Drew Brees was the man of the hour—literally.
The ESPYs
Drew Brees was the man of the hour—literally. Named the Male Athlete of the Year, Best NFL Player and given the Best Championship Performance award, New Orleans Saints quarterback Brees had a great year and ESPN’s annual awards show honored him for leading an unlikely squad to Super Bowl glory over the much-ballyhooed Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts.
Landon Donovan also took home a hat trick of statues, two for his penalty goal against Algeria in the World Cup (Best Moment, Performance Under Pressure awards) and one for his season with the Los Angeles Galaxy (Best MLS Player). Skier Lindsey Vonn won two awards as the Best Female Athlete and Best Female US Olympic Athlete, and was the only woman to win multiple awards this year.
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut’s longest-ever Wimbledon match netted the two this year’s Best Record-Breaking Performance ESPY, and Northern Iowa’s victory over No. 1 Kansas in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament won the Best Upset award.
However, most of the attention was focused on comedian Seth Meyers’ hosting work, as he took shots at Coach of the Year Phil Jackson and was critical of LeBron James, who aired an hour-long special as to announce his decision to join the Miami Heat.
“Somebody time me…Miami. How long did that take? A second,” Meyers joked.
Kobe Bryant won best NBA Player of the Year, and Sidney Crosby the NHL Player of the Year. Both were considered heavy favorites, as were MLB Player of the Year and Driver of the Year Albert Pujols and Jimmie Johnson, respectively.
