Athletics, entertainment greet Nuveman at ESPYs

By J.P. Hoornstra
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
[email protected]

Stacey Nuveman, Snoop Dogg, John Madden and Kobe Bryant may
never be together in the same room again.

On July 10, the disparate arenas of college softball, hip-hop,
Monday Night Football and pro basketball descended upon the Kodak
Theatre for the 10th annual ESPY awards. With red carpets,
wide-eyed fans, and Joan Rivers greeting their arrival, the best
professional and amateur athletes in the world received a warm
Hollywood welcome. A few even went home with trophies.

Tiger Woods won three ““ including best male athlete
““ after becoming the first golfer ever to win four grand slam
events in a row. Venus Williams, four days after losing the
Wimbledon final to sister Serena, was named best female athlete of
the year.

UCLA catcher Nuveman, nominated for best female college athlete,
didn’t take a trophy with her to the U.S. national
team’s latest tour stop in Canada. That trophy went to Sue
Bird for her leadership with NCAA basketball champion UConn, and
now of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm.

Which isn’t to say Nuveman didn’t have a good
time.

“To be on the same level with (high-profile professional
athletes), just for a day, was cool,” she said.

Apparently, event directors kept Nuveman in suspense with the
rest of the crowd up until the ESPY was handed to Bird. Sitting
next to fellow nominee and U.S. teammate Jennie Finch, the two had
no idea who the winner was.

“We thought they’d at least tell us,” Nuveman
said.

Cael Sanderson, whose undefeated collegiate wrestling career
made national headlines, won best male college athlete. This is the
first year college athletes in sports outside of football and
basketball have been eligible for an ESPY.

“It’s pretty special,” Sanderson said of
winning the award. “Being a wrestler, I can’t say
it’s not a popular sport, but it’s not as well known as
everything else. I think it means a lot to me and the sport of
wrestling.”

In addition to the new award categories that made college
softball players, wrestlers, and even pro bass fisher Kevin VanDam
(winner for Best Outdoor Athlete) eligible for ESPYs, the
convergence of sports and entertainment in Hollywood made this
year’s show unique.

Perhaps no moment exemplified this better than when Jim Morris,
the Devil Rays pitcher whose improbable comeback inspired the movie
“The Rookie”, shared the stage with Dennis Quaid, who
portrayed Morris in the film, after their efforts earned an ESPY
for “Best Sports Movie.”

“It’s the first time I’ve won anything,”
joked Quaid.

Snoop Dogg, who closed the ceremonies with his cover of
“We Want the Funk”, arrived decked out in Lakers
apparel and afterwards articulated his strong passion for
basketball.

“When I retire as a rapper, I’ll jump off into the
NBA world,” he said confidently.

Along the way, he’s planning a return trip home in Long
Beach to play in the NBA Summer Pro League.

“I played there a couple times. I did real good, because
I’m not a basketball player, and I felt like I did a good
thing by showing up, putting some points on the board, and
hustling.”

While past ESPY venues have included the MGM Grand (2000-01),
Radio City Music Hall (1995-99) and Madison Square Garden (1993-4),
this might be the first of many ESPY ceremonies to be held in
Hollywood.

That is, if they leave the choice up to the host.

“It felt more like a proper awards ceremony, rather than
being in a venue like Vegas, where you’re giving out awards
in a place where you hold fights,” Samuel L. Jackson said.
“It legitimizes it in another kind of way.”

Jackson hosted the 1999 and 2001 awards, and said he was
receptive to hosting again.

And should future ESPYs be distributed from the backyard of the
entertainment capital of the world, look for Jackson and a host of
his Hollywood colleagues to join the best athletes on center stage
again.