Land Rover goes off the beaten path to ESPYs

We love sports. We love the thrill of competition. We love a battle down to the last one standing. Blood, sweat and tears, and then the glory.

With the barrage of bad news clouding sports of late, it’s good to be reminded that most players are actually down-to-earth, hard working individuals. Players that have unresolved personal issues that come with too much fame and money too young, or a lack of personal family structure often overshadow the down-to-earth nature of the average professional athlete. Most of these athletes achieved success by simply playing their hardest and following the rules that bind them on the court and off the field. And there’s those who stand out from the bunch — true, honest all-stars with integrity, and a conscience, too. Cheering for people we like is part of the attraction of sports enthusiasts.

After interviewing dozens of NFL, NBA, MLB, tennis, hockey players, and of course NASCAR drivers, I’m always touched by the many who are involved in causes. They invite you to their events, they speak with seriousness about children or finding cures for illnesses. These are the men and women who make me love their games that much more — real champions.

Many players across professional sports have their own foundations and participate on a regular basis in the effort to raise money and awareness. Our good friend CBS NFL (and prominent vintage car collector) host James Brown honors exemplary NFL players who show their leadership at the annual JB Awards with recent honorees including Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals, Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens, and Washington Redskin Clinton Portis, who attended the April gala. ESPN devotes a The ESPYS are one off-the-court event where sportsmanship shines in the form athletes do-gooders in between the bravado of saluting those with the best moves.

Unlike most televised awards shows, the ESPYS set a precedent with a portion of its proceeds designated for charity the V Foundation, named for its founder, Jim Valvano, a former North Carolina basketball coach who fought a long battle against cancer. Partnering with ESPN, the foundation has raised over 80 million dollars in 15 years.

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award is another ESPY highlight along benevolent lines, honoring personal courage and or charitable works outside the sport venue, with winners including Muhammad Ali and another one of our favorite athletes tennis star Billie Jean King. Land Rover is on board with sponsorship — a good fit for rough and rugged off-road champ that is into rescuing people from peril. The ESPYs tape tonight and will air this weekend. We need more light on what’s athletes are doing throughout their communities to balance out players who behave like bozos and cheat or whose off-season foibles and bad choices cast a dark shadow over the sporting life. We like the good guys (and gals) the ones who shed light on towns big and small, the ones who often return home and give back to their native communities –who are the winners at the end of the day.

Onto the glitz and glam of the year in sports for those at the top of their game. Here are our votes for ESPY night based on unscientific, biased fan basis: Serena Williams Tennis, Pittsburgh Steelers, Michael Phelps,Federer vs. Nadal 2008 Wimbledon Final, Usain Bolt Olympic Sprinter, F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton, Boxer Manny Pacquiao, Francisco Rodriguez, Shaun White Snowboarding/Skateboarding, Tiger Woods, Detroit Red Wing Pavel Datsyuk and the Wrestler. What are yours?
And the nominees are:

Best Male Athlete
Kobe Bryant NBA
LeBron James NBA
Jimmie Johnson Auto Racing
Michael Phelps Swimming

Best Female Athlete
Natalie Coughlin Swimming
Nastia Liukin Gymnastics
Maya Moore NCAA Basketball
Candace Parker WNBA
Serena Williams Tennis

Best Moment
Florida’s Tim Tebow’s speech
Helio Castroneves wins the Indy 500
US swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay

Best Team
Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers
North Carolina Men’s Basketball
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Steelers

Best Coach-Manager
Geno Auriemma Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Dan Bylsma Pittsburgh Penguins
Phil Jackson Los Angeles Lakers
Joe Maddon Tampa Bay Rays
Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh Steelers

Best Game
Federer vs. Nadal 2008 Wimbledon Final
Steelers vs. Cardinals Super Bowl XLIII
Syracuse vs. Connecticut Big East Tournament Quarterfinals

Best Championship Performance
Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers
Cole Hamels Philadelphia Phillies
Michael Phelps Olympic Swimming
Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh Olympic Beach Volleyball

Best Play
Ovechkin vs. Rangers
Pacquiao KO’s Hatton
Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD
Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree makes game-winning catch vs. Texas

Best Upset
Mine That Bird
Oregon State stuns then #1 USC
Tampa Bay Rays win the American League Championship Series
US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup Semifinals

