This year’s ESPY Awards had a decidedly different tone, because this is a decidedly different time in our lives. We’re in the middle of a pandemic, and the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have led to massive global protests calling for racial equality and justice, while putting an end to systemic racism and racism as a whole.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird, and US soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe co-hosted the ceremony — all sporting “Black Lives Matter” shirts — and began the broadcast’s cold open with a call for unity against racial injustice.