I have a few issues with Jenner getting the award. The first is that he may be profiting off of it. There is now another "special" series of shows in the works concentrating on Jenner. Unless Jenner donates every cent from the interview he did and these upcoming shows to a worthy charity he is simply profiting off the publicity. Keep in mind the Kardashians have made a very nice living by whoring their daughters out to gain publicity at every turn so their track record is abysmal. Sam, on the other hand, may have cost himself a significant amount of money by keeping quiet.
Does anyone know the process by which ESPN chooses the Arthur Ashe courage award? Are people nominated and voted on or do they just arbitrarily choose someone? Either way, Jenner definitely does not deserve it, IMO. Sure, he risked public ridicule and alienation, but so what. For the most part, all this has done is generate publicity and profit for him/her. When I think of someone more befitting of the award, I think of someone like Steve Gleason. Or hell, even one their own, like Stuart Scott, who passed away earlier this year. But Jenner? Really?
Stuart Scott was my first thought; how are they not giving it to him posthumously? But you're right, Gleason would be a helluva recipient.
Isn't courage the same thing as bravery? The award is called the bravery award right? I disagree with those who feel it's not brave to come out, but I'm biased when it comes to this situation, I'll admit that.
When I think of the Arthur Ashe Award I think of Jimmy Valvano. To give it to Jenner tarnishes the meaning of the award.
I think it's something ESPN does on their own, not by popular vote. It's no surprise that his selection came just 24 hours after he was the fastest person to get to 1M twitter followers. Thus, my comment. I think it's all about ratings and money for ESPN. Stuart Scott isn't/wasn't flashy. It is called the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and it has gone to non-sports people in the past. "The Ashe Award is one of the most prestigious in sports. Recipients reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost. The award is inspired by the life that Ashe lived, using his fame and stature to advocate for human rights, although, at the time, those positions may have been unpopular and were often controversial. From speaking out against apartheid in South Africa to revealing to the world his struggle with AIDS, Ashe never backed away from a difficult issue, even though doing so would have been easier. Winners of the Ashe Award strive to carry on Ashe's legacy in their own lives - - inspired by those who do so each day." In that respect, one could make an argument for Jenner although my personal choice would be Lauren Hill. Diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer, she continued to play high school basketball and raised over $1M for cancer research before she died at 19.
I think Jenner's selection has a lot to do with ratings as has been mentioned. Heard someone say that the meme circulating yesterday on social media about the wounded veteran athlete with missing limbs coming in 2nd was fabricated (and that veteran did not want to be exploited falsely in that way). The wounded veteran is obviously more deserving than Jenner but shouldn't be the trump card to every other issue going on in society.
Does it ever end? Now OSHA says trannies can use any bathroom they want. https://www.yahoo.com/health/caitlyn-jenner-should-use-the-bathroom-gender-121107879682.html And now the other shoe drops! Wait for it! You knew this was coming. Yes! Caitlin Jenner has a new reality show in the works. http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/cai...titled-i-am-cait-release-date-set-1201511306/
