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This year’s “ESPY Awards” on ABC opened with NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James delivering a message regarding last week’s death of two African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement, and the Dallas attack on police officers that left five dead and several others injured.

Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James made a strong statement at the ESPYs (via @cjzero on Twitter). The most recent wave of race-related shootings in the United States — chiefly the police killing of Alton Sterling in Louisiana, the police killing of Philando Castile in Minnesota, and the shooting deaths of five police officers at a Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas last week — have inspired several recent cases of increased political consciousness for black athletes. Members of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx have made the most controversial statement so far in donning Black Lives Matter t-shirts...

I don’t know anything about how to go about getting people to participate in a boycott of advertisers. However, I think it would be a great idea to boycott ESPY advertisers considering the extreme disrespect Disney / ESPN has shown to real heroes by using the Arthur Ashe courage award for a publicity stunt.

ESPN has damaged the credibility of the Arthur Ashe “ESPY” Courage Award by planning to give the award to reality show actor Bruce Jenner for what appears to be nothing more than an elaborate publicity stunt. Jenner claims he’s now a female character called “Caitlyn” but admits he hasn’t had, and doesn’t plan to have, an operation to change his body from male to female....I might let him get away with this farce if there weren’t much better qualified candidates for the award.

The story of Bruce Jenner declaring against human reality that he's a woman was already a tired old story, exhausted last month in a one-hour prime-time ABC "news" special. But that's not how the grand pooh-bahs of our news and entertainment media see it. They can't get enough. Deconstruction is a tonic. And so the Kardashian-Jenner Inc. rollout continues, a perfect combination of shameless TV hucksterism and a leftist revolt against the old-fashioned notion of natural humanity. How yesterday. We know -- everyone knows -- Vanity Fair rolled out a new cover of Bruce Jenner gaudily underdressed as a woman...

Caitlyn Jenner will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs this year. Formerly known as Bruce Jenner, the Olympian-turned-reality star made her debut as a transgender female on Monday via a Vanity Fair cover. Hosted by Joel McHale, the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live ceremony will be broadcast July 15 on ABC. The occasion will be Jenner's first public appearance since her transition.

Espy donates to Jefferson’s legal defense fundBy Susan Crabtree and Kevin Bogardus August 01, 2007 Former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, who was forced out of office in 1994 after allegations surfaced that he improperly took gifts from businesses and lobbyists, donated $1,000 to Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) legal expense fund in early June. Espy, the first black person to hold the position of Agriculture secretary, was acquitted of 30 corruption charges brought against him by an independent counsel four years after leaving office. The charges included accusations that he took $35,000 in gifts. He was also the first USDA chief...

Two of the Democratic candidates for 2nd District U.S. representative differed here Tuesday over how best to represent the mainly rural district in Congress. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Bolton, stressed the importance of experience and seniority. Challenger and state Rep. Chuck Espy of Clarksdale, said he'd seek to regain representation for the district on the House Agriculture Committee. The two made their comments at a “Meet the Candidates Forum” Tuesday night at Vicksburg Auditorium. About 75 people attended the event, sponsored by the Vicksburg alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Mississippi Chapter of Blacks in Government and the Vicksburg...

Afew things I need to get off my mind: Tom Cruise will present a tribute to Pat Tillman during the ESPY Awards. You remember Tillman, who quit the NFL to join the Army Rangers and was killed in Afghanistan earlier this year. You remember Cruise, who in lieu of a box-office hit will happily reach millions of homes via ESPN. Words I expect Cruise to use during the Tillman tribute: hero, courage, warrior. Sentiments I don't expect Cruise to express during the Tillman tribute: unjust war, his poor widow, what was he thinking? Remind me not to watch. ***

Sunday, July 27, 2003 3:34 PM EST Kobe Went to ESPYs Against Legal Advice Newsweek reports this week that the focus of the case has made it difficult for Kobe Bryant to stay out of the public eye. Newsweek says that Bryant's lawyer, Pamela Mackey, almost quit when he attended the ESPY Awards three days before charges were filed. She had instructed him to stay away, believing his appearance would seem disrespectful. (The lawyers and Bryant's family -- the star himself was reportedly "in denial" -- knew that charges were imminent.) He and his wife remained at the awards until...

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT Division for the Purpose of Appointing Independent Counsels Ethics in Government Act of 1978, As Amended Division No. 94-2 FINAL REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL In Re: ALPHONSO MICHAEL (MIKE) ESPY DONALD C. SMALTZ Independent Counsel www.oic.gov Filed January 30, 2001 Published October 25, 2001 Washington, DC Click here to download the full report. - about 950K, HTML format.

  Emilio Egeraige has shared his cigars with movie stars, singers and poets, but the salesman is especially proud of this thank-you note hanging on his store wall from former President Bill Clinton. (AP photo/Jose Goitia)