Five months after the team’s come-from-behind Super Bowl victory, the New England Patriots could have a big night in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday evening at the 25th annual ESPY Awards, honoring the best sports performances and achievements of the past year.
The Patriots could have their hand in as many as five awards, with nominations including best championship performance and best NFL player for quarterback Tom Brady, best game for the Super Bowl win and best overall team.
The World Series champion Chicago Cubs are also competing for a host of awards, including best team, best male athlete and MLB player for Kris Bryant and best game for clinching a World Series win over the Cleveland Indians.
The ESPY Awards will bring together a who’s-who of the sporting world’s elite, filling a television gap on one of the rare days of the year on which no major professional sporting events are being held. Two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Peyton Manning will host the ceremony at the Microsoft Theater.
During the ceremony, former first lady Michelle Obama will posthumously honor Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics.
“Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a passionate champion for those with developmental challenges, empowering them to fulfill their highest potential,” Obama said in a statement released by the ESPYs. “Her work to promote inclusion and acceptance transformed the lives of countless young athletes and inspired us all.”
Obama will present the Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Shriver’s son, Timothy, the chairman of Special Olympics. The Arthur Ashe award is presented to someone “whose contributions transcend sports,” with past recipients including Billie Jean King, Muhammad Ali, Howard Cosell and Jim Valvano.
Retired Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully will be presented with the Icon Award, which honors people who “have left a lasting impression on the sports world.” Scully, who retired at the end of last season after 67 years behind the mic, will be presented the award by actor Bryan Cranston.
Other dignitaries expected to serve as presenters during the show include retired ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, Samuel L. Jackson, Eddie George, Danica Patrick and Jeremy Renner.
Here is a complete list of ESPY Award nominations: BEST MALE ATHLETE Kris Bryant, MLB Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup Finals Michael Phelps, Swimming Russell Westbrook, NBA BEST FEMALE ATHLETE Simone Biles, Gymnastics Katie Ledecky, Swimming Candace Parker, WNBA Serena Williams, Tennis BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE Tom Brady, Super Bowl Kevin Durant, NBA Finals Shay Knighten, WCWS Deshaun Watson, CFB National Championship BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE Giannis Antetokounmpo, NBA Laurie Hernandez, Gymnastics Aaron Judge, MLB Dak Prescott, NFL Christian Pulisic, Soccer BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE Bill Belichick most Super Bowl wins by a head coach Michael Phelps extends his own record of most gold medals/most Olympic medals Diana Taurasi breaks WNBA career scoring record Russell Westbrook most triple doubles in a season BEST UPSET Clemson defeats Alabama, CFB National Championship Denis Istomin over Novak Djokovic, Australian Open 2nd Round Mississippi State defeats Connecticut, Women’s NCAA Basketball Final Four BEST GAME Cubs vs. Indians, World Series Game 7 Patriots vs. Falcons, Super Bowl Federer vs. Nadal, Australian Open Final BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE Matt Bush, MLB Roger Federer, Tennis Jordy Nelson, NFL Candace Parker, WNBA BEST PLAY (16 NOMINEES VOTED BRACKET-STYLE) Julian Edelman Super Bowl catch vs. 16. Noah Brown TD catch around defender Morgan Williams buzzer beater vs. UConn vs.15. Larry Nance dunk Aaron Rodgers to Jared Cook vs. 14. Lamar Jackson hurdles defender Northwestern buzzer beater vs. 13. Edwin Encarnacion walk off HR Russell Westbrook buzzer beater vs. 12. LeBron James dunk off the backboard Chris Coghlan leaps over catcher vs. 11. Sidney Crosby one-handed goal Olivier Giroud scorpion kick goa l vs. 10. Warriors jump ball transition dunk Mario Mandzukic goal in UEFA Final vs. 9. Jarrod Dyson catch BEST TEAM Chicago Cubs, MLB Clemson Tigers, CFB Golden State Warriors, NBA Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL New England Patriots, NFL South Carolina Gamecocks, Women’s NCAA Basketball US Women’s Gymnastics BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE Canelo Alvarez, Boxing Usain Bolt, Track & Field Katinka Hosszu, Swimming Conor McGregor, MMA Cristiano Ronaldo, Soccer BEST NFL PLAYER Tom Brady, New England Patriots Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons BEST MLB PLAYER Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox Rick Porcello, Boston Red Sox Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals Mike Trout, LA Angels BEST NHL PLAYER Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers BEST DRIVER Ron Capps, NHRA Lewis Hamilton, Formula One Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR Simon Pagenaud, IndyCar Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR BEST NBA PLAYER Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors James Harden, Houston Rockets LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder BEST WNBA PLAYER Tina Charles, New York Liberty Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks BEST FIGHTER Terence Crawford, Boxing Gennady Golovkin, Boxing Demetrious Johnson, MMA Conor McGregor, MMA Andre Ward, Boxing BEST MALE GOLFER Brooks Koepka Sergio Garcia Dustin Johnson Rory McIlroy Henrik Stenson BEST FEMALE GOLFER In Gee Chun Ariya Jutanugarn Lydia Ko So Yeon Ryu Lexi Thompson BEST MALE TENNIS PLAYER Roger Federer Andy Murray Rafael Nadal Stan Wawrinka BEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER Angelique Kerber Jelena Ostapenko Monica Puig Serena Williams BEST MALE COLLEGE ATHLETE Ian Harkes, Wake Forest soccer Frank Mason, Kansas basketball Matt Rambo, Maryland lacrosse Zain Retherford, Penn State wrestling DeShaun Watson, Clemson football BEST FEMALE COLLEGE ATHLETE Inky Ajanaku, Stanford volleyball Kelly Barnhill, Florida softball Kadeisha Buchanan, West Virginia soccer Kelsey Plum, Washington basketball Zoe Stukenberg, Maryland lacrosse BEST MALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE Oystein Braaten (NOR), Ski John John Florence, Surf Nyjah Huston, Skateboard Mark McMorris, Snowboard BEST FEMALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE Lacey Baker, Skateboard Anna Gasser, Snowboard Kelly Sildaru, Ski Tyler Wright, Surf BEST JOCKEY Javier Castellano Mike E. Smith John Velasquez BEST MALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY Will Groulx, Cycling Mike Minor, Snowboarding Steve Serio, Wheelchair Basketball Brad Snyder, Swimming Roderick Townsend, Track and Field BEST FEMALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY Oksana Masters, Nordic Skiing Tatyana McFadden, Track and Field Becca Meyers, Swimming Shawn Morelli, Cycling Grace Norman, Triathlon BEST BOWLER Jason Belmonte Francois Lavoie EJ Tackett BEST MLS PLAYER Andre Blake, Philadelphia Union Stefan Frei, Seattle Sounders FC Matt Hedges, FC Dallas David Villa, New York City FC Bradley Wright-Phillips, New York Red Bulls BEST MALE US OLYMPIC ATHLETE Ashton Eaton, Decathlon Ryan Murphy, Swimming Michael Phelps, Swimming Kyle Snyder, Wrestling BEST FEMALE US OLYMPIC ATHLETE Simone Biles, Gymnastics Allyson Felix, Track & Field Katie Ledecky, Swimming Simone Manuel, Swimming.
—City News Service