Aside from the fact LeBron James wasn’t even nominated as ‘Male Athlete of the Year,’… or the fact that somehow the U.S. beating Ghana was a better ‘moment’ than Mariano’s last game at Yankee Stadium or Kevin Durant’s MVP speech… it was a great night at the 2014 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles — in particular because of the inspirational words dished out by Stuart Scott and Michael Sam.
Both men received well-deserved honorary awards Wednesday night — Scott, for his battle against cancer while he maintains his work duties at the network, and Sam, who was the first college football player drafted while out of the closet.
Below are both speeches (Scott’s is prefaced with his story). They are well worth your time.
Stuart Scott – 2014 Jimmy V Perseverance Award
Michael Sam – 2014 Arthur Ashe Courage Award (the same award first given to Jimmy V in 1993).
Related: The Best List: Jimmy Valvano’s Acceptance Speech
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
