LAS VEGAS — Sports is my life.
Monday was my night.
Let me tell you a story. I have this sister named Caroline, who knows this guy, who hooked me up with a pair of tickets to the ESPY awards Monday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
For a helpless sports addict like myself, it was the perfect cure for those February blues.
You see, ESPN’s yearly sports awards show was similar to the town it took place in — an all-out blitz of the senses. I felt guilty participating in such a sinful sports delight, as any gambler might feel a twinge of guilt for an all-nighter in front of a slot machine.
There was Jack Nicklaus. There was Sheryl Swoopes, Tony Hawk, Eddie George and Josh Heupel. There was even Don King, for God’s sake.
Like drug addicts around Vegas on Monday night, I got my fix of superstar athletes and sports icons.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman, who won the ESPY for the Most Spectacular Play of the Year, said it best:
“You look around in the Green Room and see Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Don King, just to name a few. It is just a pleasure and delight to be around these people,” Freeman told ESPN.com. “It’s breath-taking, really.”
But the ESPYs were more than just star gazing.
One of the things I love about sport is that those who participate in it love to glorify it, and they take the fans along for the ride. NFL Films productions, movies like “Hoosiers” and the Olympics’ Opening Ceremonies all elevate sports to a level beyond a simple football game, state basketball championship or track meet. They give life, meaning and a little validity to the sports world.
By simply celebrating sports, the ESPY awards accomplished the same feat. Audience members seemed to have an understanding and acceptance of why they were there — for the love of the game. Guys carried six-packs of beer to their seats, audience members hooted and hollered during acceptance speeches as if they were in a Miller Lite commercial, while host Samuel L. Jackson threw Frisbees and NERF footballs into the crowd during ad breaks.
But the ESPY’s captured the gut-wrenching side of sports as well. Who could resist Pete Sampras weeping during an acceptance speech for record-breaking performance of the year, as he recalled his parents’ presence at the Wimbledon final that marked his 13th career Grand Slam victory? Who had a dry eye when Cathy Freeman accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award, and every word sounded as if it came from some deep inner passion to change the world?
Really, though, the night belonged to Tiger Woods. The awards show authenticated the golfer’s dominance of his sport and the sports community as a whole. Not only was Tiger the fan favorite, but he gave sports fans the Comeback of the Year and the Championship Performance of the Year. Woods’ four ESPY’s meant he broke Michael Jordan’s career ESPY record. Tiger now has 11, validating his rise to the top of the sports world.
Woods’ performance almost overshadowed another golfer — not really a surprise, since he does it on the course all the time — who received the ESPY Lifetime Achievement Award. Jack Nicklaus, the “Golden Bear,” seemed out of place at the young, hip ESPYs, but his award meant a lot all the same.
When it comes right down to it, I was simply awed by the awesome spectacle of the ESPY awards.
It was just like ESPN touted before the awards show: “If sports is your life, than this is your night.”
Well, I’m a sports guy, from my baseball cap to my tennis elbow to the spikes in my shoes. Because of that, Monday was a night I will always remember.
Thank you, Caroline.