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2023 ESPYS special honorees include USWNT, Liam Hendriks and Buffalo Bills training staff

Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY
·2 min read

Fighting for equal pay, beating cancer and saving the life of an athlete.

Those are some of the courageous actions those in sports did in the past year, and they will be honored with the three special awards at the 2023 ESPYS next month. The awards are:

  • The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage

  • The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance

  • The Pat Tillman Award for Service

Several athletes and teams will be honored at this year's show, and fans can vote for awards. Here is who will be receiving the special awards at the at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 12 at 8 p.m. ET.

2023 ESPYS: Full list of award nominations

The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage

The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage will be awarded to the U.S. women's national soccer team for "their resilient fight for equal pay off the field."

For years, the USWNT has been in a legal fight with U.S. Soccer on getting equal pay along with the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team, all while winning back-to-back World Cups. But in May 2022, the women's and men's teams announced a new deal that pays each squad equally, including a split of World Cup prize money.

The award is given to "a deserving member or group in the sporting world who makes a difference far beyond the field of play, impacting the world in indelible ways. "

The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance

Chicago White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks will be honored with the The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance for his "strength and resilience" in fighting non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The three-time MLB All-Star announced in January he would begin treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and would be back on the mound as soon as possible. In April, he said he was in remission. The White Sox announced his return the next month, and on May 29, pitched the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels.

ESPN said Hendriks also donated $100,000 to cancer research this year. The award is in honor of college basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, who after he was diagnosed with cancer, gave the legendary ESPYS speech on fighting cancer, and his famous, "Don't give up, don't ever give up."

The Pat Tillman Award for Service

The Buffalo Bills training staff is recognized prior to the game against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium. The staff will be honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at 2023 ESPYS.
The Buffalo Bills training staff is recognized prior to the game against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium. The staff will be honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at 2023 ESPYS.

The Pat Tillman Award for Service will be given to the Buffalo Bills training staff for the life-saving measures they performed after Damar Hamlin collapsed during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

ESPN said the staff "exemplified mental toughness" in their effort to save Hamlin's life, as the award is given to "a group with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of the former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USWNT, Liam Hendriks and Bills training staff to be honored at ESPYS