A’ja Wilson (Aces)

Best MMA Fighter: Jon Jones

Best Driver: Max Verstappen (F1)

Best Boxer: Claressa Shields

Sportsmanship ESPY Awards

Jimmy V (Perseverance): Liam Hendriks (MLB)

Arthur Ashe (Courage): U.S. Women’s National Team (Soccer)

Pat Tillman (Service): Buffalo Bills Medical Staff

Muhammad Ali (Humanitarian): Jrue & Lauren Holiday

Sporting News: Results, Highlights & Best Moments From the ESPYs

Yahoo! Sports: LeBron James Ends All Doubt About Retirement With ESPY Speech

B/R: Best Fan Tweets & Memes to Pat McAfee’s Opening Speech at 2023 ESPYs

Screenshot via YouTube