Latest news with #SportsHumanitarianAwards
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Shane Gillis' awkward ESPYS monologue draws mixed reactions
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedian Shane Gillis ' opening monologue as host of the ESPYS went over awkwardly in front of some of the biggest names in sports on Wednesday night. Early on, he called out various famous faces in the Dolby Theatre crowd, including retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi, who was to receive the Icon Award later in the evening. Gillis said, 'Give it up for her' after calling her 'Deanna.' The camera showed an unsmiling Taurasi shaking her head. Gillis quickly caught his mistake, saying, 'My bad on that.' Gillis moved on to WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark, who wasn't on hand. 'When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she's going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most: fist fighting Black women,' he joked. While some in the audience laughed, others appeared uncomfortable. Gillis plowed on for 10 minutes, with jokes about President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, whose sex trafficking investigation has roiled the Justice Department and FBI. Gillis' performance drew mixed reviews on social media, with some calling him 'hilarious' and others 'cringey.' NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander smiled when Gillis said, 'SGA is here. Everybody sitting around him is in foul trouble.' Gillis retold what he called 'a dumb joke' that he said he loved from former 'Saturday Night Live' comic Norm MacDonald's stint as ESPYS host in 1998. Gillis congratulated Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter for winning the Heisman Trophy. 'That's something they can never take away from you unless you kill your wife and a waiter,' he said, referring to the late O.J. Simpson. Before closing it out, a smiling Gillis said, 'I see a lot of you don't like me and that's okay. That's it for me. That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don't know why this happened.' Sports Humanitarian Awards The Indianapolis Colts and former U.S. Open tennis champion Sloane Stephens were among the winners at the 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards. The Colts were honored as the team of the year for their Kicking the Stigma campaign to raise mental health awareness and expand access to treatment. Stephens received the Muhammad Ali award for her namesake foundation that works to make tennis more inclusive through access, representation and support for kids on and off the court. She beat out Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum and Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin. Michele Kang, the billionaire owner of the NWSL's Washington Spirit, was chosen as the Sports Philanthropist of the Year. Billy Bean, former MLB player and executive, was honored with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award on Wednesday night. ___ AP sports: Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Fox Sports
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox Sports
Shane Gillis' awkward ESPYS monologue draws mixed reactions
Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedian Shane Gillis ' opening monologue as host of the ESPYS went over awkwardly in front of some of the biggest names in sports on Wednesday night. Early on, he called out various famous faces in the Dolby Theatre crowd, including retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi, who was to receive the Icon Award later in the evening. Gillis said, 'Give it up for her' after calling her 'Deanna.' The camera showed an unsmiling Taurasi shaking her head. Gillis quickly caught his mistake, saying, 'My bad on that.' Gillis moved on to WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark, who wasn't on hand. 'When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she's going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most: fist fighting Black women,' he joked. While some in the audience laughed, others appeared uncomfortable. Gillis plowed on for 10 minutes, with jokes about President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, whose sex trafficking investigation has roiled the Justice Department and FBI. Gillis' performance drew mixed reviews on social media, with some calling him 'hilarious' and others 'cringey.' NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander smiled when Gillis said, 'SGA is here. Everybody sitting around him is in foul trouble.' Gillis retold what he called 'a dumb joke' that he said he loved from former 'Saturday Night Live' comic Norm MacDonald's stint as ESPYS host in 1998. Gillis congratulated Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter for winning the Heisman Trophy. 'That's something they can never take away from you unless you kill your wife and a waiter,' he said, referring to the late O.J. Simpson. Before closing it out, a smiling Gillis said, "I see a lot of you don't like me and that's okay. That's it for me. That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don't know why this happened.' Sports Humanitarian Awards The Indianapolis Colts and former U.S. Open tennis champion Sloane Stephens were among the winners at the 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards. The Colts were honored as the team of the year for their Kicking the Stigma campaign to raise mental health awareness and expand access to treatment. Stephens received the Muhammad Ali award for her namesake foundation that works to make tennis more inclusive through access, representation and support for kids on and off the court. She beat out Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum and Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin. Michele Kang, the billionaire owner of the NWSL's Washington Spirit, was chosen as the Sports Philanthropist of the Year. Billy Bean, former MLB player and executive, was honored with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award on Wednesday night. ___ AP sports: recommended Item 1 of 1
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Shane Gillis' awkward ESPYS monologue draws mixed reactions