Best Breakthrough Athlete
Shawn Johnson Olympic Gymnastics
Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays
Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls
Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons

Best Record Breaking Performance
Usain Bolt Olympic Sprinter
Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals
Phil Jackson Los Angeles Lakers
Michael Phelps Olympic Swimmer

Best Sports Movie
The Express: The Ernie Davis Story
Sugar
The Wrestler

Best Male College Athlete
Sam Bradford Oklahoma Football
Matt Gilroy Boston University Hockey
Blake Griffin Oklahoma Basketball
Stephen Strasburg San Diego State Baseball
Tim Tebow Florida Football

Best Female College Athlete
Kerri Hanks Notre Dame Women’s Soccer
Courtney Kupets Georgia Gymnastics
Danielle Lawrie Washington Softball
Maya Moore Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Dana Vollmer California Swimming

Best Male Athlete With A Disability
Jeremy Campbell Track and Field
Will Groulx Wheelchair Rugby
Jason Lester Ironman
Oscar Pistorius Track and Field

Best Female Athlete With A Disability
Jessica Long Swimming
Maureen McKinnon-Tucker Sailing
Asya Miller Goalball
Erin Popovich Swimming

Best Male International Athlete
Usain Bolt Jamaica, Sprinter
Pau Gasol Spain, Basketball
Lionel Messi Argentina, Soccer
Rafael Nadal Spain, Tennis
Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal, Soccer

Best Female International Athlete
Yelena Isinbayeva Russia, Pole Vault
Marta Brazil, Soccer
Lorena Ochoa México, Golf
Stephanie Rice Australia, Swimming
Dinara Safina Russia, Tennis

Best Baseball Player
Roy Halladay Toronto Blue Jays
Ryan Howard Philadelpia Phillies
Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox
Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals
Francisco Rodriguez Los Angeles Angels/New York Mets

Best NBA Player
Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers
Dwight Howard Orlando Magic
LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers
Dwyane Wade Miami Heat

Best WNBA Player
Deanna Nolan Detroit Shock
Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
Lindsay Whalen Connecticut Sun

Best NFL Player
Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals
James Harrison Pittsburgh Steelers
Peyton Manning Indianapolis Colts
Adrian Peterson Minnesota Vikings
Kurt Warner Arizona Cardinals

Best NHL Player
Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins
Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings
Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins
Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals

Best MLS Player
Juan Pablo Angel New York Red Bulls
Jon Busch Chicago Fire
Kenny Cooper FC Dallas
Landon Donovan LA Galaxy
Guillermo Barros Schletto Columbus Crew

Best Male Action Sports Athlete
Ryan Sheckler Skateboarding
Kelly Slater Surfing
James Stewart Motocross
Shaun White Snowboarding/Skateboarding

Best Female Action Sports Athlete
Torah Bright Snowboarding
Sarah Burke Skiing
Ashley Fiolek Motocross
Maya Gabeira Surfing

Best US Male Olympian
Bryan Clay Track and Field
LaShawn Merritt Track and Field
Michael Phelps Swimming
Angelo Taylor Track and Field

Best US Female Olympian
Natalie Coughlin Swimming
Dawn Harper Track and Field
Shawn Johnson Gymnastics
Nastia Liukin Gymnastics

Best Bowler
Chris Barnes
Norm Duke
Wes Malott

Best Driver
Helio Castroneves
Scott Dixon
Lewis Hamilton
Jimmie Johnson
Tony Schumacher
Tony Schumacher

Best Fighter
Lyoto Machida MMA
Shane Mosley Boxing
Manny Pacquiao Boxing
Anderson Silva MMA

Best Male Golfer
Padraig Harrington
Phil Mickelson
Tiger Woods

Best Female Golfer
Paula Creamer
Lorena Ochoa
Suzann Pettersen

Best Jockey
Calvin Borel
Garrett Gomez
Mike Smith

Best Male Tennis Player
Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal

Best Female Tennis Player
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Dinara Safina
Serena Williams

Under Armour All-America Moment
Jake Bernhardt Lacrosse
Tara Glover Softball
David Renfroe Baseball
Hannah Werth Volleyball
Andre Debose & Russell Shepard Football

Tagged as: Arthur Ashe Courage Award, athletes, celebrity, CELEBRITY CARS, ESPN, espys, Jim Valvano, Land Rover, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, Sport, Tennis