The 25th Annual ESPY Awards were handed out on Wednesday night, July 12, during a live ceremony broadcast on ABC and hosted by football player Peyton Manning, himself a nine-time ESPY winner and the recipient of the Icon Awards in 2016 following his announcement of his retirement after 18 seasons in the NFL. Did our predictions come true? Compare the results below to the forecasts of our users.
The ESPYS have been handed out since 1993. Honoring the best achievements in sports, winners were decided by fans voting online after the nominees were determined by the ESPY Select Nominating Committee. For their first 22 years the awards were broadcast on the cable sports network ESPN, but in 2015 the telecast moved to ESPN’s sister network ABC.
The past year in sports included a number of historic events, from the record-breaking performances of swimmer Michael Phelps and gymnast Simone Biles at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, to the Chicago Cubs’ first World Series victory in 108 years, to the shocking come-from-behind victory by the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots at the Super Bowl. All of those achievements and more are nominated, with other world-class competitors in the running like tennis champion Serena Williams, soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, basketball star LeBron James and many more.
Best Female Athlete
X — Simone Biles (Gymnastics)
Katie Ledecky (Swimming)
Candace Parker (WNBA)
Serena Williams (Tennis)
Best Male Athlete
Kris Bryant (MLB)
Sidney Crosby (NHL)
Michael Phelps (Swimming)
X — Russell Westbrook (NBA)
Best International Athlete
Canelo Alvarez (Boxing)
X — Usain Bolt (Track and Field)
Katinka Hosszu (Swimming)
Conor McGregor (MMA)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer)
Best Championship Performance
Tom Brady (NFL)
X — Kevin Durant (NBA Finals)
Shay Knighten (WCWS)
DeShaun Watson (CFB National Championship)
Best Breakthrough Athlete
Giannis Antetokounmpo (NBA)
Laurie Hernandez (Gymnastics)
Aaron Judge (MLB)
X — Dak Prescott (NFL)
Christian Pulisic (Soccer)
Best Record-Breaking Performance
Bill Belichick: Most Super Bowl wins by a coach
X — Michael Phelps: Extends his own record for most gold 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)
X — Mississippi State defeats Connecticut (NCAAW Final Four)
Best Game
Cubs vs. Indians (World Series Game 7)
X — Patriots vs. Falcons (Super Bowl)
Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal (Australian Open Final)
Best Comeback Athlete
Matt Bush (MLB)
Roger Federer (Tennis)
X — Jordy Nelson (NFL)
Candace Parker (WNBA)
Best Team
Chicago Cubs (MLB)
Clemson Tigers (CFB)
X — Golden State Warriors (NBA)
Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
New England Patriots (NFL)
South Carolina Gamecocks (Womens NCAA Basketball)
US Women’s Gymnastics
Best NFL Player
Tom Brady (New England Patriots)
Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys)
Khalil Mack (Oakland Raiders)
X — 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)
X — Mike Trout (LA Angels)
Best NHL Player
Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus Blue Jackets)
X — Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Best NBA Player
Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)
James Harden (Houston Rockets)
X — 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)
X — Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks)
Best MLS Player
Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)
Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC)
Matt Hedges (FC Dallas)
X — David Villa (New York City FC)
Bradley Wright-Phillips (New York Red Bulls)
Best Female College Athlete
Inky Ajanaku (Stanford volleyball)
X — Kelly Barnhill (Florida softball)
Kadeisha Buchanan (West Virginia soccer)
Kelsey Plum (Washington basketball)
Zoe Stukenberg (Maryland lacrosse)
Best Male College Athlete
Ian Harkes (Wake Forest soccer)
Frank Mason (Kansas basketball)
Matt Rambo (Maryland lacrosse)
Zain Retherford (Penn State wrestling)
X — DeShaun Watson (Clemson football)
Best Female Tennis Player
Angelique Kerber
Jelena Ostapenko
Monica Puig
X — Serena Williams
Best Male Tennis Player
X — Roger Federer
Andy Murray
Rafael Nadal
Stan Wawrinka
Best Female Golfer
In Gee Chun
X — Ariya Jutanugarn
Lydia Ko
So Yeon Ryu
Lexi Thompson
Best Male Golfer
X — Sergio Garcia
Dustin Johnson
Brooks Koepka
Rory McIlroy
Henrik Stenson
Best Female Action Sports Athlete
Lacey Baker (Skateboard)
X — Anna Gasser (Snowboard)
Kelly Sildaru (Ski)
Tyler Wright (Surf)
Best Male Action Sports Athlete
Oystein Braaten (Ski)
John John Florence (Surf)
Nyjah Huston (Skateboard)
X — Mark McMorris (Snowboard)
Best Female Athlete with a Disability
Oksana Masters (Nordic Skiing)
Tatyana McFadden (Track and Field)
X — Becca Meyers (Swimming)
Shawn Morelli (Cycling)
Grace Norman (Triathlon)
Best Male Athlete with a Disability
Will Groulx (Cycling)
Mike Minor (Snowboarding)
X — Steve Serio (Wheelchair Basketball)
Brad Snyder (Swimming)
Roderick Townsend (Track and Field)
Best Female US Olympic Athlete
X — Simone Biles (Gymnastics)
Allyson Felix (Track and Field)
Katie Ledecky (Swimming)
Simone Manuel (Swimming)
Best Male US Olympic Athlete
Ashton Eaton (Decathlon)
Ryan Murphy (Swimming)
X — Michael Phelps (Swimming)
Kyle Snyder (Wrestling)
Best Driver
Ron Capps (NHRA)
X — Lewis Hamilton (Formula One)
Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR)
Simon Pagenaud (IndyCar)
Martin Truex Jr. (NASCAR)
Best Fighter
Terence Crawford (Boxing)
Gennady Golovkin (Boxing)
X — Demetrious Johnson (MMA)
Conor McGregor (MMA)
Andre Ward (Boxing)
Best Jockey
Javier Castellano
Mike E. Smith
X — John Velazquez
Best Bowler
X — Jason Belmonte
Francois Lavoie
EJ Tackett
Best Play
X — Aaron Rodgers and Jared Cook (NFC Playoffs)
Arthur Ashe Courage Award
X — Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Icon Award
X — Vin Scully
Pat Tillman Award for Service
X — Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro
Best Coach
X — Bob Hurley Sr.
Best Moment
X — Chicago Cubs: Winning First World Series Since 1908