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedian Shane Gillis ' opening monologue as host of the ESPYS went over awkwardly in front of some of the biggest names in sports on Wednesday night. Early on, he called out various famous faces in the Dolby Theatre crowd, including retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi, who was to receive the Icon Award later in the evening. Gillis said, 'Give it up for her' after calling her 'Deanna.' The camera showed an unsmiling Taurasi shaking her head. Gillis quickly caught his mistake, saying, 'My bad on that.' Gillis moved on to WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark, who wasn't on hand. 'When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she's going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most: fist fighting Black women,' he joked. While some in the audience laughed, others appeared uncomfortable. Gillis plowed on for 10 minutes, with jokes about President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, whose sex trafficking investigation has roiled the Justice Department and FBI. Gillis' performance drew mixed reviews on social media, with some calling him 'hilarious' and others 'cringey.' NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander smiled when Gillis said, 'SGA is here. Everybody sitting around him is in foul trouble.' Gillis retold what he called 'a dumb joke' that he said he loved from former 'Saturday Night Live' comic Norm MacDonald's stint as ESPYS host in 1998. Gillis congratulated Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter for winning the Heisman Trophy. 'That's something they can never take away from you unless you kill your wife and a waiter,' he said, referring to the late O.J. Simpson. Before closing it out, a smiling Gillis said, 'I see a lot of you don't like me and that's okay. That's it for me. That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don't know why this happened.' Sports Humanitarian Awards The Indianapolis Colts and former U.S. Open tennis champion Sloane Stephens were among the winners at the 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards. The Colts were honored as the team of the year for their Kicking the Stigma campaign to raise mental health awareness and expand access to treatment. Stephens received the Muhammad Ali award for her namesake foundation that works to make tennis more inclusive through access, representation and support for kids on and off the court. She beat out Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum and Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin. Michele Kang, the billionaire owner of the NWSL's Washington Spirit, was chosen as the Sports Philanthropist of the Year. Billy Bean, former MLB player and executive, was honored with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award on Wednesday night. ___ AP sports:
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Honored by ESPN, Billy Bean's Husband Has Message For MLB
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As MLB's first Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the late Billy Bean carved out a unique legacy. An outfielder and first baseman for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres (1987-95), Bean made history by coming out as gay after he retired as a player. More news: Former American League All-Star Pitcher Passes Away Bean, who died last year at age 60, was named MLB's first-ever Ambassador for Inclusion by former Commissioner Bud Selig in July 2014. Greg Baker saw first-hand how seriously his husband committed himself to the work of making professional baseball a more inclusive place for those in the LGBTQ+ community. "He was always there to work things out with other people, to be a coach, encourage all sorts of people who met along the way," Baker told Newsweek Sports. "But I would see him come home at the end of the day at 6 p.m. and sit right there on the counter in the kitchen and get the laptop out and start just tidying things up — making sure he was dotting his I's and crossing his T's." Players pause for a moment of silence in memory of Billy Bean before the game between the Oakland Athletics and the Chicago White Sox at Oakland Coliseum on Aug. 6, 2024 in Oakland. Players pause for a moment of silence in memory of Billy Bean before the game between the Oakland Athletics and the Chicago White Sox at Oakland Coliseum on Aug. 6, 2024 in was presented the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award Tuesday on Bean's behalf at the 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards. The awards will be featured in ESPN studio programming and during the 2025 ESPYs, airing live on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Broader efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion — the very values that Bean championed — have recently come under attack in ways that intersect directly with baseball. More news: Former Orioles Pitcher Announces Return to Baseball Following Cancer Battle In March, the Department of Defense briefly removed, then restored, a web page recognizing trailblazing Dodgers star Jackie Robinson's service in the U.S. Army in World War II. The page honoring Robinson, who became the first Black player in modern American or National League history in 1947, reappeared following intense media backlash without the letters "DEI" in its URL. No active major league players have come out publicly since Bean played his final game in 1995. The question of whether a modern clubhouse would welcome such a player might have been answered last August, when a television microphone for the Boston Red Sox's regional sports network picked up outfielder Jarren Duran using a homophobic slur. NESN mics picked up Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran calling a heckling fan a "f*cking f*****" during Sunday's game (Warning, slur included in clip below) — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 12, 2024 By the time Duran met with reporters after the game, he was apologetic. The Red Sox echoed the apology in a written statement after the game and suspended Duran for two games. "Maybe it's gonna take a little longer than we think, you know?" Baker said Tuesday. More news: Former Cubs, Phillies Manager Passes Away MLB elevated April Brown from its Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility and Community Affairs to Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility and Diversity after Bean's death. The league still lists "inclusiveness" among the values on its careers page, after it removed references to "diversity" in March following an executive order by President Donald Trump. More news: Tigers All-Star, First Draft Pick to Appear in an MLB Game, Passes Away Baker said that Bean lived with his acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis for about a year. During that time, Baker said Bean "couldn't do the amount of work that he wanted to be able to do" and, as a result, "he felt that things were suffering." "I know that Billy certainly had a lot more work that he wanted to do, and that I know that there's a lot of work that still needs to be done," Baker said. "I just hope that they [Major League Baseball] find a way to continue the mission that he started and he did so well." For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
